Grizzly Committee to Meet August 23

The Yellowstone Grizzly Bear Delisting Advisory Team will hold its first meeting Thursday, August 23, at the Ameritel Inn in Ammon, Idaho. The meeting is scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The team will have a facilitated meeting and the public is welcome to attend and observe the proceedings. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has developed a Draft Conservation Strategy and begun the process that could lead to removing the grizzly bear from the Endangered Species list in the Yellowstone Ecosystem. In addition to a final Conservation Strategy, state management plans from Idaho, Wyoming and Montana must be in place before the de-listing can proceed. The section of Idaho Code which created the Office of Species Conservation (OSC) specifies the procedure to be followed in development of state management plans of this type. In accordance with that law, and in consultation with OSC, Department of Fish and Game Director Rod Sando has appointed members to the Yellowstone Grizzly Bear Delisting Advisory Team. The objective of the team will be to draft a State Management Plan for the Yellowstone Ecosystem population of grizzly bears. The final product has to be acceptable to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the public, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission and the Idaho Legislature.