Protected Status of Grizzlies in Montana

The grizzly’s survival problems are a direct result of its incompatibility with man. Black bears avoid human encounter. Grizzlies do not show such fear. If a large man-eating dinosaur were alive today and running around, would it be similarly protected by law? Many people consider the grizzly to be such a dinosaur.

The real problem with the endangered species laws is that they are used as ploys by environmentalists to delay or stop development. In cases where wilderness areas are involved, I sympathize with attempts to forestall development, such as of gas or mineral deposits.

I am familiar with one particular abuse of the laws. Several businessmen in Libby, Mont., have been trying to get a ski resort built, but have faced lawsuits on the issue of grizzlies, among others. This costs jobs in an area where the economy has fallen on hard times. The sentiment naturally turns to “the only good grizzly is a dead grizzly,” if you get my drift. In this fashion, further “protection” of the grizzly by law may do more to doom it than anything else.

LARRY SVERDRUP

Pasadena