Yellowstone Grizzly Bears: Not Time to Declare Victory

WASHINGTON, DC (March 3, 2016) - Today, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service declared that the Yellowstone population of grizzly bears is recovered and no longer needs the protections of the Endangered Species Act. 

Following is a statement from Sylvia Fallon, Senior Scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council:

“Given all of the uncertainty facing the Yellowstone grizzly, we do not think it is time to declare victory for these bears just yet.  Yellowstone grizzly bears are an isolated population that is experiencing high levels of conflicts with people and is likely declining in the wake of the loss of whitebark pine, a critically important food source.

“The Endangered Species Act has been tremendously successful at saving this population and preventing its demise. And retaining those valuable protections until the Yellowstone grizzly population is more robust and its future more certain is the best way to turn that past success into true recovery.”