Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Monday 26 June 2017

U.S. officials to lift Yellowstone grizzly bear protections

By MATT VOLZ Native American tribal of- The federal agency’s rule
Associated Press ficials who are staunchly sets a minimum popula-
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Pro- opposed to hunting grizzly tion of 500 bears for Yellow-
tections that have been bears. stone, and requires states
in place for more than 40 Some 125 tribes have to curb hunting if the popu-
years for grizzly bears in the signed a treaty opposing lation falls below 600.
Yellowstone National Park trophy hunting grizzly bears, Scientists also studied the
area will be lifted this sum- which Native Americans effects of climate change
mer after U.S. government consider a sacred animal. on grizzly bears and their
officials ruled Thursday that Thursday’s ruling is certain food sources, such as the
the population is no longer to be challenged in court nuts of whitebark pine
threatened. by conservation groups trees, which are in decline.
Grizzlies in all continental that argue the Yellowstone “They found grizzly bears
U.S. states except Alaska bears still face threats to are extremely resilient, ex-
have been protected un- their continued existence. tremely flexible and adapt-
der the Endangered Spe- Tim Preso, an attorney for able,” Hogan said.
cies Act since 1975, when environmental law firm That adaptation has
just 136 bears roamed in In this Wednesday, July 6, 2011, file photo, a grizzly bear roams Earthjustice, said his orga- meant switching to more
near Beaver Lake in Yellowstone National Park.
and around Yellowstone. Associated Press nization will look closely at of a meat-based diet. That
There are now an estimat- the rule. carries the risk of bringing
ed 700 grizzlies in the area will give jurisdiction over the have a rich and robust dis- “There’s only one Yellow- the bears into greater con-
that includes northwest- bears to Montana, Idaho cussion,” said Brian Nesvik, stone,” he said. “We ought flict with ranchers protect-
ern Wyoming, southwest- and Wyoming by late July. wildlife division chief of the not to take an unjustified ing livestock and hunters
ern Montana and eastern That will allow those states Wyoming Game and Fish gamble with an iconic spe- searching for elk and deer,
Idaho, leading the U.S. Fish to plan limited bear hunts Department. cies of this region.” said Andrea Santarsiere,
and Wildlife Service to con- outside the park’s bound- Hunting bears inside Yel- Matt Hogan, the deputy an attorney for the wildlife
clude that the population aries as long as the over- lowstone and nearby regional director for the advocacy group Center
has recovered. all bear population does Grand Teton National Park Fish and Wildlife Service’s for Biological Diversity.
“This achievement stands not fall below 600 bears. would still be banned. The Mountain-Prairie Region, “Added to those threats
as one of America’s great Wyoming and Montana bears roam both inside said he is confident that the will be trophy hunting,” she
conservation successes,” are unlikely to hold hunts and outside the parks, and science behind the deci- said.
Interior Secretary Ryan Zin- this year, state officials their range has been ex- sion and the management The federal agency will
ke said in a statement. said. Idaho officials said it is panding as their numbers plans the states will follow continue monitoring the
Grizzly bears once num- too early to discuss a pos- have grown.The Obama will withstand any lawsuit. grizzly population over the
bered about 50,000 and sible hunting season.“We administration first pro- “We feel like this species is next five years, and certain
ranged over much of North are in no rush to move posed removing grizzlies more than adequately pro- factors would prompt a
America. Their population forward on hunting,” said as a threatened species tected in the absence of new federal review of the
plummeted starting in the Laurie Wolf, spokeswoman by issuing an initial ruling in (Endangered Species Act) bears’ status.
1850s because of wide- for Montana Fish, Wildlife March 2016. The 15 months protections,” Hogan said. The ruling does not directly
spread hunting and trap- and Parks. “Right now we that have passed since Wildlife officials in Montana, affect other populations of
ping, and the bears now are really focused still on then have been used to by Idaho and Wyoming have grizzlies that are still clas-
occupy only 2 percent of the conservation of this federal officials to evalu- been managing the bear sified as threatened but
their original territory. species.”Hunting seasons ate states’ grizzly manage- population alongside fed- which wildlife officials con-
The final ruling by the Fish for grizzlies would require ment plans and respond to eral government officials sider recovered, such as
and Wildlife Service to re- approval by each state’s themes of concern gener- for decades. Those states the estimated 1,000 bears
move Yellowstone grizzlies wildlife commission after a ated by 650,000 comments will follow strict regulations in the Northern Continen-
from the list of endangered public review process that from the public, including to keep a viable popula- tal Divide area of Montana
and threatened species “will be an opportunity to wildlife advocates and tion, Hogan said. and Idaho.q