FWP Director Christy Clark visits with landowners about the proposed grizzly bear rule changes at a town hall in Choteau Thursday evening.
CHOTEAU – At a packed room Thursday night, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Director Christy Clark took questions from local landowners and provided more information about potential changes coming with a draft U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rule concerning grizzly bear management.
The town hall event came three days after Gov. Greg Gianforte and Department of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced a proposed revision to the rules governing grizzly bear management. The proposed changes would give Montana more management flexibility with grizzly bears in the state.
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Landowners at the town hall had many questions for Clark and FWP staff and shared their frustrations that federal agencies are not listening and do not understand what communities deal with living in grizzly bear country.
“We have an emergency situation with these bears. We make a call and they take care of it temporarily. Then they come back. It’s ongoing,” said one rancher. “I appreciate what you guys are trying to do, but we need to advance this.”
“I agree. I lived here too,” said Clark, whose family ranches in Choteau. “I know it seems like we are going way too slow … But this next step (state management) is critical. We have to do this right or we’ll never reach delisting.”
Proposed changes
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a proposed rule Friday that would give Montana more flexibility on grizzly bear management. The proposed rule distinguishes between the two Montana recovery zones that have not reached population objectives - Bitterroot and Cabinet/Yaak – and those that have – the Northern Continental Divide (NCDE) and Greater Yellowstone (GYE).
Key to the rule is Montana’s statewide grizzly bear management plan, which was completed in 2023, as well as the conservation strategies for the NCDE and the GYE.
In the NCDE and GYE, the proposed rule would give Montana management authority of bears as long as the state follows the population objectives and mortality thresholds outlined in the management plan. This means more latitude for dealing with conflict bears and being more responsive to livestock conflicts.
In the Bitterroot and Cabinet/Yaak ecosystems, grizzly bear management would largely remain what it is currently. The proposed rule does allow for incidental take due to regulated trapping, which is a change from the current situation where trapping in grizzly bear habitat is regulated to avoid incidental take.
The town hall in Choteau was hosted by FWP and Teton Farm Bureau at the Choteau Country Club. Landowners along the Rocky Mountain Front have dealt with increasing grizzly bear numbers for years and their input is important.
“Our members have lived with grizzly bears for generations and have experienced firsthand the challenges that come from too many bears on the landscape,” said Cody Shick, Teton Farm Bureau President. “What we heard tonight were not only the hard questions, but that now is the time to share our stories and our voice. We need farmers and ranchers to comment on this proposed rule and tell the Fish and Wildlife Service exactly what it’s like raising a family in grizzly bear country.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposed rule revision can be found here. The public comment period runs through Aug. 17.
