U.S. officials will review whether grizzly bears have enough protections across the Lower 48 states after advocates sued the government in a bid to restore the fearsome animals to more areas, according to court documents filed Monday.
The review must be completed by March 31, 2021, under a settlement approved by U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen.
Grizzly bears are protected as a threatened species outside Alaska. An estimated 1,900 bears live in portions of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Washington state.
Tens of thousands of grizzlies once roamed across much of western North America before hunting and trapping killed most of them off by the early 1900s. Colorado's last grizzly bear was killed in 1979.
Federal wildlife officials said in 2011 that additional areas should be considered for grizzly bear recovery, but that work has never been completed. The Center for Biological Diversity said in a June lawsuit that officials should consider restoring grizzlies to areas of California, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada and Oregon.
“There are a lot of places where grizzly bears used to live where we believe they could currently live,” said Andrea Santarsiere, an attorney for the group.
The agreement to review the grizzly bear’s status does not fully resolve the June lawsuit, which also seeks an update to the government’s recovery plan for grizzlies.
Environmentalists successfully sued in 2018 to block grizzly hunts planned in Wyoming and Idaho. The hunts were scheduled after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined about 700 grizzlies in and around Yellowstone National Park no longer needed federal protection.
Christensen disagreed and ordered protections restored.
You want to know what is really going on these days, especially in Colorado. We can help you keep up. The Lookout is a free, daily email newsletter with news and happenings from all over Colorado. Sign up here and we will see you in the morning!
It takes a good day’s drive to cover Colorado, but we’ll help you do it in a few minutes. Our newsletters bring you a closer look at the stories that affect you and the music that inspires you.
Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado. Listen now.