Interior Department, Fish and Wildlife Service
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service, we or us), hereby establish a distinct population segment (DPS) of the grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) for the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA) and surrounding area (hereafter referred to as the Yellowstone DPS, Yellowstone grizzly bear DPS, or Yellowstone grizzly bear population) and remove this DPS from the List of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife. The Yellowstone grizzly bear population is no longer an endangered or threatened population pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Endangered Species Act or the Act) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), based on the best scientific and commercial data available. Robust population growth, coupled with State and Federal cooperation to manage mortality and habitat, widespread public support for grizzly bear recovery, and the development of adequate regulatory mechanisms has brought the Yellowstone grizzly bear population to the point where making a change to its status is appropriate. The delisting of the Yellowstone DPS does not change the threatened status of the remaining grizzly bears in the lower 48 States, which remain protected by the Act. In an upcoming but separate notice, we will initiate a 5-year status review of the grizzly bear as listed under the Act based on additional scientific information that is currently being collected and analyzed. Finally, we announce a 90-day finding on a petition (submitted during the public comment period for the proposed rule) to list the Yellowstone grizzly bear population as endangered on the Federal List of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife under the Act and to designate critical habitat. We find that the petition and additional information in our files did not present substantial scientific information indicating that listing the Yellowstone grizzly bear population as endangered may be warranted. Therefore, we are not initiating a status review in response to this petition.
Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service 50 CFR Part 17 RIN 1018-AT38 AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Final rule; notice of petition finding. SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service, we or us), hereby establish a distinct population segment (DPS) of the grizzly bear ( Ursus arctos horribilis ) for the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA) and surrounding area (hereafter referred to as the Yellowstone DPS, Yellowstone grizzly bear DPS, or Yellowstone grizzly bear population) and remove this DPS from the List of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife. The Yellowstone grizzly bear population is no longer an endangered or threatened population pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Endangered Species Act or the Act) ( 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq. ), based on the best scientific and commercial data available. Robust population growth, coupled with State and Federal cooperation to manage mortality and habitat, widespread public support for grizzly bear recovery, and the development of adequate regulatory mechanisms has brought the Yellowstone grizzly bear population to the point where making a change to its status is appropriate. The delisting of the Yellowstone DPS does not change the threatened status of the remaining grizzly bears in the lower 48 States, which remain protected by the Act. In an upcoming but separate notice, we will initiate a 5-year status review of the grizzly bear as listed under the Act based on additional sci…
Citation: 72 FR 14866
