Due to a court decision regarding gray wolves in the Great Lakes, the USFWS must re-consider its decision to delist the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem's grizzly bears. The Service is accepting public comment on whether the referenced decision impacts the delisting rule and "what, if any, further evaluation the Service should consider regarding the remaining grizzly bear populations and lost historical range in light of the Service's decision regarding the GYE grizzly bear."
Public comments must be submitted electronically HERE no later than 11:59 PM EDT on January 8, 2018. We recommend composing your comments in another platform and then copying and pasting the final product into the comments section of the Federal Register. You may want to send a copy of your comment to your members of Congress as well as as a Letter to the Editor of your local paper. PLEASE DO NOT POST YOUR COMMENTS ON THIS BLOG BUT ON THE LINK TO THE FEDERAL REGISTER.
TALKING POINTS FOR YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT:
- The ruling in Humane Society v. Zinke makes clear that USFWS cannot address endangered species recovery in a piecemeal fashion. By dividing up grizzly bears in the lower 48 into several regions - Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, Selkirk Ecosystem, etc - the Service is doing exactly that.
- USFWS did not have the authority to balkanize the grizzly bear species into Distinct Population Segments in order to delist certain segments. Such piecemeal recovery is not true recovery of a species. Either the lower 48 grizzly bears are recovered or they are not. It was not appropriate for USFWS to carve out the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzlies to remove them from the Endangered Species Act's protection.
- Lack of connectivity to other grizzly populations is a long-term genetic risk for Yellowstone grizzlies. (Haroldson, M. A., C. C. Schwartz, K. C. Kendall, K. A. Gunther, D. S. Moody, K. Frey, and D. Paetkau. 2010. Genetic analysis of individual origins supports isolation of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Ursus 21:1–13. BioOne). Idaho and Wyoming’s plans both appear to strongly disfavor reintroduction or facilitating recolonization. (Peer Reviewer #4, pgs 3, 4). Idaho’s plan “clearly states that moving grizzlies into new areas (e.g., Bitterroot) is prohibited and intentions to connect GYE bear populations to these unoccupied areas is vague.” (Peer Reviewer #4, pg 2). Montana’s plan to facilitate reconnection is extremely unclear with no details other than “to manage for discretionary mortality” and having “attractant storage rules”. (Peer Reviewer #4, pg 2). The isolation of this population is problematic for long-term genetic health, evolutionary potential and resilience to catastrophic environmental change. The best available science indicates that Yellowstone ecosystems should be connected with other populations prior to being removed from the protections of the Endangered Species Act.
- The gene pool for the Yellowstone ecosystem grizzly bears is too small and is disconnected from other grizzly populations. USFWS and the state fish and game departments have provided no plans to connect the Yellowstone grizzlies with other bear populations and dispersing individuals are subject to persecution, which means that connectivity is unlikely.
- Bears attempting to disperse would be subject to trophy hunting and/or removal due to hostile state management as well as habitat loss from human population and a changing climate. As a result, connecting the Yellowstone population to other grizzly populations is very unlikely and further balkanizes the population.
- USFWS needs to design and implement a recovery program that that ensures that grizzlies from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem naturally colonize the Selway-Bitterroot ecosystem and the Cabinet-Yaak ecosystem. This will not happen with states managing Yellowstone area grizzlies and permitting a trophy hunt of these bears.
- Even though there is enough potential habitat available for grizzly bears, USFWS is limiting their recovery to a a mere 3% of their historic range. Grizzly populations cannot connect within this limited range and there is not an adequate representation of ecosystems within this range. Consequently, USFWS must rethink is decision to limit the standard of recover to a loss of 97% of historic grizzly bear distribution and numbers.
PLEASE SIGN AND SHARE:
Center for Biological Diversity
National Parks Conversation Association
Please relist grizzlies. Their population is not risky for people and hunting and killing them may destroy the whole ecosystem and bring them to extinction. The hunting lobby can find a new business opportunity instead, like for example watching grizzlies. Like in Canada, Finland and elsewhere where this is already a good business chance and nice experience. Grizzly attacs are very rare and not relevant to delisting or whatsoever kind of reason to kill these animals and their cubs. I hope that common sense and clever acting could bring more instead of enforcing such a bad idea like delisting and hunting grizzlies.
