Support grizzly bear migration into the Clearwater Basin and the Selway-Bitterroot Ecosystem Recovery Zone
Grizzly Bear Advisory Council established by Montana Governor to hold final meeting on July 20-21, and make final recommendations to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MFWP) and governor no later than August 31, 2020.
In July 2019, Montana Governor Steve Bullock established a Grizzly Bear Advisory Council (GBAC) to address management challenges and to help set a long-term vision for grizzly bear management and conservation in the state of Montana. He stated that a citizen council, comprised of people that hold diverse viewpoints, was the best approach for finding balanced recommendations.
A major issue the GBAC faces is grizzly bear trophy hunting—if and when the great bear is removed from the Endangered Species list and management is left to MFWP. Many members of the GBAC favor allowing a hunt, but opposition is building. Sending comments opposing the hunt will provide vital support to GBAC members who oppose trophy hunting.
We have the opportunity to make sure voices are heard from beyond Montana, which is where most of the publicity has focused so far. This is important because decisions in Montana will affect grizzly bear recovery in the Clearwater Basin and the Selway-Bitterroot Ecosystem recovery zone.
We ask that you take a few minutes to write a short letter in your own words, using one or more of the following bullet points. (Note: This is not a sign-on letter because the MFWP website, where the comments are sent to the Committee, treats such letters as a single letter, no matter how many people sign on, and it’s important to make clear the number of people who care enough to voice their opposition.) Please write before the GBAC’s July 21-22 meeting date, for the most influence on this council.
- Grizzly bear hunting is not a scientifically supported method of managing the grizzly population, and would set back grizzly bear recovery. Individual bears attempting to migrate and thus inhabit unoccupied habitat are especially vulnerable to killing by hunters.
- Grizzly bear hunting amounts to trophy hunting, which is abhorrent to the values held by most of the American public, who have funded longstanding recovery efforts for this iconic wildlife species.
- Wide-ranging wildlife species are not owned by the State of Montana. This is especially true for rare species such as grizzly bears, which are slow to reproduce and recover from unnecessary and indiscriminate human-caused mortality, and which must be allowed to expand their range across state boundaries in order to build a robust, truly recovered population.
- It is important to demonstrate solidarity with indigenous people, who believe hunting of grizzly bears dishonors their native traditions.
Please make sure you add your own words in making these points.
Click here to go to GBAC’s comment page.
And for more information, click here for the GBAC website.
Thank you for supporting Grizzly Bear Recovery in the Clearwater Basin!