Letter to Aurelia Skipworth, Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service - Daines Urges Action on Grizzly Bear Delisting in Senate Committee

Letter

Dear Director Skipwith,
Thank you for your continued efforts on wildlife management and conservation. Under your
leadership, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has adopted a renewed focus on tailoring
conservation to local and state needs and improving the implementation of the Endangered
Species Act by clarifying regulations, policies, and definitions.
Within the last year, there have been multiple developments on the status of grizzly bears in
Montana. In January, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initiated a 5-year status review of the
grizzly bear in the lower-48 states. Last Spring, the Department of the Interior announced a new
approach and additional resources to reduce human-bear conflict in partnership with the U.S.
Department of Agriculture and the State of Montana. In July, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
Ninth Circuit affirmed a 2018 Federal District Court ruling that required the grizzly bear to be
listed as an endangered species, and just last month the Montana Grizzly Bear Advisory Council
finalized recommendations for long-term bear management and conservation across the state.
Given these new developments and the importance of grizzly bear conservation and management
to the state, I would like to invite you to join me in the Golden Triangle Area in Montana this
October to see firsthand how grizzly bear populations have rebounded and hear from landowners
and wildlife partners on the importance of proper management.
Thank you for your consideration of my request. I look forward to hearing from you and
continuing to partner on these issues.

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