US will keep protecting more than 2,000 Rocky Mountain grizzly bears

BILLINGS, Mont. — The Biden administration said Wednesday it will continue protecting about 2,000 grizzly bears in the Rocky Mountains despite opposition from Republican-led states.

Federal officials also said they would ease some restrictions as conflicts between bears and humans rise. Ranchers operating outside of designated grizzly recovery zones would be allowed to shoot the predators if they attack livestock or dogs. And state officials could be authorized to capture and relocate bears to prevent potential conflicts.

Protections will be withdrawn in states where grizzlies are no longer found, including California, Colorado, New Mexico and Oregon.

The changes announced Wednesday could be revisited under President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration.

The Associated Press obtained details of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision in advance.

Grizzlies are fearsome bruins that can reach 800 pounds (363 kilograms) and live more than 25 years. They've been protected as a threatened species across the lower 48 states since 1975. Officials during Trump's first term sought to eliminate those protections, but were reversed in court.

Republican officials in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming petitioned the Fish and Wildlife Service beginning in 2021 seeking to reclaim state management of the grizzly population. That would open the door to hunts, although state officials have said those would be limited and not endanger the overall population.

''This reclassification will facilitate recovery of grizzly bears and provide a stronger foundation for eventual delisting,'' Martha Williams, U.S. Fish and Wildlife service director, said in a statement.

Agency officials said they will take public comments on whether hunting could be used to relieve conflicts between people and bears. That would require an explicit exemption from provisions of the Endangered Species Act and would likely be challenged by environmentalists in court.

The public also can comment on the loosened rules for shooting bears that attack livestock.

The administration's action drew a sharp rebuke from Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke, who worked on a prior attempt to remove protections for bears in and around Yellowstone National Park when he led the U.S. Interior Department under Trump.

''There's no denying the Biden administration jammed this through with 12 days to go knowing it's a blatantly political play to appease radical environmentalists," Zinke said. ''Thankfully the political hands pulling the strings at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are about to be fired.''

''The Fish and Wildlife Service rightly followed the science,'' said Andrea Zaccardi with the Center for Biological Diversity.

Grizzlies greatly expanded their range over the past several decades, including in parts of western Washington state. That's led to more attacks on livestock and, rarely, on people.

U.S. government scientists concluded years ago that the bear population in parts of the West — including around Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks — had biologically recovered. But there's been concern that state wildlife laws wouldn't be enough to protect the animals.

Former Fish and Wildlife Service grizzly recovery coordinator Chris Servheen said keeping protections in place will allow grizzlies to continue expanding into new areas. Without those safeguards, he added, the species would again be driven toward extinction because of climate change and state officials intent on reducing bear populations.

''We spent about $30 million and 45 years recovering grizzly bears to where they are. If they are delisted, it would turn around and they would again be on the verge of extinction,'' Servheen said in an interview. He said he had not yet reviewed documents related to Wednesday's decision.

By 1975, only about 700 to 800 bears remained in the lower 48 states.

Following intensive recovery efforts led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, there are now more than 2,000 grizzlies in the lower 48 states and larger populations in Alaska, where hunting is allowed.

Even where hunting isn't allowed, people are the biggest threat to bears. Dozens annually are killed by wildlife agents because of livestock attacks, shot by hunters in self-defense or hit by vehicles and trains.

After the species temporarily lost protection in the Yellowstone region in 2017, hunts were scheduled in Wyoming — where almost 1,500 people applied for 12 grizzly bear licenses, and Idaho, which issued just one license. The hunts were blocked by a court order just days before they were set to begin.

Federal officials in the years since raised concerns about laws from Republican-led states that could potentially harm grizzly populations. Among them was a Montana law allowing grizzlies to be killed if they attack livestock.