Success: Hunting of Yellowstone Grizzly Bears Halted

Target: Trip Van Noppen, Executive Director of Earthjustice

Goal: Support Earthjustice’s work to protect grizzly bears from extinction by preventing the hunt of Yellowstone grizzlies.

Grizzly bears in the Yellowstone region were set to face a new threat this fall, as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed them from the list of endangered and threatened species, despite huge losses in their numbers due to human-caused deaths in recent years. For the first time in over four decades, Wyoming and Idaho announced that they would allow as many as 23 grizzly bears in the region to be legally hunted. This announcement was met with much opposition, including petitions like this one at ForceChange. Thankfully these concerns have been heard, as a federal judge made the decision to halt the grizzly hunt days before it was scheduled to begin. The reprieve is a temporary restraining order until a decision is made regarding whether the federal government should reinstate federal protections for the species.

The restraining order was filed by public interest environmental law firm Earthjustice, on behalf of multiple organizations including the National Parks Conservation Association and the Northern Cheyenne Tribe. The presiding judge, Judge Dana Christensen, ruled that to continue the hunt would cause irreparable damage to the grizzly population, “because once a member of an endangered species has been injured, the task of preserving that species becomes all the more difficult.” Although this does not ban the hunt indefinitely, it does provide the opportunity to do so by reinstating federal protections for the grizzly, and sparing their lives in the meantime. Sign below to support this decision to save Yellowstone region grizzlies.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Mr. Van Noppen,

Thank you for fighting to protect the rule law by working for a restraining order to stop the hunt of grizzly bears in the Yellowstone region. We wholeheartedly support Earthjustice’s efforts to protect this majestic species.

As you know, grizzlies in this region have suffered greatly in recent years due to many factors caused by humans, and their population is not stable enough to sustain hunting. As the judge who granted the restraining order stated, “because once a member of an endangered species has been injured, the task of preserving that species becomes all the more difficult.” This hunt would have been dangerous and irresponsible. Thank you for protecting the Yellowstone grizzly, and please keep up the good work to reinstate protections for the species.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: Frank van Manen, United States Geological Survey