Idaho’s grizzly petition rejected by feds
BY PGF
1 year, 10 months ago
This isn’t good news for ranchers and residents. Of course, the government, either purposefully or through incompetence, was dragging its feet.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will study delisting populations of grizzlies near Yellowstone and Glacier national parks
Idaho’s audacious bid to strip grizzly bears of Endangered Species Act protection was rejected by the Biden administration Friday.
But its neighbors Montana and Wyoming had better luck. Responding to delisting petitions from all three states, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said bear numbers in the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide ecosystems may be strong enough to qualify as distinct populations that can be considered for delisting. The agency will spend the next year collecting data to determine if each of those populations are indeed healthy enough to move from federal to state management.
The service dismissed Idaho’s much more expansive request that grizzly bears across the country be stripped of their threatened and endangered status. The decision came just a day after Idaho Gov. Brad Little threatened to sue the agency for failing to act on the state’s petition, submitted last March, within the required 90 days.
“The response is seven months late, and it took a threat of legal action from the State of Idaho to simply receive a response,” Little said in a prepared statement. “While we continue to evaluate the decision from (the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), this is another example of federal overreach and appears to have a disproportionate impact on North Idaho.”
There are about 1,000 grizzlies each in the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide ecosystems, which are centered around Yellowstone and Glacier national parks.
[…]
Members of Idaho’s congressional delegation groused about the decision in a joint news release, saying the state is better poised than the federal government to balance the conservation and management of grizzlies with human activities. At times, they implied the state has a more robust bear population than official estimates indicate.
“Given more and more grizzly bear and human encounters in Idaho, it is abundantly clear our state’s grizzly bear population has recovered,” Sen. Jim Risch said.
There’s more at the link. Being closer to the situation, States can manage their own problems better. Both the Griz and federal land should be returned to the States for management. Looks like those “rare” attacks will resume when hibernation is over.
On February 6, 2023 at 11:58 pm, Rick said:
“The agency will spend the next year collecting data ….”
Just what has USF&W been doing? An agency ostensibly monitoring a growing grizzly population, yet apparently only after state’s petitions and threat of legal action does the agency kick into gear. And only after footdragging which involves violation of law.
I could cite examples involving the agency from other years in orher states, but it is unneeded. So typical is this response from the econazis within the agency.
On February 7, 2023 at 7:15 am, Joe Blow said:
I heard this when I was a lad and found it confounding.
At 48 I know in my heart it is one of the few 100% truthful statements in this life you can take to the bank.
Government fucks up everything it touches.
On February 7, 2023 at 7:42 am, Dan said:
Another problem dealt with by SSS. Shoot, Shovel, Shut up.
On February 7, 2023 at 4:45 pm, Frank Clarke said:
I just finished scouring my copy of the Constitution and couldn’t find anything that even hinted at a grant of authority from we the people to the government relating to fish and wildlife, but it’s possible I’m not looking in the right place. Can anyone here steer me straight on this?
On February 7, 2023 at 7:08 pm, PGF said:
It’s the section that grants unlimited authority to create departments of government.