Florida's black bears are one of the state's greatest wildlife recovery stories. After decades of habitat loss and unregulated killing pushed them toward extinction, protections helped their population rebound. Now the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has undone that progress by reinstating recreational bear hunting and creating a permanent framework for future hunts.

We've seen exactly how this ends. In 2015, the last time FWC allowed a bear hunt after more than 20 years without one, hunters killed 304 bears in just two days, forcing the agency to shut the hunt down early once the statewide limit was reached. That wasn't careful management. It was a rush to kill as many bears as possible before the season could close.

Florida's bears still occupy only about half of their historic range, and some of the state's seven bear subpopulations haven't fully recovered. Wildlife officials themselves classify black bears as an umbrella species, since protecting bears also protects the many other plants and animals that share their habitat. Killing bears for recreation, while they already face fragmented habitat and rising vehicle collisions, puts far more than one species at risk.

Florida should be celebrating its bears' comeback, not turning it into an opportunity to hunt them. Tell the FWC Commission, led by Chairman Rodney Barreto, to end recreational bear hunting, stop issuing bear-hunting permits, and recommit to protecting Florida's black bears. Sign now, before the next hunt undoes decades of recovery.