Grizzly Population Surge Tests Boundaries of Species Protection

Grizzly bears are at a critical legal juncture as several populations have rebounded, but courts seem wary of the federal government’s attempts to turn management over to states.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service is reviewing the listing status under the Endangered Species Act of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly and Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem grizzly, whose populations have more than tripled in size since the bear was first listed in 1975. Under a settlement with Idaho, the agency also intends to review the entire “lower 48" listing—a blanket designation that protects the bears in the contiguous US.

“It strains ...