ReplyDeleteWe are a better people when we learn to live at peace with other animals. Please relist the grizzly bears. Many years ago a college professor told us "Do not do away with anything until you understand its purpose". Each other being on our planet has a purpose. Keep the grizzly bears safe.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea why the grizzlies have to leave, it is their home please dont take them away from it, you wouldnt want top be uprooted yourselves. RE-LIST them they have a right to increase their species
ReplyDeleteStop Killing Bears And Start Protecting All Animals End Hunting !
ReplyDeletePlease relist grizzlies. Please allow nature to manage itself, as it is much more capable, than humans, of maintaining balance on our sacred earth.
ReplyDeletePlease do not allow Grizzlies to be delisted. They need to be protected as do Wolves. Both apex predators that are necessary and beneficial to a healthy ecosystem. We need to preserve and protect our environment our ecosystem and our beautiful wildlife. Thank you
ReplyDeleteLike what Ivayloz said earlier;
ReplyDeletePlease relist grizzlies. Their population is not risky for people and hunting and killing them may destroy the whole ecosystem and bring them to extinction. The hunting lobby can find a new business opportunity instead, like for example watching grizzlies. Like in Canada, Finland and elsewhere where this is already a good business chance and nice experience. Grizzly attacs are very rare and not relevant to delisting or whatsoever kind of reason to kill these animals and their cubs. I hope that common sense and clever acting could bring more instead of enforcing such a bad idea like delisting and hunting grizzlies.
The same ESA protections should remain on wolves as they are also absolutely vital to keeping an ecosystem healthy. Just look at the documentary "How Wolves Change Rivers" It is amazing what both Grizzlies, Wolves and other Apex predators do to reshape, cultivate and protect a healthy eco system.
We Must Stand United and defend the innocent these Bears have every right to live the life that they were given why does some selfish uneducated ignorant people think they have a right to decide whether these poor innocent bears live or die they must live they need to live and they deserve to live our society has fallen short more times than I care to count when it comes to the rights of innocent animals we must stand together until they are relisted and protected they have feelings they have souls they love their children they love their families and they love their lives just as much as we do so let Stand United and let them live the life they were given #ReListOurGrizzlies
ReplyDeleteprotect the wildlife- ALL of it.
ReplyDeleteAfrica has their lion. Asia has their tiger. America has the mighty grizzly; an animal which demands respect. The grizzly, once the king of frontier America. To shoot them simply for a moments pleasure is a sin and a shame. Not even our pioneer ancestors liked them for their meat. So food is not a good excuse here.
ReplyDeleteYou say "To shoot them simply for a moments pleasure " Lets stop right there. Anyone murdering an animal, and i am not swallowing that survivalist stuff, IS A SADIST. Period!! I am with you it is a sin. Shame does not even enter into it!!! They are assassins and there a whole entire bloody industry built upon it!!!! LET S BE CLEAR ON THIS.
DeleteI am sick about what this GOP administration and Zinke, and Pruitt are doing to our land. you will not be remembered well, but you will be remembered. You have given over this country to a bunch of hunters and the NRA. Every action you take is the wrong action. Every action is against Nature. I would like to say to Mr. Zinke that Nature will outlast him and no matter how much he hates it he will never be able to get rid of it...I want to tell him that millions thought of their country as the land of the Eagle, and the Grizzly, and not as the land of the blood sucker and the arms industry... You are Murdering this Country!!! LEAVE THE ANIMALS ALONE, LEAVE THE BEARS ALONE, THE WOLVES, EACH AND EVERYONE OF THEM HAS WAY MORE RIGHT TO BE HERE THAN YOU DO, THEY HAVE BEEN HERE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS BEFORE YOUR PEOPLE EVER SET FOOT IN THIS CONTINENT. We need more bears, more nature, and less nature killers... they love that feeling of overwhelming a poor creature that has no arms to defend itself... big men.. Ha!~! Cowards.. all you do is for them, and not for the real owners of the land. Despicable!!! SHAMEFUL!!!!
ReplyDeleteRelist Don't Delist YELLOWSTONE Grizzlies
ReplyDeleteYou must relist the grizzly bear to protect them from extinction. And it is just the right thing to do. Anyone who shoots an animal for fun is a psychopath by definition. I want my wildlife protected from them. I want my wildlife to survive for future generations. I do not feel that a small minority should be allowed to deprive that people of America of their iconic wildlife.
ReplyDelete
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