Feds propose rule shifting management of grizzly bears toward states
The federal government announced on Tuesday that it is planning to shift management of grizzly bears in the contiguous U.S. to the states.
In a windy field south of Bozeman, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, flanked by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Idaho Gov. Brad Little and Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, praised the recovery of the species from a few hundred bears in 1975 to a population exceeding 2,000 along the Continental Divide. Gianforte said the species should be seen as a success, and that it calls for a new management framework.
“The goal of the Endangered Species Act is recovery. Today (Tuesday), that recovery is being recognized,” Gianforte, a Republican, said. “Recovery was never the end of the story, though, for this iconic species. The next chapter is about stewardship. State management does not mean the work is over. In many ways, it means the work becomes even more important.”
Many environmental groups criticized the rule as harmful to the species while the state’s all-Republican federal delegation gave unanimous support.
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/07/16/repub/feds-propose-rule-shifting-management-of-grizzly-bears-toward-states/
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