Grizzly Bear Management: Sierra Club Calls for Focus on Co-Existence, Not Trophy Hunts

Contact

Virginia Cramer, virginia.cramer@sierraclub.org, 804-519-8449 

LARAMIE, WY --The Wyoming Game and Fish Department will hold a public meeting tonight to gather input on how grizzly bears should be managed in the state. Wyoming joined Montana and Idaho in taking over management of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone region following the animal's removal from the Endangered Species list. 
 
In anticipation, Bonnie Rice, Senior Representative in Greater Yellowstone for Sierra Club's Our Wild America campaign issued the following statement: 
 
"The majority of Greater Yellowstone grizzly bears live in Wyoming, so decisions made here about the bears' future are vital to the whole population. What's needed now is a grizzly bear management plan that promotes co-existence and conflict reduction and allows bears to expand their range into suitable habitat -- not trophy hunts. Grizzly bear populations are just beginning to recover, and we cannot afford yet another source of human-caused mortality of grizzly bears. In the past two years, even without a trophy hunt, the population has declined and it appears that this year it will decline again."

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.