Two Mountain West states are working together in a new way to try to get the grizzly bear taken off the endangered species list.
They recently trucked two bears from Montana to Wyoming in an effort to connect the two states’ populations. Experts say this move has a lot to do with politics and less to do with science.
The two states — along with Idaho — say the species has rebounded and no longer needs federal protections.
But that was overturned by a 2017 court ruling that said the Yellowstone population still needs to be more genetically diverse. Conservationists also argue that since the different grizzly populations are still not connected in the region, they’re not actually recovered.
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So, in an effort to pressure federal agencies to delist the species, the states are starting to capture bears in one ecosystem and release them in another.
Male grizzly is released in Yellowstone National Park
“It really is kind of a very preemptive action, so to speak, that addresses a concern that would normally be way down the road,” said Frank van Manen, who leads the interagency team studying these grizzly populations.
He said the grizzlies aren’t in a “dire situation” and that they’re naturally becoming more genetically diverse.
Right now, the Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide populations are only about 60 miles apart and getting closer, according to van Manen. He added that some bears could have already made the crossover on their own, but it hasn’t been documented.
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“Now, the challenge is there is a lot of transportation infrastructure, I-90 and other highways in between, a lot of human-occupied areas,” he said. “The permeability of that landscape is not the same as inside the ecosystem.”
Van Manen said his team will keep up with the bears that have been dropped off in Yellowstone National Park and near Dubois, Wyoming. They had no history of conflict and will be monitored with a GPS collar.
If they don’t reproduce, van Manan said the agencies may need to truck over more grizzlies.
A decision on the grizzly bears’ status on the endangered species list is slated to come in January.
This story is part of our Quick Hits series. This series will bring you breaking news and short updates from throughout the state.
The former director of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) agency is joining Wyoming’s Game and Fish Department.
9-News reported that Jeff Davis was hired as the department’s deputy director in late December. That’s after Doug Brimeyer retired.
He starts the job in February.
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Davis resigned from CPW last year instead of being fired as part of a settlement agreement. The settlement agreement Davis signed did not directly cite a reason for his termination.
Davis joined CPW as the state reintroduced wolves. His resignation came shortly after Washington state said it would not provide wolves to Colorado’s reintroduction program.
Before joining CPW in 2023, Davis had a long career in the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. While there, he focused on coordinating conservation initiatives involving interdisciplinary teams and salmon recovery.
BILLINGS— Activists on both sides praised and criticized the Wyoming Supreme Court’s ruling of abortion bans as unconstitutional on Tuesday in a 4-1 majority.
The ruling marks the end of a four-year legal battle in Wyoming since the state’s 2022 abortion ban went in place with the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which overturned abortion rights on a federal level.
Watch for the report:
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Activists react after Wyoming high court rules abortion ban unconstitutional
The ban was put on hold after Wyoming’s only abortion clinic, Wellspring Health Access in Casper, led a suit against the state.
“I was holding my breath as I opened it and read it. But soon that turned to being rather elated. We couldn’t be more pleased with the opinion,” said Julie Burkhart, the clinic’s president.
Vanessa Willardson
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Julie Burkhart
The decision comes after a years-long fight and setbacks, including an arsonist who set the clinic on fire in May of 2022.
“We were set to open that next month, but unfortunately that arson set us back by 11 months. We weren’t able to open that until 2023. It was quite devastating,” said Burkhart.
“I don’t think it’s moral, ethical, appropriate for anyone to tell another person what they can or cannot do with their own body,” she added.
Wellspring Health Access
Wellspring Health Access after 2022 fire
For a Montana advocacy group, it was a different story.
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“I was very disappointed,” said Amy Seymour, president of Yellowstone Valley Christians for Life, an anti-abortion advocacy group.
“These pre-born children who are unique, complete, living, individual human beings from the moment of their conception, they can be protected if Wyoming decides to have a constitutional amendment to that degree,” she added.
Vanessa Willardson
Amy Seymour
Wyoming state Speaker of the House Chip Neiman, a Republican, echoed Seymour’s sentiments with a written statement.
“Today’s decision is an abomination. Four unelected justices thwarted the will of the people to establish a ‘right’ to kill an innocent baby. Thanks to these justices, Wyoming has some of the most radical abortion laws in America. I will not stand for that, and will continue fighting for innocent unborn babies,” said Neiman.
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Wyoming Supreme Court strikes down abortion bans, keeping procedure legal
GLENROCK, Wyo. — A 55-year-old Wyoming man died Monday night after his vehicle went over a bridge rail and caught fire on Interstate 25 near Glenrock.
Gavin Stanek was traveling north in a Cadillac Escalade around 9:13 p.m. when the vehicle drifted into the median near milepost 156, according to a Wyoming Highway Patrol report. The vehicle continued through the median until it struck a bridge retaining wall.
The driver’s side of the Escalade scraped along the rail before the vehicle went over the edge toward the river. The Cadillac rolled toward the passenger side and landed on its roof on the river embankment, where it was engulfed in flames, the report states.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol identified driver fatigue or the driver falling asleep as a possible contributing factor in the crash. Road conditions were dry and the weather was clear at the time of the incident.
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This story contains preliminary information as provided by the Wyoming Highway Patrol via the Wyoming Department of Transportation Fatal Crash Summary map. The agency advises that information may be subject to change.
