Yellowstone Grizzly Bear to Lose Endangered Species Protection
Republicans have made numerous proposals to change the law; one bill, introduced by Senator Rand Paul, would require congressional approval to add a species to the list
and would delist a species after five years of protection.
By JIM ROBBINSJUNE 22, 2017
— After 42 years on the endangered species list, the Yellowstone grizzly bear — whose numbers have grown to more
than 700 from fewer than 150 — will lose its protected status, the Interior Department announced on Thursday.
In deciding to lift the protection, Ryan Zinke, the secretary of the interior, remarked on the long-term efforts
that have allowed the bear to thrive: “This achievement stands as one of America’s great conservation successes; the culmination of decades of hard work and dedication on the part of state, tribal, federal and private partners,” Mr. Zinke said in a statement.
Delisting the bear, or Ursus arctos horribilis, is opposed by a number of conservation groups and Native American tribes
that say climate change has cast the Yellowstone region into ecological uncertainty and could imperil the bear in the future.
“We should consider it a great success.”
Protecting the grizzly bear, which was one of the first on the list of endangered species under the 1973 law, has been a challenge.
Under current law, eliminating threatened species protection for the big bear paves the way for Montana, Idaho
and Wyoming to take over responsibility from federal managers outside Yellowstone.