Protect the Greater Yellowstone Grizzly
- by: Sierra Club
- recipient: Dan Ashe, Director U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The fate of the Greater Yellowstone grizzly bear is uncertain, and we must act to protect them.
The Yellowstone region's grizzly bear population hasn't grown since the early 2000s, fewer cubs are surviving to adulthood, bears have lost key foods due to climate change, and Yellowstone grizzly bears are completely isolated from other grizzly bears, which threatens their long-term survival.
Despite all this, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is preparing to remove Endangered Species Act protections ("delisting") later this year and turn management over to the states, who want to immediately begin sport hunting of grizzly bears.
Now is the time to provide scientific planning and adequate protections for the the future of Greater Yellowstone grizzlies. Tell Director Ashe, US Fish and Wildlife — stop the delisting!
Dear Director Ashe,
I am opposed to removal of Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections from grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone region (delisting). Thanks to 40 years of protection and the hard work of many people to protect grizzlies, they have made a comeback — but they are still vulnerable.
In the lower 48 states, grizzly bears occupy less than 2% of their historic range. We need a connected population of several thousand bears for true recovery. Yellowstone grizzly bears remain completely isolated, and the population's growth rate has been essentially flat since the early 2000s. Removing ESA protections from Yellowstone grizzly bears is premature.
[your comment here]
Sincerely,
[your name]
