I and many others here in North Idaho oppose the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service proposal to remove grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) as threatened from the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). The proposal is premature as the GYE grizzly bear population remains in peril from the combined effects of habitat loss and fragmentation, climate change, decline of primary food sources and human caused mortality. Delisting and subsequently adding the threat of mortality from trophy hunting and poaching will seriously jeopardize grizzly bears.

Grizzly bears are an iconic species in our country and the majority of Americans do not support their persecution. According to a recent poll, the majority of voters oppose the proposal to delist GYE grizzly bears from the ESA. When asked, 60 percent of prominent grizzly biologists “believe delisting would be an incorrect decision or at the very least a violation of the precautionary principle.”

Large-bodied carnivores are sparsely populated across vast areas; they are slow to reproduce, provide extended parental care to their young and social stability promotes their resiliency. Human persecution affects their social structure, harms their persistence and is “super additive” — meaning that hunting and poaching pressures far exceed what occurs in nature.

Protection under the ESA has benefited GYE bears, but the population is not yet recovered. Instead of delisting and handing management to the states, I strongly favor and urge the renewal and escalation of commitments to conserve this iconic species.

TURNS to the EAST

Coeur d’Alene