With President Donald Trump back in office — and his pick for Interior secretary openly favoring removing grizzly bears from the endangered list — supporters of delisting the apex predator in Wyoming are optimistic it will finally happen.
“I think the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is well aware that their latest decision is a violation of the Endangered Species Act,” Wyoming Republican Congresswoman Harriet Hageman told Cowboy State Daily.
FWS announced Jan. 8 that it had rejected petitions from Wyoming and Montana to delist grizzly bears, a move that was blasted by Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon and others.
But during a confirmation hearing before members of Congress on Jan. 16, Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Interior, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, said he supports desilting grizzlies.
It’s almost certain that Burgum will get the job, Hageman said.
“He’s on the fast-track for being confirmed,” she said.
Hageman said that during a brief visit with Burgum last weekend, she reminded him that grizzly delisting is a top priority for Wyomingites.
Hageman added that she and others are introducing a Congressional bill to have grizzlies delisted.
‘I’m With You’
Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, is a vocal supporter of grizzly delisting.
During his confirmation hearing, he asked Burgum directly if, as Interior secretary, he would support efforts by to delist grizzlies.
“I’m with you,” Burgum responded.
Like many who support delisting, Daines said that the number of grizzlies in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho far exceeds the supposed target population.
Between the Montana’s Northern Continental Divide grizzly population and grizzlies in Wyoming’s Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, there are 2,100 bears, he said.
He also noted that a school near Great Falls Montana, has had to install a grizzly-proof fence to keep bears off the playground.
The Wapiti Elementary School west of Cody also has a bear-proof fence.
Burgum’s statement, and his expected confirmation, is good cause to be “optimistic” that grizzlies will be delisted, Wyoming resident Rob Wallace told Cowboy State Daily.
Wallace was assistant secretary for the Interior under the first Trump administration and oversaw both the US Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Park Service.
He said that he also thinks Burgum’s confirmation is a near-certainty.
Gordon, Barrasso Also Hopeful
Gordon is also optimistic that the Trump administration will favor delisting, his office’s spokesman Michael Pearlman wrote in an email to Cowboy State Daily.
“The governor is currently considering all available options regarding next steps in this effort, including the recent attempt by the Biden Administration to retain control over a clearly recovered population,” Pearlman stated.
“The governor remains committed to (Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem) grizzly bear delisting and broader conversations about Endangered Species Act reform, and is active in conversations with the Trump Administration, Interior Secretary nominee Doug Burgum, and Congressional leaders on delisting the GYE grizzly,” he wrote.
“Obviously, we are in the early days of the new administration, but we remain optimistic that the state's outstanding work in recovering the GYE will be recognized,” he added.
In an email statement to Cowboy State Daily, Wyoming Republican Sen. John Barrasso said he thinks the scales have tipped in favor of delisting.
“The science is clear: The grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are thriving and do not need protection under the Endangered Species Act,” he said. “Wyoming’s good work and sound management practices have proven to be successful. It’s time for Wyoming, not Washington, to be in charge of managing the bear. I look forward to working with the Trump administration to delist the grizzly bear.”
Requests for comment from Republican Wyoming Sen. Cynthia Lummis weren’t responded to by the time this story was published.
ESA Reform In Order?
Hageman said the continued delisting of grizzly bears undermines the original intent of the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The intent is to remove species from the list as soon as they recover, but federal officials haven’t done that with grizzlies, she said.
“They don’t get to move the goalposts in the middle of the game, but that’s exactly what they have done,” Hageman said.
Wyoming has a sound “scientifically based” plan for grizzly management, but the state has essentially been punished for doing a good job, she added.
Prominent Wyoming outdoorsman Guy Eastman told Cowboy State Daily that “we can only hope” grizzlies will be delisted by the Trump administration.
But he questions whether delisting will make it past federal court injunctions, which have held up the process before.
“It seems to me that judges keep throwing sand in the gears,” said Eastman, who represents the third generation of the outdoor multimedia family.
“The judges don’t seem to want to listen to the actual science behind delisting grizzlies,” he said.
Like Hageman, he said that the ESA might need to be reformed to reflect its original intent, “so things can’t just sit there like a stale piece of pizza in the fridge.”
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has plans in place for a grizzly hunting season, should the bears be delisted.
If that happens, grizzly tags would generate revenue for Wyoming. And hunters would probably shoot fewer grizzlies than wildlife agents are currently having to kill, because of bears killing livestock or causing other problems, Eastman said.
“Instead of getting paid to kill the bears, we’re paying to have the bears killed. The argument isn’t really about saving bears, it’s about who is pulling the trigger,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
