Earlier this year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service denied Wyoming and Montana’s petitions to strip Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections from grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide ecosystems. This decision, if upheld by the new administration, will help safeguard decades of conservation progress.

Had those petitions succeeded, Wyoming and Montana would have free reign to significantly reduce grizzly populations—including in areas bordering some of our most iconic national parks.

After gray wolves were delisted in 2013, both states implemented aggressive wolf-hunting policies designed to drastically reduce their numbers. Without existing federal protections, grizzlies would face a similar fate.

It has taken nearly 50 years for grizzly bear populations in the Northern Rockies to rebound from just 800 in 1975 to approximately 1,900 today. 

But the fight isn’t over. With a new administration in office, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho are ramping up efforts to overturn the USFWS decision. They are likely to challenge it in court and lobby federal officials to strip protections, despite the overwhelming scientific case for continued safeguards.

Now is the time to act. Use our letter generator to urge Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum and the White House to stand by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision and ensure grizzly bears remain protected for future generations.