Comment now on proposed update to
grizzly bear Esa Status
Suggested Comments:
Tell the agency you care about grizzly bears: It's important that the agency hear why people value grizzlies, especially from those of us who frequently share the landscape with these iconic mammals.
Show your support for the agency maintaining threatened status for grizzly bears in the lower 48: Continued federal protections are the best way to ensure the long-term viability of the species in the Northern Rockies.
Express agreement with the agency's emphasis on connectivity: Establishing natural genetic and demographic connectivity between currently isolated grizzly bear populations is essential to the long-term viability of the species in the lower 48. Minimizing conflict and protecting habitat to facilitate movement and lower densities of bears across the region is necessary to make this happen.
On January 8, 2025 the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced a proposed update to grizzly bear Endangered Species Act Listing and Management, maintaining Endangered Species Act protections for grizzlies in the lower 48 states. The proposal was entered into the Federal Register on January 15, kicking off a 60 day comment period ending on March 17.
The proposed action marks an initial step in complying with a settlement agreement with the state of Idaho, which mandates an evaluation of the grizzly bear's listing status in the lower 48 states by January 2026. It also responds to petitions by Montana and Wyoming to delist current populations in the Greater Yellowstone and North Continental Divide Ecosystems. The USFWS determined that delisting the populations is “not warranted.”
This revision establishes a single distinct population segment (DPS) of grizzlies, which will retain threatened status under the ESA. However, the proposal removes ESA protections outside of the new DPS, significantly diminishing where grizzly bears are protected.
The new rule reflects the best available science, which indicates that grizzlies should be managed as a single DPS. Recent research has documented grizzlies moving between the current recovery zones, indicating that those populations are no longer discrete and have developed into a single population covering a larger area. This is step forward for the species and highlights the continued need for habitat protections to support grizzly movement, connectivity, and long-term recovery.
The action also includes a new rule giving increased flexibility to management agencies and authorized landowners to kill grizzly bears involved in conflicts with humans, livestock or property.
The proposed update would create a single population segment for grizzly bears encompassing the 6 current distinct population segments, retaining threatened status within the new DPS.
Stay Informed
If you would like more information please visit the Grizzly Bear Recovery Program webpage.