U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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.

Last week, President Trump released an order to freeze all kinds of federal rules proposed in the days before the Administration changed, including the latest grizzly bear delisting rule. The Trump Administration is reviewing what Biden tried to do with grizzlies, and deciding what’s next.

The USFWS had scheduled public hearings on the decision for Missoula, Coeur D’Alene, Cody and online this week. In a statement, the agency wrote the meetings were cancelled while the new presidential administration reviews the proposal.

Grizzly bears in the lower 48 will remain protected as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act, federal officials announced Wednesday.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says a rare species of orchid found in the western U.S., including Montana, is no longer endangered. USFWS has proposed the removal of the Ute ladies’-tresses orchid from the endangered species list.

In January, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to decide whether some populations of grizzly bears should be removed from federal protections and be managed by the states.

Rolling waves of sweet smelling shrubs, often called the sagebrush sea, stretch on for miles across the Western U.S. But this important ecosystem is threatened by human alteration and invasive species. New federal investments aim to address these threats in Montana.

Montana wildlife managers this week launched a new site for tracking grizzly bear mortalities.

Montana wildlife managers have released their final analysis of the environmental impacts of state management of grizzly bears.

Two federal agencies are appealing a recent court decision over how roads affect threatened species like grizzly bears.