The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is moving forward with plans to help threatened grizzly bears thrive once again in the beautiful Bitterroot Mountains of Montana and Idaho, according to Outdoor Life.
It's an exciting step toward restoring a healthy population of these majestic animals to one of their native homes.
The Bitterroot Mountains are one of six key recovery zones for grizzlies in the Lower 48 states. But while some grizzlies have wandered into the area on their own in recent years, there still isn't a sustainable breeding population there yet.
That's where the new federal plan comes in. By November 2026, the Fish and Wildlife Service will complete an environmental review and make an official decision on reintroducing more grizzlies to the region.
Bringing grizzlies back to the Bitterroots would be a big win for both the bears and the ecosystem as a whole. Grizzlies play a vital role in keeping natural areas healthy and balanced.
At the same time, the recovery plan will take steps to make sure people and bears can safely coexist. Strategies like bear-proof garbage containers and safety education help communities prevent conflicts as grizzly populations expand into more of their historic range.
The reintroduction plan has been a long time coming — the Bitterroots were first identified as a grizzly recovery zone in 1993. In 2022, a court ruled that the government had unreasonably delayed taking action.
Restoring grizzlies to the Bitterroot Ecosystem, where they lived for thousands of years, is an important part of returning the landscape to a thriving, natural state. The new federal plan marks a key step in making that vision a reality.
"The grizzly bear restoration EIS in the Bitterroot Ecosystem will analyze alternatives for restoration by examining potential effects on the human environment, addressing management approaches for bear-human conflicts, assessing considerations for grizzly bear connectivity between recovery zones, and incorporating other relevant information regarding impacts," the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a press release.
"As part of this process, the Service will identify several actions to consider, including a no-action alternative."
Join our free newsletter for cool news and cool tips that make it easy to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
