The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission will vote on Monday to proceed with a rule related to the management of grizzly bears in and around Glacier National Park if the bears are removed from the endangered species list.
The rule says that Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks must be 90 percent sure that at least 800 grizzlies exist within a specific portion of an area known as the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem. It’s home to the largest grizzly population in the lower 48, currently estimated at over one thousand.
In order for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to pursue delisting, they must show that the state has adequate protections in place for the bears. However, the FWS said last month they won’t push for delisting NCDE grizzlies this year. That’s after a federal judge in Missoula blocked FWS’s attempt to delist Yellowstone-area grizzlies in September.
FWP received more than five thousand comments, but according to a memo on the meeting, the majority were focused on delisting, hunting and other issues outside the scope of the rule.
The meeting takes place at 8 a.m. Monday in Helena.
Update:The location has been changed for the Dec. 10 Fish & Wildlife Commission meeting from the FWP Headquarters to Montana WILD.
