HELENA, Mont. – After a record number of grizzly bear deaths in 2018, groups are calling for an update to a decade-old report on conflict prevention.

Six conservation groups have sent a letter to the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee's Yellowstone Ecosystem Subcommittee.

They're urging members to develop new recommendations for avoiding conflict involving bears, people and livestock and also evaluate how well the 2009 report was implemented.

There were 65 known grizzly deaths in 2018 and almost 250 since 2015, with nearly all of them from human-related causes.

Bonnie Rice, senior representative with the Sierra Club's Our Wild America campaign, notes the 2009 report still can be a good resource.

"It did have a lot of good recommendations in it, but many of those have not been implemented, in terms of measures to prevent conflicts,” she points out. “And so, it's really past time to update that report and take another look at this, considering how many grizzly bears we're losing every year."

Rice emphasizes that the mortality count is just known deaths – many more go undocumented.

She adds that the committee should work to implement a new report with additional recommendations before this year's hunting season, when most deaths occur.

The letter says bear-management agencies should follow through with a 2009 report recommendation to create a database of bear deaths going back at least five years.

Conflict patterns with grizzlies have changed over the past decade. Many of the 2009 report's recommendations were for hunters.

The groups that authored this letter say more focus should be on reducing conflict between grizzlies and livestock managers, who see the species as a threat.

But Wendy Keefover, native carnivore protection manager for the Humane Society of the United States, says the bears are responsible for such a small fraction of depredations that the number is practically zero.

"With all native carnivores put together, plus domestic dogs, the total predation is minuscule, but the biggest problem that livestock growers are what we call maladies,” she explains. “So birthing problems, respiratory problems."

Keefover says these maladies cause about nine times more livestock deaths than all predators combined. She adds that even lightning strikes cause far more deaths than predators.

Keefover says there are examples of reduced conflicts, such as the Blackfoot Challenge where ranchers use electric fencing and other techniques and have reduced incidents by more than 70 percent.

"We know that we can coexist very well with grizzly bears,” she stresses. “It just takes some effort, and it's effort on our part. And if we don't do it, we risk losing grizzly bears forever. They're a conservation-reliant species."

The committee overseeing management of Yellowstone grizzlies meets in April.


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Conservation groups are celebrating a long-fought battle to protect the dwindling population of wolverine in the Northwest and northern Rockies.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced wolverine warrant being listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. There are about 300 left across the Northwest and northern Rockies.

Bethany Cotton - conservation director at Cascadia Wildlands - said the effort to protect wolverine began more than two decades ago.

"It's literally been 20 years of advocacy," said Cotton, "to ensure that these climate-sensitive species receive the protections they need and can get on the road to recovery."

Fish and Wildlife has seesawed on the question of protecting wolverine. Last year, arguing against listing, the state of Idaho said conservation efforts had restored the species to a stable population.

The listing was published today and opens up a 60 day public comment period on the interim rule.

Cotton said listing the species as threatened is a great first step but adds that trapping is a major threat to wolverine that could be allowed to continue under this rule.

"It also has language that allows some activities," said Cotton, "and unfortunately, one of the things in that interim rule is allowing for take or harming or killing wolverine in trapping."

Cotton said the science has been clear that wolverine need safeguards.

"Now, we need to make sure that those protections are meaningful," said Cotton, "that they're followed by state and federal entities, that we get a recovery plan and critical habitat, and that we really do protect these really amazing animals."




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It might not make hearts skip a beat like the sight of a Monarch butterfly or gray wolf, but biologists say a rare flowering New Mexico plant nonetheless deserves endangered species protection.

Inclusion of the swale paintbrush is under consideration by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Michael Robinson, senior conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, said the plant historically grew at several Southwestern sites but climate change and excessive grazing have taken their toll.

"We're talking about an extraordinarily arid area in the Bootheel of New Mexico -- it's Chihuahuan Desert -- it's got its own stark beauty," Robinson observed. "But when you see a relatively tall, graceful plant it provides a whole new perspective on the landscape."

He noted the swale paintbrush is one of the rarest plant species in North America. After accepting public comments over the summer about adding the plant to the endangered list, it is now under consideration for inclusion. Should it move forward, the Fish and Wildlife Service will have to develop a recovery plan.

Robinson pointed out the swale paintbrush, also known as the glowing Indian paintbrush, has bright yellowish flowers which produce nectar and support pollinators. Its rarity means not much is known about habitat requirements, but it's generally found in seasonally wet grasslands.

"The Fish and Wildlife Service has had its eye for decades on the need to protect the swale paintbrush, but just always found some reason not to do it," Robinson stressed. "Which is the sad reality for so many imperiled plants and animals that need protection sooner rather than later."

A 2022 study found protections offered by the Endangered Species Act often kick in too late to fully recover declining species. Published in the journal PLoS ONE, researchers found over the past three decades, species remained on waiting lists for protection far longer than the Endangered Species Act intends.


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The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is moving forward with the Sublette Pronghorn migration corridor designation process.

Josh Metten, Wyoming field manager with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, said the move is an important step to protect key spots along the iconic route between Rock Springs and Grand Teton National Park.

That includes places where animals get corralled and funneled into bottlenecks, and places herds recover from winter by hunkering down to feed on green-up vegetation.

"It's really important for the whole herd, but especially females that are getting ready to have their fawns," said Metten. "So making sure that there is appropriate management of development in these high priority areas, like stopovers and bottlenecks."

A recent threat evaluation released by Game and Fish found that the corridor is at "high risk" of being lost due to human activity.

In just the past three years, high priority areas saw developments - including a 3,500 well gas field, a state gas auction leasing 640 acres for $19 an acre within a known bottleneck, and more subdivisions - according to Wyofile.

Metten said he believes protecting the corridor is not an either-or proposition.

Thanks to advanced GPS collar data tracking herd movements, he said all stakeholders can sit down at the same table and find ways to accommodate multiple uses of adjacent lands - including energy production, housing development, and increased access to outdoor recreation.

"These are all things that we can still have on the landscape, if we do it right," said Metten. "Using a science-based approach to identify what are the most important areas to conserve, and we set appropriate limits in areas that are needed."

Public meetings are set for this Thursday in Pinedale, November 29 in Green River, and November 30 in Jackson. The agency will accept public comments through January 5.

Metten said enjoying wildlife like the Sublette Pronghorn herd is a big reason why hard-working families are proud to call Wyoming home.

"We're thankful to Gov. Gordon and the staff and Wyoming Game and Fish Department," said Metten, "for their commitment to ensuring that this irreplaceable wildlife resource is sustained into the future."