Endangered Species Act
Feds Say Take Grizzlies Off Endangered Species List
By Courtney Lowery, 11-15-05
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In a somewhat predictable move that has environmental groups divided and many in the West either cringing or cheering, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced Tuesday that it is recommending dropping the Yellowstone grizzlies from the endangered species list.
Some say the move shows the success of the Endangered Species Act. Others pointed to the announcement as proof that the Act needs a revamp (which is being attempted as we speak.) As the Associated Press story points out, less than 20 species have been removed from the list since it's beginnings in 1973. Idaho's Sen. Larry Craig says in the AP story: "This is the exception, not the rule to the Endangered Species Act."
The de-listing (which only applies to the 600 or so grizzlies in and around Yellowstone) means the management will be handed over to the state wildlife officials in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.
Montana Sen. Max Baucus said that's a good thing. “I welcome this announcement because delisting the grizzly will put management control back into the hands of Montanans – the folks on the ground who know best how to manage our natural resources," Baucus said in a statement. "I’m also confident that adequate protections will be put in place to make sure the grizzly doesn’t become endangered again. This is an example of how bringing all sides to the table can advance our efforts to strike a common-sense, balanced approach to managing wildlife in Montana.�
The rest of the West's grizzlies, including those in and around Glacier National Park, along the Rocky Mountain Front and those roaming around the Selway area and the Montana-Idaho border will still be listed as threatened.
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Comments
First of all, estimates put the number of griz at between 400 and 600; but when you see just a single figure, the upper one is used. But just the spread between these two figures tells us the uncertainty about how many griz are out there... it must be genuinely difficult to count them since ( unlike herd animals, which are in large groups and stand out) they are hidden in the dense forests, brush, and remote areas for much of the time. If they take a down turn, how will we find out- will we find out in time? Do the states have money for monitoring them?
Grizzlies eat cutthroat trout, whitebark pine nuts, moths,... an odd assortment of foods. But white bark pine is in decline, due to blister rust and beetles. So are cutthroat trout (the USFWS is considering listing THEM as threatened as well). Is it wise to take an endangered species off the list when these food sources are in decline?
Bear are slow to reproduce- in contrast to, for example, wolves ( which have litters of many pups, which can then breed in a couple of years). Female grizzlies begin reproducing only when they are 4+ years old, generally have one cub at a time, and then raise it for years before having another. A productive female might have 4 cubs... not so much different than humans. although advocates of delisting describe them as having a "populations explosion", that really just comes down to 4-6% per year.
By contrast, Wyoming is thinking of have a grizzly bear hunt. They claim that hunting and other mortality would be limited to 9% per year, but that doesn't look sustainable compared to the 4-6% per year growth rate.
Other problems exist with wyomings management plan too. For example, as I understand it, you dould put a barrel of trash in your back yard, wait until a Grizzly came up and started feeding from it and then shoot it, as being a problem bear which was habituated to humans. You could continue to do this multiple times!
Griz are adaptible and intelligent, and that's good, becasue they will need to find new sources of food over the long term. But human developments ( the HUMAN population of this region is expanding greatly, as everyone knows) could also make this adaptability a weakness as they search for new food sources in the back yards of their new human neighbors.
The most important element insure the continued success of grizzlies in and around the Yellowstone area will be state programs which help avoid human/grizzly conflicts; big areas with low road densities ( research show roads and griz don't mix), and ideally a route which connects grizzly habitat in this area with grizzly habitat in Central Idaho and NW Montana.