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G&F Lauds Signing of Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy
04/04/2003
WGFD
CHEYENNE – Wyoming Game and Fish Director Brent Manning and his counterparts from Idaho and Montana along with participating federal agencies, signed the Conservation Strategy for the Grizzly Bear in the Greater Yellowstone Area on March 26, 2003 at the North American Wildlife and Natural Resource Conference.
“This was a historic moment in the recovery of the Yellowstone grizzly bear population,” said Jerry Sanders, G&F Commission president.
As a result of the signing, the U. S. Forest Service announced they would promptly adopt the Conservation Strategy’s habitat standards through a single amendment to all appropriate forest plans. In addition, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service advised they would immediately start the analysis necessary to determine if the Yellowstone grizzly bear population is distinct, so it can be delisted separately from other populations in the Northwestern United States. The National Park Service also announced they would move forward with revising management plans so they can implement the habitat standards of the grizzly bear Conservation Strategy. Completion of these tasks will initiate the promulgation of the final rule to delist the grizzly bear.
“It is important to emphasize the positive aspects of completing the Conservation Strategy,” Sanders said.
The approved Conservation Strategy is a product of extensive public review in 2000 including recommendations from a 15-member roundtable appointed by the governors of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, the cooperative efforts of a state-led Conservation Strategy development committee and exhaustive WGFD review.
“The document ensures the long-term viability of grizzly bears, provides for expansion of grizzly bears only into those areas designated in state management plans as biologically suitable and socially acceptable, and promotes the management of grizzly bears as a game animal, including regulated hunting,” said Reg Rothwell, G&F supervisor of Biological Services.
Signing the document also triggered initiation of the final steps to delist the grizzly bear. Rothwell said it is also important to note that the Conservation Strategy does not go into effect until delisting occurs and will be reviewed every five years or as often as new data necessitates and revised as needed. Any revisions will be open to full public review.
Rothwell believes the Conservation Strategy provides a necessary umbrella framework for managing grizzly bears by the three states, two national parks and six national forests affected. But within this framework, individual state management plans will direct specific population management outside the primary conservation area.
The Greater Yellowstone Area grizzly bear population has grown steadily and is currently calculated to be approximately 530 animals. This number of bears meets the Conservation Strategy grizzly bear population objective of maintaining at least 500 bears. In addition to an adequate population size, grizzly bears have expanded their range considerably in the last decade. The Department still needs to conduct a statewide public input process to determine what areas in northwest Wyoming are biologically suitable and socially acceptable for bear occupation. Once this process and delisting is completed and bear distribution is determined to meet the adopted areas of occupation, the Department will have the opportunity to begin managing for these population and distribution objectives. With the current population level and distribution, these two objectives should be met in Wyoming in the near future.
“In no way does signing the Conservation Strategy abrogate any statutory authority the Wyoming Game and Fish Department currently has for managing wildlife in Wyoming,” said Sanders.
With the information provided at the March 24 conference call, the Commission made their decision to proceed with signing the Conservation Strategy and getting on with the process of delisting, the only way Wyoming can assume management authority in the future. The Conservation Strategy will soon be posted on the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee Web site ( http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/wildlife/igbc ).
04/04/2003
WGFD
CHEYENNE – Wyoming Game and Fish Director Brent Manning and his counterparts from Idaho and Montana along with participating federal agencies, signed the Conservation Strategy for the Grizzly Bear in the Greater Yellowstone Area on March 26, 2003 at the North American Wildlife and Natural Resource Conference.
“This was a historic moment in the recovery of the Yellowstone grizzly bear population,” said Jerry Sanders, G&F Commission president.
As a result of the signing, the U. S. Forest Service announced they would promptly adopt the Conservation Strategy’s habitat standards through a single amendment to all appropriate forest plans. In addition, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service advised they would immediately start the analysis necessary to determine if the Yellowstone grizzly bear population is distinct, so it can be delisted separately from other populations in the Northwestern United States. The National Park Service also announced they would move forward with revising management plans so they can implement the habitat standards of the grizzly bear Conservation Strategy. Completion of these tasks will initiate the promulgation of the final rule to delist the grizzly bear.
“It is important to emphasize the positive aspects of completing the Conservation Strategy,” Sanders said.
The approved Conservation Strategy is a product of extensive public review in 2000 including recommendations from a 15-member roundtable appointed by the governors of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, the cooperative efforts of a state-led Conservation Strategy development committee and exhaustive WGFD review.
“The document ensures the long-term viability of grizzly bears, provides for expansion of grizzly bears only into those areas designated in state management plans as biologically suitable and socially acceptable, and promotes the management of grizzly bears as a game animal, including regulated hunting,” said Reg Rothwell, G&F supervisor of Biological Services.
Signing the document also triggered initiation of the final steps to delist the grizzly bear. Rothwell said it is also important to note that the Conservation Strategy does not go into effect until delisting occurs and will be reviewed every five years or as often as new data necessitates and revised as needed. Any revisions will be open to full public review.
Rothwell believes the Conservation Strategy provides a necessary umbrella framework for managing grizzly bears by the three states, two national parks and six national forests affected. But within this framework, individual state management plans will direct specific population management outside the primary conservation area.
The Greater Yellowstone Area grizzly bear population has grown steadily and is currently calculated to be approximately 530 animals. This number of bears meets the Conservation Strategy grizzly bear population objective of maintaining at least 500 bears. In addition to an adequate population size, grizzly bears have expanded their range considerably in the last decade. The Department still needs to conduct a statewide public input process to determine what areas in northwest Wyoming are biologically suitable and socially acceptable for bear occupation. Once this process and delisting is completed and bear distribution is determined to meet the adopted areas of occupation, the Department will have the opportunity to begin managing for these population and distribution objectives. With the current population level and distribution, these two objectives should be met in Wyoming in the near future.
“In no way does signing the Conservation Strategy abrogate any statutory authority the Wyoming Game and Fish Department currently has for managing wildlife in Wyoming,” said Sanders.
With the information provided at the March 24 conference call, the Commission made their decision to proceed with signing the Conservation Strategy and getting on with the process of delisting, the only way Wyoming can assume management authority in the future. The Conservation Strategy will soon be posted on the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee Web site ( http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/wildlife/igbc ).
