Grizzlies in the Lower 48 could be on the cusp of being delisted, but Wyomingite Brian Nesvik needs to be “in the room” as head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before that can happen, a former federal Interior department official said.
“They should have him (Nesvik) in the room” before the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) can move ahead with removing federal Endangered Species Act protections for grizzlies in Wyoming and elsewhere in the Lower 48, Rob Wallace told Cowboy State Daily.
Wallace served as the Assistant Secretary for the Interior during President Donald Trump’s first term. In that capacity, he oversaw the FWS and the National Park Service.
Nesvik Poised To Take Helm At FWS
Nesvik, the former director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, was tapped by the current Trump administration to head the FWS.
But the process of getting him officially appointed to that position has been slow.
Approval of his appointment squeaked through the U.S. Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee in April, by a vote of 10-9.
The final step will be approval by the full Senate. A confirmation vote has yet to be scheduled.
Wallace said there’s no reason to think that Nesvik’s appointment won’t pass the full Senate.
And it should also come as no surprise that things are moving slowly, he added – because partisan politics are at play.
“I don’t think even he knows” when the vote might be, Wallace said. “Right now, the Democrats are slow-walking any Trump nominee they can.”
Wallace said a final vote on Nesvik’s appointment might occur within the next two to three weeks.
Nesvik has declined to comment to Cowboy State Daily regarding his pending nomination to head FWS or what his plans might be.
Keeping quiet about a pending appointment is also standard procedure, and wise on Nesvik’s part, Wallace said.
He said as a nominee himself, he was extremely cautious about making any comments to the press until his appointment was finalized.
Western Delegates Continue To Stump For Delisting
Congressional delegates in Wyoming and other Western states have long pushed for grizzlies to be delisted from federal protection, and for full management of the bears to be handed over to Game and Fish and other state wildlife agencies.
In Wyoming, that would likely mean that a hunting season would be opened for grizzlies.
During his tenure as Game and Fish Director, Nesvik openly advocated for grizzlies to be delisted.
His successor, Game and Fish Director Angi Bruce is also an outspoken advocate for grizzly delisting.
All three of Wyoming’s Republican Congressional Delegates – Rep. Harriet Hageman and Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis again pushed for grizzly delisting in a letter sent on May 13 to acting FWS Director Paul Souza.
The letter was also signed by numerous delegates from other Western states.
A Matter Of Numbers?
“In early January, the Biden Administration’s Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued a new proposal for the Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing of grizzly bears in the lower 48. This decision punishes Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho’s successful grizzly bear recovery efforts,” the letter states.
That proposal is based on arguments that, despite their growing numbers, grizzlies in the Lower 48 still lack enough contiguous range to allow for ample genetic exchange between subpopulations.
That’s the position advocated by prominent bear biologist Chris Servheen of Missoula, Montana. He was the FWS grizzly bear recovery coordinator for 35 years prior to his retirement in 2016.
However, others argue that the sheer number of grizzlies across ever-expanding range indicates that it’s time to delist them.
“The FWS’s Grizzly Bear Recovery Program 2023 Annual Report shows that our states have met and far exceeded the most recent set of recovery goals that FWS set for grizzly bears,” the Congressional delegates’ letter states.
“For example, the GYE (Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem) population of 1,030 bears is more than double the goal of 500 bears while the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) population of 1,138 well exceeds the 800 bear target,” according to the letter.
Nesvik Can ‘Navigate That Minefield’
The chances of grizzlies being delisted soon are probably as good as they have ever been, Wallace said.
But he stressed that FWS needs Nesvik to be onboard before making any moves.
“I think it would be wise to wait until Brian Nesvik gets confirmed before they make that decision,” Wallace said. “He’s got, without a doubt, as much, if not more experience with grizzly bears as anybody in the Interior department.”
Previous attempts to delist grizzlies have ended up getting halted in federal courts. Nesvik has the experience and savvy to help craft a delisting plan that won’t get held up in court, Wallace said.
“You just don’t want to trip yourself up and end up in court again, and he’ll know best how to navigate that minefield,” Wallace said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
