Bitterroot

On July 28, 1975, the grizzly bear was designatead as threatened on the conterminous (lower 48) United States (40 FR 31734-31736).

On March 22, 2007, the Service announced that the Yellowstone Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of grizzly bears is a recovered population no longer meeting the ESA's definition of threatened or endangered. For more information on this announcement visit Yellowstone grizzly bear webpage.

On April 18, 2007, the Fish and Wildlife Service announced the initiation of a 5-year review of grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) (as listed in the lower 48 States excluding the Greater Yellowstone Area population) and 8 other species (72 FR 19549). We conducted reviews to ensure that our classification of each species as threatened or endangered on the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants is accurate. A 5-year review is an assessment of the best scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review.

Despite numerous studies of this area, there were no verifiable sightings of grizzly bears in the last 60 years until an adult male grizzly bear was mistakenly killed by a black bear hunter is September 2007 in the northern mountains of the Bitterroot Ecosustem. As the Service noted in a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) released in July 1997, grizzly recovery in this ecosystem will require the reintroduction of bears from other areas. The Service proposed such reintroduction as its preferred alternative in the draft EIS; the final EIS was released in March 2000, with the Service's final decision following in 30-90 days. Any reintroduction would depend on funding. In June 2001 the Service proposed to withdraw the plan to reintroduce grizzly bears into the Bitterroot system.   Public comment was received and no final decision has been made.

• Federal Register Notice of Intent:  Reevaluation of the Record of Decision for the Final Environmental Impact Statement and Selection of Alternatives for Grizzly Bear Recovery in the Bitterroot Ecosystem (6/22/2001)
• Press Release:  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes to Withdraw Plan to Reintroduce Grizzly Bears into the Bitterroot Ecosystem (6/2001)
• Record of Decision for Grizzly Bear Recovery in the Bitterroot (11/17/2000)
• Final Rule for Grizzly Bear Recovery in the Bitterroot (11/17/2000)
• Summary of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (3/2000)
• Final Environmental Impact Statement (3/2000)
• Summary of Public Comments to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Proposal to Withdraw a Decision to Reintroduce Grizzly Bears into the Bitterroot Ecosystem in Montana and Idaho (9/2001)

Table of Contents and Introduction
Issues
Appendices A, B, and C

• Federal Register Notice:  Availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement for Grizzly Bear Recovery in the Bitterroot Ecosystem (3/9/2000)
• Archives