Contacts For Media, Contact Valerie Fellows, 703/358-2285
For General Public, Contact 1-800-344-WILD
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working diligently to reach a
final decision on the proposal to list the polar bear as a threatened
species under the Endangered Species Act. We expect to provide a final
recommendation to the Secretary of the Interior and finalize the
decision within the next month.
When the polar bear was proposed for listing in January 2007, Secretary
of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne directed the Service to work with the
U.S. Geological Survey, the public and the scientific community to
broaden our understanding of what is happening with the polar bear and
to gather additional information to inform the final decision on
whether the species warrants Federal protection under the ESA.
In September 2007, USGS scientists supplied new research findings to
the Service updating population information on the Southern Bering Sea
polar bear and providing additional data on sea ice trends and effects
on polar bear populations throughout the species' range.
As a result of the new USGS research findings, the Service reopened and
later extended a second comment period to allow the public time to
review the information and respond. We received numerous comments on
the USGS reports and have been working to analyze and respond to the
information provided during the comment period. At the time we made
the decision to reopen and to extend the comment period, the Director
of the Service alerted the Department that the Service might need extra
time to adequately evaluate and incorporate results from the comments
received.
You may visit the Marine Mammals Management site for comprehensive polar
bear information at http://alaska.fws.gov/fisheries/mmm/polarbear/issues.htm.
Note:
Media: If you have further questions or would like to be included
on the media distribution list when the final decision is announced, please email
Valerie Fellows, Office of Public Affairs at Valerie_Fellows@fws.gov.
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