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
Kurt, After your ridcule, I kept waiting for your arguments against the legislation but never saw one. What is the downside of attempting relocation to CA as an alternative to euthanization? - Of course, assuming CA wants them.
Well, EC, the state would have trouble with the ESA, I believe. But yes, California would have to want them.
Figured out ESA. What would be the problem? ESA lets you kill them but not move them?
Yeah, the Endangered Species Act. GYA grizzlies are listed as threatened. So I assume there are some hurdles the state would have to clear before trapping and shipping bears to California.
They would love California!!!
It appears to me, there's no need for concern about the legalities of dumping bears in CA, foreign nations have been dumping their unwanted populations there for 40 plus years.
I don't see how a state legislature could envision themselves having the power to regulate federal lands, especially against federal wishes.
I am a Wyoming native that was born just outside of Yellowstone. I am frequently amazed at comments and articles where the author is completely out of touch with reality, especially on this subject! The Wyoming Game and Fish Department does an excellent job of caring for alll the diverse species we have throughout Wyoming's ecosystem. Senator Larry Hicks' amendment is something that the majority of Wyoming citizens support. THE WYOMING SENATE APPROVED THIS BILL TODAY! Kurt, things have changed alot over the past nine years, especially with the number of grizzly bear encounters and attacks. Here is what is occurring in Wyoming right now. It is no longer safe to backpack into the forests and wilderness areas unless you have bear pepper spray, and a pistol or a rifle. Even if you have a firearm, you may never get a shot off as a charging grizzly can cover 50 yards in 3 seconds. Grizzlly bears are faster than race horses! A 600 pound grizzly charging you at 40 miles per hour is terrifying and often deadly! The Yellowstone area now has over 700 grizzlies and that does not account for the bears that now live outside of Yellowstone. The grizzly was actually taken off the endangered species list in June 2017 by the US Secretary of the Interior who announced the Grizzly Bear to be recovered in the Yelowstone ecosystem. Then the Secretary of the Interior and the Wyoming game and fish agreed it was time to manage their numbers. I am 57 years old and am buying my first pistol so that I can protect myself and my grandchildren when we are fishing or playing outside at our cabin, 40 miles south of Jackson Hole. In the past 3 years we have had bears and wolves on our property and we are not in a forested area. I grew up riding horses, motorcycles, snowmobiles and hiking all over the state and never worried about being attacked by bears or wolves. Now it is not uncommon to see hiking trails closed due to bear encounters. Our biggest concern statewide used to be rattlesnakes. Things have definitely changed in Wyoming...and what bothers me the most is that our 10th Amendment rights are being violated by people that do not reside within Wyoming. So Kurt, before you write something about Wyoming you need to do some fact checking and make sure you know what you are writing about!