A federal judge allowed a predator control program in Montana to continue Thursday but ordered more study on how it might affect grizzly bears.
In a bit of a split opinion that gave environmentalists some of what they asked for, U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen directed Department of Agriculture agencies to prepare a thorough environmental impact statement on the program under which predatory grizzlies may be trapped or killed.
But while Christensen faulted USDA for “failing to take a hard look” at what predator control efforts mean for bears, he let the program continue while an EIS is prepared to meet a Nov. 1, 2026, deadline.
“The potential disruptive consequences of an interim change in the availability of lethal federal predator management in Montana outweigh … concerns about disruptions to natural connectivity and the long-term genetic viability of grizzly bears,” Christensen wrote.
