This story is part of our Quick Hits series. This series will bring you breaking news and short updates from throughout the state.
As this is breaking news, we will continue to update this article as we gather more information.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has decided to keep grizzly bears in the Northern Rockies and Washington on the endangered species list.
Environmentalists are celebrating Wednesday’s announcement from the agency that the animals will remain classified as “threatened” in those parts of the western U.S.
This means it remains illegal to kill, harm or harass the animals except in cases of self defense. And if the proposal goes through, there could be more exceptions for landowners defending livestock.
The announcement goes against petitions from Wyoming, Idaho and Montana governors to delist the bears.
A new classification
The Service is proposing creating a “distinct population segment” for the grizzlies. Until now, the about 2,000 bears have been managed as five distinct groups in the region, including the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and Northern Continental Divide.
According to a Service press release, “Grizzly bear populations are now geographically closer to each other than ever, and the Service has documented grizzly bear movement between some populations, indicating recovery zones are no longer discrete.”
The Service’s director said this move will provide a stronger foundation for eventual delisting, since it could boost the genetic diversity of the species.
This proposal is similar to one from environmental groups that came out last month. Fifteen organizations petitioned the Service to consider all the bears in the Rockies as a “metapopulation.”
They argued the bears haven’t fully recovered since they only occupy a small slice of their former range and want the bears to move organically from ecosystem to ecosystem.
Andrea Zaccardi, with the Center for Biological Diversity, said she’s still reviewing the specifics of Wednesday’s announcement, but altogether she’s relieved.
“ It's great that the Fish and Wildlife Service finally followed the science and realized that grizzly bears still need protection,” Zaccardi said.
A ‘broken Endangered Species Act’
Gov. Mark Gordon has argued management should go back to the states now that grizzly bears have reached population targets in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and their range has expanded.
“Our state wildlife managers are foremost experts on this bruin – they should be at the helm of decision making that impacts the daily lives of people in Wyoming who live and work in grizzly bear country,” Gordon wrote in a press release Jan. 8.
He also said he’s looking forward to working with the Trump administration to delist the bears, as well as on “reforming the broken Endangered Species Act.”
Wyoming officials have previously said they plan to open up grizzly bear hunting if the species is delisted. Wyoming, along with Idaho, tried to start hunting seasons the last time protections were removed.
For hunters like Jaden Bales, the announcement is a major disappointment. He lives in Lander, Wyoming and wants to see a grizzly hunting season in the state.
“I think the majority of the appeal isn't necessarily to hunt the grizzly bear itself,” Bales explained. “It's that we get to take over management of a species that we can call a conservation success.”
The 4(d) rule
Residents of the Rockies may have an opportunity to kill grizzlies, but not by hunting.
In what seems like an attempt to appease all parties, the Service is also proposing a new rule, 4(d), that would give landowners more flexibility to kill bears when they threaten livestock.
"Grizzly bear expansion is challenging for local communities and working lands," the press release said.
The agency will be accepting comments on the proposal in the coming months. Zaccardi and other environmentalists say they plan to push back.
They also are disappointed the agency is proposing removing protections outside the Northern Rockies and Washington, in states such as California and Colorado.
How did we get here?
The Service first listed the grizzly bear as a threatened species in the lower 48 under the Endangered Species Act in 1975, making it illegal to harm, harass or kill grizzly bears, except in cases of self defense or the defense of others.
The agency removed the Greater Yellowstone population from the list in 2007 and 2017, arguing that the group's numbers had increased and its range had grown. Protections were restored, however, after environmental groups sued.
In 2024, more than 70 grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem died, largely due to human causes, such as car crashes.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
