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Wyoming lawmakers bring two grizzly bills as future of federal protection grows murky – WyoFile

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Wyoming lawmakers bring two grizzly bills as future of federal protection grows murky – WyoFile


Uncertainty is swirling around what will become of plans to retain grizzly bears’ federally protected status following a change of presidential administrations and an Interior secretary nominee who’s pledged to delist the bruins and return jurisdiction to the states. 

What will become of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s long-awaited and heavily litigated grizzly bear proposal became even cloudier Monday, when the agency announced it was scratching already scheduled public hearings. Federal officials had planned to hold a public hearing in Cody, but that and three other meetings were nixed, “in light of the recent transition and the need for this Administration to review the recent grizzly bear proposed rule,” according to an agency notice.    

Tracks are left behind by grizzly 399’s subadults in the snow on Signal Mountain. (Mike Koshmrl/WyoFile)

It’s unclear if the meetings will be rescheduled and equally hazy if Fish and Wildlife’s draft rule is still on the table following a Trump administration regulatory freeze and shift in leadership at the U.S. Department of the Interior. 

Fish and Wildlife Service provided no additional information in response to WyoFile inquiries and declined to grant an interview.

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Bear bills

Meantime, Wyoming lawmakers will consider two measures that prescribe changes to the future of grizzly bear management in the Equality State.

One proposal, outlined in House Bill 186, “Bear coupons-game and fish,” would allow heavy grizzly bear hunting in 2026 and 2027 on the outskirts of current grizzly range in Wyoming. The measure would require the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to attach a free “bear coupon” to all resident elk licenses issued for areas outside of the grizzly recovery zone, located in the core of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Those coupon holders would then be authorized to kill a “brown or black bear or grizzly bear.” 

The proposed law declares that the Wyoming Legislature “finds that grizzly bears have recovered in Wyoming and should be removed from the endangered species and threatened species list and that the state should be responsible for management.” As now written, the bill could allow for the start of grizzly bear hunting even while Ursus arctos horribilis remains protected under the Endangered Species Act, which would be a federal crime. It would take effect either 10 days after grizzly bears have been delisted or on Jan. 1, 2026, whichever comes earlier. 

Rep. Bob Wharff, R-Evanston, at the Wyoming Legislature’s 2025 general session in Cheyenne. (Mike Vanata/WyoFile)

Rep. Bob Wharff, R-Evanston, HB 186’s lead sponsor, was unable to be reached for an interview. The all-Republican and mostly Wyoming Freedom Caucus-aligned list of cosponsors include: Reps. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams of Cody, Mike Schmid of La Barge, Nina Webber of Cody, John Winter of Thermopolis and Sens. Dan Dockstader of Afton, Tim French of Powell, Bob Ide of Casper and Troy McKeown of Gillette. 

‘You go manage the bears’

Sen. Larry Hicks, a Republican from Baggs, brought the other grizzly-related measure, “Senate File 170, Grizzly bear management prohibition.” In essence, the bill would prohibit the Wyoming Game and Fish Department from using its resources to help manage grizzly bears unless the state is granted jurisdiction. 

“We’re just saying [to the federal government], ‘You go manage the bears,’” Hicks told WyoFile. “We’re tired of spending all of the money doing it for you.” 

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Although grizzly bears have been safeguarded by the Endangered Species Act and managed by the federal government since 1973, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department handles the brunt of the day-to-day duties and has spent over $50 million on grizzly management to date, according to agency estimates. Costs are incurred, for example, when state officials head out to verify if dead free-range cattle were casualties of grizzly depredation, and by red-shirted biologists who’ve shadowed celebrity bruins to keep the animals safe.  

Those types of duties would no longer be allowed, though the state senator’s proposal does provide some exceptions. Grizzly management could still occur if it’s “expressly required by statute” or needed for “public safety and welfare.” 

“Compensation for grizzly damage doesn’t go away,” Hicks said. “If you’ve got a bear around people’s private property … and they’re a threat to public safety, the Game and Fish Department can still act.” 

Sen. Larry Hicks, R-Baggs, at the Wyoming Legislature’s 2023 general session in Cheyenne. (Mike Koshmrl/WyoFile)

If SF 170 advances, Hicks intends to amend it. Currently, it’s written so that it would take effect immediately, but he wants to move that back two years because of the change in presidential administrations and makeup of Congress.

“It’ll say, ‘in 24 months, if you haven’t resolved this issue’ — your bears, you manage them,” Hicks said. 

Senate File 170’s all-Republican co-sponsors include Winter, Driskill and Rep. Paul Hoeft of Powell. 

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Neither grizzly bear bill has moved beyond being introduced, though Wharff’s “bear coupon” proposal was referred to the House Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources Committee and has until Feb. 7 to be heard there. 

Conservation response

Hunting advocacy groups don’t like what they see. The Wyoming Wildlife Federation came out “strongly against” the Fish and Wildlife Service’s grizzly decision, but is leery of “emotional” responses stemming from frustration over not having management. 

