Grizzly Bear Management: Sierra Club Calls for Focus on Co-Existence, Not Trophy Hunts

JACKSON, WY -- The Wyoming Game and Fish Department will hold a public meeting tonight in Jackson to gather input on how grizzly bears should be managed in the state. The meeting is one of several being held by the Department. Additional meetings are planned including one in Pinedale tomorrow, and other locations in late November/December. Wyoming joined Montana and Idaho in taking over management of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone region following the animal's removal from the Endangered Species list this summer. 

The meetings this week are:

Weds., Nov 15 in Jackson, 6 p.m.
Virginian Lodge, 750 W Broadway, Jackson, WY 83001 (map)

Thurs., Nov 16 in Pinedale, 6 p.m.
Game and Fish Office, 432 Mill St, Pinedale, WY 82941 (map)

Additional meeting information, including on meetings in Green River, Cody and Lander can be found here. 

In anticipation of the meetings, Bonnie Rice, Senior Representative in Greater Yellowstone for Sierra Club's Our Wild America campaign issued the following statement: 

“If grizzly bears are to have a future in the Greater Yellowstone area, Wyoming must put aside political hostility in favor of sound science when it comes to grizzly bear management. In the past two years, even without a trophy hunt, the population has declined and it appears that this year it may decline again. Already this year, nearly 50 grizzly bears have died, all but three from human-related causes, and we still have weeks to go in the hunting season when many conflicts occur and grizzlies are killed. We cannot afford to further reduce grizzly bear numbers.

“The Game and Fish Department should be putting its resources toward promoting co-existence and reducing conflicts between people and bears—particularly in the Upper Green region—not opening up a trophy hunt. Grizzly bears in Wyoming should be allowed to expand into suitable habitat, not confined to the national parks and a small area around them. With the majority of the region’s grizzly bears living in Wyoming, decisions made by the state could determine the bears’ future, or indeed if they have one at all.”