Idaho is home to some of the last great wilderness areas in the lower 48. However, this doesn’t deter policymakers and legislators from trying to destroy it.
Predators have often been a contentious topic in Idaho. Whether it’s the unethical delisting of grey wolves from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the subsequent wolf bounties, to the current efforts to delist grizzly bears, Idaho struggles to see the relationship between science and management.
In 2022, Idaho petitioned the federal government to delist the grizzly bear in the lower 48 states, which meant the US Fish and Wildlife Service was required to conduct a 90-day investigation into the matter. The organization failed to make a decision on the designated day.
On Feb. 2, 2023, Governor Brad Little announced in a press release the state’s intent to sue the Biden Administration over the failure to federally delist the species. Little stated in a letter to the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), that if a decision was not reached in 60 days, Idaho would sue.
On the Office of the Governor website, several remarks have been made criticizing the lack of action taken by the federal government to address the issue. In the press release, Little said, “Idaho has continually demonstrated leadership in species management, and we expect the federal government to uphold its duties in providing clarity around issues that greatly impact a variety of activities on the ground in our state.”
Idaho’s methods of species management are not as cut-and-dry as the Governor might believe. Idaho has a long history of switching between practices favoring conservation, and practices befitting destruction. The most notable example has been the unrestricted killing of wolves in the claimed pursuit of protecting livestock. If grizzly bears are on track to see a similar future as wolves, it would be best to leave them with the protections the ESA offers.
USFWS estimates around 100 bears live in Idaho, occupying small areas in the Selkirk Mountains and the Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem. The two populations of bears have around 30-40 individuals each, severely hindering their genetic diversity which will ultimately lead them going extinct in these areas.
Grizzly bears were once very common throughout Idaho, but, in the last century or so, their numbers have been seriously damaged due to the hunting and exploitation of the species. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people were unable to venture into various parts of Idaho, allowing grizzlies, and other animals, to explore their historical ranges. When people were able to get back to the outdoors, interactions with these wild animals became more frequent, causing concern for the safety of both humans and wildlife.
While these interactions need to be managed, and the safety of the public needs to be prioritized, the delisting of grizzly bears is not the right call. With an estimated 100 left in the state, their delisting will only lead to their extirpation.
Grizzly bears are also known as keystone species, meaning the entirety of their ecosystem depends on them to remain healthy. They do this by hunting ungulates like elk and moose, which helps various plant species thrive, by allowing for the wider dispersal of seeds from berries thus helping broaden the genetic diversity of the area.
Grizzlies, and other bear species, are not nuisances. They have a role to play in our ecosystems, and if we want Idaho to remain beautiful, we are going to have to let them play that role.
Mackenzie Davidson can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @mackenzie_films
Doug Jones
Is this an opinion or based on scientific fact? There was no mention of bears in the Island Park area? What are the authors qualifications for her stance on this area?