Some big grizzly bear calls are coming soon, and by the numbers, at least, the iconic species is looking solid.
In two separate congressional hearings this week, a top Fish and Wildlife Service career employee and the assistant Interior Department secretary who oversees the the agency shed more light on the long-awaited assessments of whether certain grizzly populations still warrant Endangered Species Act protection.
On Tuesday, Fish and Wildlife Service official Stephen Guertin assured Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) that the agency plans to announce “by the end of this month” a decision on the ESA status of the grizzly bear population around Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. The state of Wyoming petitioned in January 2022 to delist the population.
Guertin, the agency’s deputy director for program management and policy, did not telegraph what the decision will be. He did, however, cite good signs in the grizzly population that inhabits what’s called the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
