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Yellowstone Ecosystem Action Alert

Grizzly Bears: Recovered, But Not Secure

Fish And Wildlife Service Announces Removal Of
Federal Protections For Yellowstone's Grizzly Bears

Plus: The National Park Service Turns 100 in 2016.
Help Them Prepare!

Dear Supporter,

After three decades of Endangered Species Act protections, today the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced it is removing the Yellowstone grizzly bear population from its status as “threatened” on the U.S. list of threatened and endangered species.

Grizzly bears have made remarkable progress since wavering on the brink of extinction a mere 30 years ago due solely to the protections afforded by the federal government. The good work of the federal agency’s endangered species success story will not be allowed to continue, however, if the final delisting decision has not resolved on-going threats to long-term population survival.

If the decision was based on the draft plan, three issues that needed to be addressed are:

1. No hard and fast enforcement standards. The draft plan relied on enforceable habitat standards on the national forests when the U.S. Forest Service has just adopted a new forest plan rule that says there are no forest plan standards, just guidelines.

2. No formal monitoring of food sources. The draft admitted there is a long-term concern with bear food sources because of disease (white bark pine blister rust) and climate (army cutworm moth sites being lost), but has no standards for monitoring food sources or plan for what to do about them if they are lost.

3. No funding source for future monitoring. The draft acknowledges that post-delisting, federal and state agencies will need to make additional financial commitments to monitor habitat, population numbers, and other bear factors. But, there has been no commitment from any agencies to provide the money. All the monitoring promises could become hollow promises with no funding to allow action.

This approach simply will not work for a species that is the second slowest reproducing mammal in North America, and one that is very dependent on large areas of secure habitat.

We need to be particularly careful with the future of grizzly bears. While federal and state agencies have done a commendable job of recovering bears over the last 30 years, there will be a natural tendency—if delisted—to declare victory, move on to other issues, and forget about the great bear. We must have an enforceable plan, with clear standards, and secure funding. Without these three critical components, we cannot take the risk of delisting.

Notification of the delisting of the Yellowstone population of grizzly bears will be published in the Federal Register in the near future. Once we have the opportunity to analyze the final plan, we will provide you with our comments and action, if any.

More information about today's announcement can be found at:
http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov/species/mammals/grizzly/yellowstone.htm

Background Information about the delisting the grizzly bear can be found on our website at:
http://greateryellowstone.org/issues/issue.php?threatID=7

Help the National Park Service Plan For Its Centennial!

The National Park System turns 100 in 2016 and the National Park Service wants to hear your vision for the National Park Centennial Initiative.

Grand Teton National Park is one of the most spectacular
units in the national park system. Photo by Len Trout

If you were turning 100, or 30, 50 or 75 for that matter, it would be time to dress up and head out for a night on the town. Your national parks turn 100 in 2016, so it is only fitting that the planning for their centennial celebration is underway. While it may only take you only 30 minutes to spiff up for a celebration, it is going to take a lot of work to put the glimmer back in our parks before 2016.

The Park Service is seeking your input on what needs to be done to our national parks in advance of their centennial celebration.

Meetings are underway around the country for the public to weigh in on the National Parks Centennial Initiative. To view meeting locations and times go to this webpage on the NPS website.

Since the meetings won’t be convenient for many, you can submit your comments via email as well, at this webpage on the NPS website.

Here are some points to mention, either at the meetings or in your online comments:

The National Park Centennial Initiative should be ambitious in scope and bold in thinking.

The Initiative should:

• Ensure our national parks continue to represent the depth and breadth of America’s history, culture and landscapes.

• Maintain a strong commitment to the conservation mandate of our parks.

• Create reliable sources of sustainable public funding to support annual park operations and keep up with necessary maintenance of facilities and infrastructure.

• Ensure parks have up-to-date research and adequate information to make informed park management decisions.

• Renew the Park Service’s commitment to education, interpretation and natural resource protection.

• Uphold the conservation mandate in the 2006 management policies to guide sound management decisions, thus ensuring parks remain unimpaired for future generations.

(406) 586-1593

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