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.
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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 -
Grizzly bears in the Northern Rockies could soon be managed as a single population if a proposed federal rule is finalized. That could make it harder to remove federal protections for bears in the future. The public comment period, which ends May 16, has generated a lot of input. -
Gov. Greg Gianforte Tuesday signed into law a bill banning production and sale of lab-grown meat in Montana. A fishing access site located along the upper Yellowstone River has been temporarily closed due to increased grizzly bear activity.
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The collaborative group of state and federal agencies that manages grizzly bear recovery across the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem met this week. The group discussed bear conflicts, population numbers and how to manage a growing bear population with a smaller team. -
A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Forest Service to reexamine how a cattle grazing plan for areas north of Yellowstone National Park could impact grizzly bears.
