Wyoming Senate Supports Relocating Greater Yellowstone Grizzly Bears To California

Published Date

February 1, 2019

There's a move in the Wyoming Senate to relocate trapped grizzly bears from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to California/NPS, Jim Peaco

April Fool's Day is still a couple months off, but a measure adopted in the Wyoming Senate the other week to send trapped grizzly bears to California does make one wonder how serious the chamber is.

Earlier in my career I spent nine years covering the Wyoming Legislature, and every now and then an oddball measure would surface. This amendment, introduced by state Sen. Larry Hicks, fits that description. Hicks views his proposal as a way to deal with troublesome grizzly bears that otherwise would be euthanized.

Grizzly bears are trapped and relocated in Wyoming and in some cases are euthanized for livestock depredation, property damage or endangerment of human life. If it determines under the laws of the state of Wyoming that extraterritorial relocation would be beneficial for managing Wyoming's wildlife and protecting Wyoming workers and other citizens and tourists of the state, the game and fish commission may relocate to the state of California all grizzly bears trapped for relocation or that would otherwise be euthanized.

The amendment was tacked onto a Senate bill that authorizes the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission to establish a hunting season for grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, which includes Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. Whether it makes it through the legislative session and is signed into law by the governor remains to be seen. Of course, the bill, if enacted, could run into conflict with the bear's current status as threatened with extinction in the ecosystem.

Last September grizzly bears that roam the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem regained protection from hunters under the Endangered Species Act due to a judge's ruling that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service did not adequately consider how delisting the bears would impact the species as a whole. That ruling brought a halt to planned grizzly bear hunts in Wyoming and Idaho.

How did Hicks settle on California for the bears' destination? The bear on that state's flag.

“I think it’s only fitting and right that we help our friends out to the West to help restore their state emblem,” Hicks said in a Jackson Hole News and Guide story. “This is the first step in getting there.”

Comments

Submitted by Anonymous on February 1, 2019 - 11:47pm.

Well said ! Wolves are on there way. More Goverment jobs !

Submitted by y_p_w on February 1, 2019 - 11:49pm.

ecbuck:

My point only is the proposal isn't worthy of the ridicule you tagged it with. Lets discuss it without spite. Recently, too many articles here have started or contianed snarky comments that are totally irrelevant to the story. As I mentioned before, this story made ridicule of the proposal but didn't contain a single reason to object.

Of course it's worthy of ridicule. It was specific in that bears that are a danger to the wildlife, property, and people of Wyoming should be relocated to California. Not Idaho. Not Alaska. Not even Colorado. This was specifically a dig at California.

And I double checked that this wasn't some early April Fools joke by Kurt. It's in the Senate File 93 text verbatim.

Certainly newspapers in Wyoming have ridiculed it, and are even shocked that it wasn't removed from the bill language.

https://www.jhnewsandguide.com/the_hole_scroll/article_b5251318-294f-5fa...

Partly in jest -- or not -- the California relocation stipulation was tacked onto a bill that calls for grizzly hunting, regardless of the species' protected "threatened" status under the Endangered Species Act. Sen. Larry Hicks, R-Albany/Carbon/Sweetwater, authored the amendment, explaining its purpose just before the Senate passed the bill's second reading.

"When a bear is repeat offender ... oftentimes those grizzly bears are euthanized," Hicks said on the senate floor. "What this amendment would do is allow the Game and Fish Department to relocate these bears to the state of California, if it was determined to be in the best interest of the state of Wyoming."

****

Despite the joking tone of the bill and banter on the Senate floor, the amendment authorizing the translocation of problem grizzlies to California is now actually included in a bill that's still alive in Wyoming's 2019 legislative session.

Submitted by Sam S on February 2, 2019 - 12:22am.

So the solution to Wyoming's troublesome, and potentially dangerous, grizzly bear population is to ship them to California so they can be troublesome and potentially dangerous for Californians? Geez, thanks...I'd like to say, on behalf of California, we pass, but we are so stupid here you could probably get us to pay for them.

Submitted by David Bain on February 2, 2019 - 12:51am.

Reintroduction of the grizzly bear to California, after being irradicated in the mid 1800s, is in perfect harmony with the state's progressiveness. California has some of the most onerous gun control laws in the nation. Perhaps they will be revisited when they bears are turned loose in the state capital, SF Bay Area, and other blue precincts of the state.

Submitted by Joseph Oravec on February 2, 2019 - 12:53am.

The problem I see with this Legislation has litle to do with the Bears. It has to do with Wyoming Over-Reach. Wyoming giving itself AUTHORITY to go onto National Park Service Lands to trap and take Grizzly Bears. I am sure if the NPS or the US Government oversteped their authority (They Did), the Wyoming State Legislators would (They Did), Fight the US Government in Court (They Did). Why is Wyoming trasspassing on NPS lands, any different then the US Goverment using the Antiqities Act to take Private Lands in Wyoming (OBAMA) or Force Land owners (The Town of Riverton, WY) to follow edicts of the EPA or Tribes that gave up rights to that same Land in 1905. So, I have very little Respect for the Wyoming Legislature, when they try to go against the Rule of Law, by allowing themselves or others to intrude on NPS lands, or take Wildlife from NPS lands. NOPE Wyoming. If you want the USA Government to leave Wyoming Private and Public Lands alone. Then have the same RESPECT and do not touch NPS protected areas.

Submitted by Diane Bolter on February 2, 2019 - 5:39am.

I love Grizzlies too, they are extremely exceptionally important to the eco system in so many ways and besides, I love all animals and I am absolutely totally against murdering animals just for killing them! Nature put them here for a reason and it's not to be murdered for humans pleasure!

Submitted by Dom on February 2, 2019 - 6:06am.

Ha ha ha lol its funny most all the people are from the east side of the Rockies relocated to Wyoming and Idaho maybe they should go back if they don't like bears

Submitted by Sky on February 2, 2019 - 6:14am.

Ignorance is pathetic!

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