Federal District Court Judge Dana Christensen has ordered the federal government to conduct a new analysis of its work to prevent bear-human conflicts — including looking at the bears killed outside of recovery areas. That’s due November 1, of 2026.
Wildlife Services, a division within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is responsible for removing animals that get into conflict with humans. Those removals often involve killing the animal.
Wildlife advocacy groups Trap Free Montana, WildEarth Guardians, and Western Watersheds Project sued the program in 2023, saying its environmental assessment did not sufficiently examine how killing a bear affects the overall population. The court agreed.
The groups estimate Wildlife Services kills an average of 10 grizzly bears in Montana every year.
Wildlife managers agree that connectivity, or the ability for bears to move from one subpopulation to another, is a key component of a successful recovery.
Grizzlies are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Separate from this case, the U.S. Department of the Interior is expected to make a decision on delisting two grizzly subpopulations in early 2025.
-
Local and tribal governments will now get an advanced notice before state wildlife officials relocate bears into their area, under a new state law that went into effect this week. -
A federal court ruled Wednesday the U.S. Forest Service broke the law when it expanded livestock grazing in grizzly bear habitat north of Yellowstone National Park. -
The Congressional Western Caucus met with federal and state officials at a conference in the Flathead this week. They called for more aggressive natural resource management, more state control and less federal bureaucracy. -
Governor announces workforce development initiative; Choteau man pleads guilty in grizzly bear poaching case; Plane crash at Kalispell airport leaves two people with minor injuries -
Five grizzly bear deaths have been confirmed in Montana so far this year. Montana ranchers may qualify for meat processing settlement funds. Deer ticks, carriers of Lyme disease, detected in eastern Montana
