Recent statements by politicians as well as grizzly managers and researchers in the Yellowstone ecosystem have revealed much about not only their motivations, but also the masters they serve. Official communications have been resoundingly and selectively silent about certain critical issues. At the same time, and more alarming yet, some managers and politicians have gone out of their way to tacitly incite violence and even criminality. But then, such behaviors are not new, especially on the part of Wyoming officials who routinely exploit controversies surrounding grizzly bear management to advance the interests of a regressive constituency.
A Judge Rules
Much of the posturing, propaganda, and vitriol was unleashed in the run up to and aftermath of a ruling by Montana federal district judge, Dana Christensen, regarding the legality of the US Fish & Wildlife Service’s 2017 removal of Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for Yellowstone’s isolated grizzly bear population. Judge Christensen ruled that removal of protections was, in fact, illegal based on several violations of the ESA, including failures in procedure, analysis, and treatment of invoked science. As a result, ESA protections were reinstated on September 24th, preceded by a series of two Temporary Restraining Orders, the first issued on August 30th, which prevented Wyoming and Idaho from proceeding with trophy hunts planned to begin September 1st.
Since then, a storm of sometimes hysterical rhetoric…