On September 8, the Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council (Council) sent a letter to Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack outlining their support for resuming state authority for the management of the recovered grizzly bear population in the Greater Yellowstone area. The Council recommended coordination among the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), state agency officials from Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, and the public to discuss the delisting of this grizzly bear population in a workgroup.
The Council stated: “We are fully aware that delisting the Yellowstone grizzly has already been attempted and we believe it is well justified and overdue. We appreciate that in 2007, after several years of the bear population meeting or exceeding recovery criteria, the Fish and Wildlife Service issued a delisting rule.”
The Council includes conservation leaders from across the country, including Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) President Jeff Crane, who are appointed by the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture to provide advice and recommendations on issues related to wildlife conservation, and access and opportunities for hunting.
Studies conducted at both the state and federal level have found that the number of hunters and trappers have been on a generally declining trend over the past several decades. To increase recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of hunters and trappers, which initiative do you think would have the greatest impact?
