U.S. Urges Changes in Grizzly Bear Plan

The U.S. Forest Service has recommended that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service draft a grizzly bear reintroduction plan that is more acceptable to the people of central Idaho and southwestern Montana.

In a letter released Tuesday, the chiefs of the Northern Rockies and Intermountain regions told the Fish and Wildlife Service that the return of grizzlies “hinges upon broad public acceptance” that has not been shown with the existing plan.

The wildlife service’s preferred plan “did not garner strong public support at the recently held public hearings in Montana and Idaho,” the regional foresters said.

Under a five-year plan drafted by the Fish and Wildlife Service, three to five grizzlies would be moved each year to central Idaho. A 15-member citizen panel would be given broad power to manage the bear reintroduction program, subject to override by the interior secretary.