On Nov. 22, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 2007 decision to remove federal protection from grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem which includes northwestern Wyoming, southern Montana and northeastern Idaho. This means that Yellowstone grizzly bears will be protected as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act for the time being. This outcome has been portrayed as a loss on the part of the service.

The service believes that the ruling is a positive step forward in the eventual delisting of the grizzly bear in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. While the ruling means that this population of grizzly bears will remain listed for the time being, the court affirmed our determination that the existing regulatory mechanisms are adequate to protect grizzlies in the Yellowstone area. This partial victory for the service recognizes the excellent work and commitment of our federal and state partners to conserve grizzly bears by continuing to implement the Conservation Strategy for the Yellowstone Grizzly Bear.

We will address the issue raised by the court concerning the potential long-term effects of declining white-bark pine as a food source on grizzly populations. We will carefully assemble all the biological information on the relationship between whitebark pine cone production and grizzly recovery and develop a detailed analysis of these relationships. This scientific analysis will be the basis for a new proposal to recover and delist this grizzly population.

While we will comply the court's order, we firmly stand by our 2007 finding that the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem population of grizzly bears is recovered and no longer meets the Endangered Species Act definition of a threatened or endangered species. We believe that the grizzly bear is best served by declaring our success in the recovery of grizzly bears in Yellowstone, and believe it is time to turn management over to the states and allow the service to focus on species that truly need our help to survive.

STEVE GUERTIN, Director

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Mountain-Prairie Region