Federal officials will review whether they are doing enough to protect grizzly bears across the contiguous U.S. states after advocates sued the government to try to restore the animals to more areas.
A federal judge approved a settlement Monday and said the review must be completed by March 31, 2021.
The Center for Biological Diversity said in a lawsuit that officials should consider restoring grizzlies to areas of California, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada and Oregon.
Grizzly bears are protected as a threatened species in the U.S., except in Alaska. An estimated 1,900 bears live in portions of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Washington state.
