Grizzly bears are thriving in Yellowstone National Park and expanding their range into neighboring Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
State governments have been a partner in the grizzly's renaissance. They have earned the chance — and the responsibility — to manage the great bear. The federal government's plan to remove the Yellowstone grizzly from its endangered species list is well timed and well constructed, and it could even help the grizzly recover elsewhere in Idaho.
The mighty grizzly lives in delicate balance with humans, yet the numbers support "delisting" the grizzly, in and around Yellowstone.
In 1975, when grizzlies were protected under the then-nascent Endangered Species Act, 220 to 320 grizzlies roamed the Yellowstone ecosystem. Today, more than 600 grizzlies live in the Yellowstone region, more than half of the grizzlies in the lower 48. The population is growing at 4 to 7 percent per year — a rate that could allow the population to double yet again in 10 to 20 years.
Yellowstone probably has about as many grizzlies as it can hold; even the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, an influential environmental group opposing delisting, concedes this point. A growing grizzly population is returning to habitat that has been vacant for decades, including parts of Eastern Idaho. "We've got bears pretty much moving in all directions," said Chris Servheen, grizzly bear recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
As grizzlies fan out, it makes sense to give state wildlife agencies more control over bear management. With local control comes an obligation to remember the bear's special demands.
Unlike wolves, grizzlies breed slowly. A grizzly may breed at 4 1/2 or 5 1/2 years old, but some grizzlies do not breed until they reach 8 1/2 years old. Females breed once every three or more years, giving birth to one to three cubs. Grizzlies generally live only to 15 to 20 years, so every cub counts.
This fierce yet fragile predator is coming back because the federal government and states have spent years working together to limit bear mortality — keeping sheep ranching out of bear country, improving garbage disposal, prosecuting poachers.
The states have ample incentive to remain vigilant, even without the hammer of federal law. Idaho and other states could allow lucrative grizzly hunting seasons — but only if bear mortality numbers remain low enough to sustain the species. That's powerful motivation for careful management. On top of that is strong interstate peer pressure: No state will want to mess up so badly that the federal government has to assume bear management across three states.
The delisting plan is layered with safeguards:
• Female and male grizzlies each need up 300 or 500 square miles respectively, and the plan is sensitive to their intense habitat demands. For instance, oil and gas development could occur in prime bear habitat only if other public land use is discontinued elsewhere.
• Bears will be closely monitored after delisting. Congress added $1.1 million for monitoring this year, bringing the total to $3.4 million in state and federal spending, Servheen said. Just as states will be motivated to manage bears wisely, Western members of Congress will have powerful incentive to ensure the experts continue to get the money they need to track Yellowstone grizzlies.
• The plan calls for maintaining at least 500 grizzlies in and around Yellowstone. If the bear gets into trouble, the federal government, states, citizen groups or individuals may seek federal protection for the grizzly. In a crisis, the federal government could move quickly: "We can emergency relist if we need to, within a couple of weeks," Servheen said.
If the Yellowstone grizzly population holds steady, or continues to increase, under states' control, federal officials will be able to focus their attention elsewhere. All other grizzlies in the lower 48 would remain on the endangered species list. These federally protected bears include two small populations in Idaho: the 40 to 50 grizzlies in the Selkirk Mountains of North Idaho and Washington, and the 30 to 40 grizzlies in the Cabinet-Yaak region of North Idaho and western Montana.
We also hope delisting will allow the federal government to work under the Endangered Species Act on a plan to bring back grizzlies to Central Idaho, where they have been absent for more than half a century.
Recovering these grizzly populations will require the strict protections afforded by the Endangered Species Act.
The grizzly bear needs to remain on top of the food chain in the Yellowstone region. The bear also deserves a place in other areas of wild Idaho. The delisting plan will preserve Yellowstone's bears — and could spark a renaissance for Idaho's bears.
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