Conservation groups have filed notice they will sue Wyoming over a law allowing the state to stage grizzly hunts/NPS
Two days after word broke that Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon had signed into law legislation calling for a grizzly bear hunt in the state, conservation groups filed notice to sue the state.
“This is an egregious attempt to ignore federal law protecting Yellowstone’s iconic grizzly bears,” said Bonnie Rice, senior representative with Sierra Club’s Our Wild America campaign, two days after Traveler reported the bill signing. “We will not idly stand by while Wyoming moves to illegally take authority for managing grizzly bears and subject them to trophy hunts.”
Grizzly bears in Wyoming are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. In September a federal judge struck down an attempt by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove federal protection for grizzlies in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, thwarting Wyoming’s plan to hold a fall hunting season.
Last September grizzly bears that roam the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem regained protection from hunters under the Endangered Species Act due to a judge's ruling that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service did not adequately consider how delisting the bears would impact the species as a whole when it moved to delist the species from the act. That ruling brought a halt to planned grizzly bear hunts in Wyoming and Idaho.
But during the current legislative session politicians in Wyoming passed a bill to authorize the Game and Fish Commission to schedule a hunt if it "would be beneficial for managing Wyoming's wildlife and protecting Wyoming workers and other citizens and tourists of the state..." Last Friday the measure was signed into law by Gov. Gordon.
The legislation also said the commission might "relocate to the state of California all grizzly bears trapped for relocation or that would otherwise be euthanized."
“Wyoming seems to be stuck in a 19th century mindset in which the response to every situation is to kill off native predators,” said Erik Molvar, a wildlife biologist and executive director at Western Watersheds Project. “It’s a good thing we have federal laws like the Endangered Species Act to limit the harm from states like Wyoming that seem bent on marking certain wildlife for eradication.”
At the Center for Biological Diversity, Noah Greenwald, the organization's endangered species director, said the move by Wyoming's politicians shows "that the state is far from ready to manage grizzlies.”
The notice of intent to sue says the Wyoming law violates the Endangered Species Act and the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which requires that federal law must supersede state law
“This state law directly and unlawfully conflicts with the clear mandate of the federal Endangered Species Act that grizzly bears not be shot by trophy hunters seeking their heads and hides for bragging rights,” said Nicholas Arrivo, a staff attorney with the Humane Society of the United States."
Comments
Well said. If thsee tree hugging liberals only knee what damage the grizzly does.
Azroper...
For clarity, would you mind pulling that post back into your computer and hit it with a spellcheck, then get back to us?
if you ever seen the video were in alaska a grizzly walks up and sits right by a guy in a chair with no aggression that only happens because of the food source take away the fish and then the Grizzlies will find there next easy meal in wy for the area they habitat there are two many Grizzlies that's why they are more aggressive and the elk population is dwindling there is not enough food for them so solve this problem either a. remove everyone and get rid of all the towns or b. let wy have a hunting season.
You're obviously very ignorant when it comes to bears! Bears are everywhere. People can and do camp where they please and should be allowed to do so. Conflicts with bears can and will happen on fairly regular basis. Let WY and the people of WY manage their wildlife as they see fit. The people that live in WY love their wildlife and only want to manage these bears to reduce conflicts with people and livestock. This is a very healthy process. Grizzly bears are over populated in the GYE. Hunters and the funds from license sales have brought all big game species back from the brink of extinction. Essentially making the return of the Grizzly population possible. Thank a hunter, because without them there wouldn't be any elk and many other species left all across north america. This is why I know hunting grizzly bears is that absolute best thing that can happen to Grizzly Bears as a species. I think people from other states need to keep their opinions to themselves. Because they don't have a clue. Grizzly bear populations are going to do just fine. Let California have some Grizzlies, now that would be funny!