Interior Department officials, who support the recovery of grizzly bears in the North Cascades ecosystem but are being sued for moving to withdraw Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzlies from Endangered Species Act protections, are calling for a review into whether Northern Continental Divide grizzlies should be removed from the Endangered Species List, a move that would affect Glacier National Park's bears.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which oversees ESA issues for Interior, recently posted a notice announcing its intent to consider a delisting of the ecosystem's bears.
The agency added that "this evaluation will determine whether this population meets the definition of a distinct population segment. The ultimate legal status of this population under the Act will then be assessed in a proposed rule."
If the Northern Continental Divide grizzly population is determined to be a "distinct population segment" of the continent's grizzly bear population range, Fish and Wildlife could delist the bears in that specific location, as it did with the Greater Yellowstone population.
At the National Parks Conservation Association, staff were cautious in reacting to the news, especially if it leads to a proposed delisting of the bears.
“We need to see the science to make sure (delisting) makes sense," Sarah Lundstrum, the group's Glacier program manager, said Thursday. "Until that science is revealed it's hard to say."
“At this point, we can say absolutely that grizzly bears are doing better than they were before the Endangered Species Act," she added a bit later during a phone call. "And the Act itself is helping grizzly bears in the NCD. But that doesn’t mean that delisting is warranted at this point. It also doesn’t mean that it isn’t.”
Glacier staff couldn't be reached Thursday to say how many grizzlies reside within the park. However, at the Center for Biological Diversity, Andrea Santarsiere, a senior attorney, said the current estimate for the entire Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem is roughly 1,000 bears.
Ms. Santarsiere added that delisting this population of grizzlies would place the bruins "at risk of becoming a head on a wall for trophy hunters.”
“Grizzlies still occupy less than 5 percent of their historic range and live in five isolated populations in just four states," she said. "The Fish and Wildlife Service’s piecemeal approach to recovery is disheartening and runs afoul of the purpose of the Endangered Species Act.”
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