GREAT FALLS — The clock is ticking for public comments on a proposal to give states a greater say in the management of grizzly bears.
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That comment period ends at 10:59 p.m. Mountain time Monday, August 17, 2026.
In July, state leaders from Montana, Idaho and Wyoming gathered in Gallatin County with the Secretary of the Interior to announce a grizzly management plan that would shift greater responsibility to states.
The plan would not mean a delisting of Grizzlies from the endangered species list. And it wouldn’t mean a grizzly bear hunting season.
What it would do is let the state become less dependent on the federal government when it comes to removing or relocating grizzly bears.
With an estimated 2,000 grizzly bears in the lower 48 states, supporters consider the species recovered since being placed on the endangered list in 1975. But critics dispute those statistics, with one conservation group telling MTN it took 50 years and historic populations and habitat loss to reach that number.
Some opponents of the management change fear it will mean more Grizzlies will be killed.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Director Christy Clark says the Treasure State is one of the best-poised states for grizzly management.
“We have a very thorough grizzly bear management plan. We have conservation strategies that will monitor mortality rate. That monitoring will be the next step, as we take on state management," said Clark.
Clark says after the comment period, the federal government will look over the comments and possibly refine its plan, then Montana will enter into a memorandum of understanding.
Clark says she won’t be surprised if opponents of the plan file lawsuits.