“These bills are a bit of a tantrum,” said Jess Johnson, the federation’s government affairs director. “I agree that we need state management of grizzly bears. I don’t believe that these bills help our case at all.” 

Overzealous state legislatures, she said, are contributing to the consternation some parties have for the federal government relinquishing authority over grizzlies.

“If we could back off, let our incredible professionals do their jobs and stay at the table without this rhetorical pushback, we might be in a better position for grizzlies in the long term,” Johnson said. 

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Chris Servheen, a retired grizzly bear recovery coordinator for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is a delisting opponent who agreed that lawmakers aren’t helping their state’s cases. 

“I do trust the state biologists, but it’s the politicians that have overwhelmed the system,” he said. 

House Bill 186, he said, is an example of inappropriate, legislature-driven wildlife management that grizzly bears would face if they were delisted. 

“They wouldn’t last very long,” Servheen. “We’re going back to the 1800s. These animals can’t take that kind of pressure. They will disappear. Grizzly bears are way too vulnerable.” 

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Wyoming

Training courses open for prospective hunters

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Training courses open for prospective hunters


CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Big game applications are open, and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department is urging those thinking about hunting to sign up for hunter education. Classes are offered statewide and can quickly fill.

To register for hunter education, people can visit the hunter education website. 

“If you’re a new hunter, spring is a good time to take a hunter education course,” Wyoming Game and Fish Department hunter education coordinator Katie Simpson said. “The earlier you sign up, the better. Classes fill quickly and you do not want to miss your opportunity to finish a course before it’s too late.” 

For busy folks, a hybrid course option is available. Hybrid courses are good for those who can’t make a regular course or who want to work at their own pace. Hybrid courses require students to complete an online course and then attend a 4-hour, in-person field day to earn their hunter education certification. 

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“Hunter education strives to promote safe and ethical hunting while teaching skills that will prevent hunting and firearm-related accidents,” Simpson said. “New hunters also will learn about the tradition of ethical hunting and their role in conservation.”

Game and Fish is also looking for qualified volunteers to teach hunter education courses and help ensure new hunters have a thorough understanding of safety, ethics and conservation. People who are interested need to fill out an instructor application packet and complete a federal criminal background check prior to attending a new instructor workshop. The next new instructor workshop will be Feb. 20-22 in Thayne, and there will be two training sessions in April and June.

Hunter education is also offered in 20 schools around the state. This allows students to safely explore the outdoors by teaching them how to be ethical hunters and handle firearms, as well as how to understand wildlife management and conservation of land and natural resources.

Teachers who get certified as a hunter education instructor in order to incorporate hunter education into their curriculum can receive a teaching endorsement in hunter education through the Wyoming Professional Standards Teaching Board. 

People do not need a hunter education card to apply for hunting licenses in Wyoming, but are legally required to carry it when in the field. Hunter education is required in Wyoming for all hunters born after Jan. 1, 1966, with exemptions for military and law enforcement. 

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To register for a class, people can visit the Hunter Education website.



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Wyoming

Investigation into deadly Wyoming tunnel crash

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Investigation into deadly Wyoming tunnel crash


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Traffic could be backed up for days after a deadly pile-up inside a critical tunnel along a major interstate. NBC News’ Dana Griffin has the latest on the investigation.



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Wyoming

Wyoming’s first human bird flu case confirmed

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Wyoming’s first human bird flu case confirmed


By Maggie Mullen

The Wyoming Department of Health announced Friday it had confirmed the state’s first case of bird flu in a human.

The patient, an older adult woman from Platte County, is being hospitalized out of state and represents the third hospitalization related to H5N1 in the United States, according to the department. 

Still, the development does not “require a high level of concern among most Wyoming residents,” Dr. Alexia Harrist, state health officer and epidemiologist, said in a press release. 

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The woman has health conditions that can make people more vulnerable to illness, according to the press release, and she was likely exposed to the virus through direct contact with an infected poultry flock at her home. 

“Our staff has followed up with other people who had contact with the flock and the patient, and will continue working with state and national experts to monitor the situation carefully for Wyoming,” Harrist said.

The virus has been known for several years to infect wild birds in Wyoming, and has also been confirmed in mountain lion cubs, snow geese, foxes, great horned owls, bald eagles and chickens. 

Last June, the state confirmed its first case infecting dairy cows. 

While the risk may be low, the department has several recommendations to avoid contracting the virus. It advises against consuming raw milk, or uncooked or undercooked poultry, eggs and other animal products. The department also recommends avoiding direct contact with wild birds, as well as wild or domestic birds that appear ill or have died. 

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Sick or dead birds may be reported to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department by calling 307-745-5865. 

Infected birds shed virus through their saliva, mucous and feces, according to the department. Human infections can happen if the virus then gets into a person’s eyes, nose or mouth, or is inhaled. 

Infections in humans can range from no symptoms to mild illness to severe symptoms, such as pneumonia requiring hospitalization. Signs and symptoms may include fever, chills, cough, sore throat and runny or stuffy nose, among others.


This article was originally published by WyoFile and is republished here with permission. WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy.

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