Wyoming residents have another opportunity to weigh in on a federal proposal that would give states more authority in managing grizzly bears while keeping the species protected under the Endangered Species Act.
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced revised changes to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposed 4(d) rule on July 14. The proposal would provide additional management flexibility in areas where grizzly bear populations have met or exceeded federal recovery objectives while maintaining the bears’ status as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the proposal would not remove grizzly bears from the Endangered Species Act, authorize hunting or change existing experimental population designations. Instead, it would establish a framework allowing states and Tribes to take on a greater role in day-to-day management where recovery goals have been achieved.
The agency estimates there are now more than 2,000 grizzly bears across the northern Rocky Mountains, compared with only a small number remaining in the Lower 48 when the species was listed as threatened in 1975.
The proposal is particularly relevant to northwest Wyoming, where grizzly bears continue to occupy areas in and around the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
The revised proposal was published in the Federal Register on July 17, reopening the public comment period through Aug. 17. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, only the revised 4(d) provisions are open for additional public review, and comments from both public comment periods will be considered before a final rule is issued.