Illustration by Jeremy Collins

For almost 30 years, the grizzlies of Yellowstone have been A-list celebrities, protected as “threatened species” under the Endangered Species Act, but they could lose that status in 2006, says the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

The agency—with the National Wildlife Federation’s support—recommended delisting the bears as the next step in a recovery plan that’s allowed the population to swell from 200-250 grizzlies in 1975 to more than 600 today.

“From a bear’s point of view, there won’t be any difference,” says Chris Servheen, grizzly bear recovery coordinator for the Fish and Wildlife Service. “The protections will be the same. The management plan is solid.”

But don’t break out the bubbly and toast the bears yet. Conservation groups, including the Sierra Club, the NRDC and The Wilderness Society, see the decision as a gamble because it will transfer the region’s grizzly bear management from one central agency to different National Forest Service branches and state agencies in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. The Fish and Wildlife Service is reviewing public comments and preparing its final decision for early next year. If the decision is accepted, only the grizzly bears in and surrounding Yellowstone will lose their federal protection.

Learn more about the uproar at www.nwf.org.

Last Updated: Mar 6th, 2006 - 07:27:02
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