Think Green Live Clean

photo credit: Carl Chapman

In 2007 the US Fish and Wildlife Service made the decision to remove the “threatened” label from the Yellowstone Population of Grizzly Bears. The Yellowstone Grizzlies had been designated as “threatened” in 1975 which granted them “special protections” as part of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The USFWS removed the Grizzlies from the list in 2007 after the population numbers “increased from an estimated population of 136 to 312 when they were listed as threatened in 1975, to more than 500 bears today.” But just recently, Judge Donald Molloy of the Montana District Court ruled that the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision would leave the bears under-protected. Judge Molloy ruled that the existing regulatory plans were inadequate and that they “depend on guidelines, monitoring, and promises or good intentions for future actions (which are) unenforceable and non-binding on state and federal agencies.”

Thus, with the initial push from a Bozeman, Montana based advocacy group “Greater Yellowstone Coalition,” Judge Molloy reversed the order giving the Yellowstone Grizzlies the Protection that is awarded under the Endangered Species Act.

The most interesting part of the decision is Judge Molloy’s supporting arguments. He pointed out that the USFWS did not adequately take into account the climate-change induced decline of the whitebark pines (Pinus albicaulis) of which the nuts are a crucial source of nutrition for the region’s Grizzlies and their steady decline is detrimental to the Grizzly’s survival. Judge Molloy’s ruling is especially important. He used climate change related arguments to protect an important and highly publicized endangered animal. This is what we need; binding decisions based on sound and up to date science and these kinds of decisions give me hope for our country and more importantly our planet.

Hey Boo Boo… Check out the article at NYtimes…