Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte recently announced the state of Montana is petitioning the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to delist grizzly bears in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) in northwest Montana.
“With the grizzly bear recovered, keeping the species listed under the Endangered Species Act will only continue to impact communities, farmers and ranchers, and recreationists around the state,” Gianforte said in a statement.
According to the petition, the grizzly bears in the NCDE are within a distinct population and have surpassed population goals, and the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) can successfully take over full management. Gianforte said the population in the NCDE is about 1,100 bears.
“We’ve shown the ability to manage bears, protect their habitat and population numbers. It’s time for us to have full authority for grizzly bears in Montana,” said Montana FWP Director Hank Worsech.
