HELENA — The federal government has delayed finalizing new regulations for grizzly bears in the lower 48 states until the end of the year. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was supposed to finalize the grizzly regulations by Jan. 31, as mandated by a federal district court in Idaho.
“I am sure they have their reasons, but that does not make it any less frustrating for us,” said Trina Jo Bradley, a rancher in Valier.
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Chris Servheen, a former grizzly bear recovery coordinator for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, said, “I think it is probably because they are starting to realize the complexities of promoting the idea of delisting.”
With over 200,000 public comments, staff turnover, and the controversial nature of the species' management, the Fish and Wildlife Service requested an extension.
Bradley says that while they await a decision from the government, she wishes a temporary state plan could be in place.
“If there were a way to do that, if I went out to check my cows and there was a grizzly in there trying to kill them, I could legally shoot it and call U.S. Fish and Wildlife and say I killed this bear that was killing my cows, come get it,” Bradley said. “It would be really helpful, and it would also improve the attitudes of a lot of producers that are just sitting out here not able to do anything.”
On the flip side, Servheen says there wouldn’t be much change from now to the decision.
“The fact is, they are managed the same way now as they would be managed after they are delisted,” Servheen said.
Currently, Montana FWP manages bears, but since they are still federally protected, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must approve all relocations and removals of conflict bears.
Ranchers like Bradley say the presence of grizzlies not only causes overall stress to producers and livestock, but also “lower breeding rates, stress weight loss, all the things, meaner cows.”
Bradley said, “All the stress, on top of stress for our livestock and people and delisting grizzly bears, is not going to make them go away, and we are aware of that, but delisting would give us a whole other set of tools.”
Servheen felt similarly about grizzlies, but as the environment has changed, so has his perspective on the species. He wrote the original delisting rule for the Yellowstone ecosystem.
“I was promoting delisting,” Servheen said. “But something that has happened in recent years that has concerned me is the intervention of politicians in the management of predators.”
The last proposal from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, released in the final days of the Biden administration, would have kept grizzlies listed with some tweaks that gave landowners more flexibility around killing bears that threaten livestock.
“I am curious to see how the new administration writes a completely new document with a 180-degree conclusion because the biology and threats that grizzly bears face have not changed in one year," Servheen said.
Moving forward, both sides have concerns and are curious to see what happens come December. Servheen and Bradley believe there are important voices to be heard outside of politicians.
“Agriculture needs a voice and to make people realize that Montana is ready to manage their own grizzly bears,” Bradley said.
Added Servheen: “The bears are just trying to make a living out there on the landscape. They would like to stay away from us and would like to be here in the long term.”
