Judge orders ‘hard look’ at predator control’s impact on grizzlies

By Michael Doyle | 11/08/2024 01:33 PM EST

But while Judge Dana Christensen faulted federal agencies, he let the Montana program continue while an EIS is prepared to meet a Nov. 1, 2026, deadline.

A sow grizzly bear next to a tree.

In a 2021 assessment, the federal government determined that Wildlife Services’ predator control efforts did not pose a threat to the viability of the grizzly bear, which is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks/AP

A federal judge allowed a predator control program in Montana to continue Thursday but ordered more study on how it might affect grizzly bears.

In a bit of a split opinion that gave environmentalists some of what they asked for, U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen directed Department of Agriculture agencies to prepare a thorough environmental impact statement on the program under which predatory grizzlies may be trapped or killed.

But while Christensen faulted USDA for “failing to take a hard look” at what predator control efforts mean for bears, he let the program continue while an EIS is prepared to meet a Nov. 1, 2026, deadline.

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“The potential disruptive consequences of an interim change in the availability of lethal federal predator management in Montana outweigh … concerns about disruptions to natural connectivity and the long-term genetic viability of grizzly bears,” Christensen wrote.

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