The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will extend the public comment period on the decision to keep grizzly bears in the lower 48 under federal protections.
In January, the agency proposed a rule to maintain the bears’ status as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. The comment period was set to end in mid-March but will now be open through May 16. The extension comes after the agency cancelled a series of in person public hearings on the rule change days before they were scheduled.
-
iStockSecretary of the Interior Doug Burgum announced a proposal Tuesday to return the federal management of grizzly bears to state governments. While details of the new rule are unclear, environmental groups are preparing for changes. -
iStockHeavily trafficked roads act just like a giant wall, blocking wildlife from safely moving across. Highways can cause fatal collisions for people and animals, and present conservation challenges as well.That’s a problem when you’re trying to get separate populations of grizzly bears to connect. Now, new research is identifying high-traffic roads that can make it impossible for bears to cross. -
Jim Peaco/National Park ServiceEight-hundred acres of western Montana habitat is now protected from future development. A new conservation easement helps anchor a safe passage for wildlife to move between valleys. -
Wyoming Game and Fish Department./Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.There are now more grizzly bears in more places in and around Yellowstone National Park than at any time in over a century. But until this spring, the population lacked genetic diversity. Montana Public Radio’s Nick Mott reports on how fresh bear genes got into Yellowstone, and what it could mean for the bears' endangered species protections. -
Glacier National ParkSearch and Rescue crews in Glacier National Park have discovered the remains of a hiker who had been missing since Sunday evening. Park officials say the injuries are consistent with those sustained by a bear attack. -
Jim Peaco/National Park ServiceThe deadline to decide on whether grizzly bears will remain under federal protection has been pushed back by a year. The U.S.. Fish and Wildlife Service was originally court-ordered to make a decision by the end of January, but last Friday, a federal judge extended that deadline to the end of the year. -
Cowboying for coexistence? Range riding in the New West . Frontiers in Conservation Science, Oct. 12, 2025./Raising domestic livestock in wild places comes with challenges. Especially when ranching happens alongside predators like grizzly bears and wolves. New research sheds light on decades-old practice of monitoring livestock and deterring predators on horseback. -
Frank van Manen/AP/The United States Geological SurveyRecreationists in several National Forests must keep all food and attractants safely contained and away from wildlife. That’s mandated by Food Storage Orders. A group of volunteers are helping enforce the orders amid staffing cuts -
Wesley SarmentoTo grizzlies, they're unbearable. To wildlife managers they're a game changer. Drones mounted with thermal cameras are increasingly being used to help reduce conflicts between people and bears. Managers say drones provide them a safer option for hazing bears, and see more technological advances on the horizon. -
In a reversal, federal wildlife managers won't issue a national wolf recovery plan; Hunters unscathed after grizzly bear charge.
