We support “A New Vision for Grizzly Bear Recovery in the Northern Rockies,” which would maintain grizzly bears’ threatened status under the Endangered Species Act in the lower 48 states and prohibit hunting of grizzly bears and reestablish a unified grizzly bear population within the Northern Rockies—offering a holistic framework for recovery, management, and sustainable coexistence between bears and people. 

Already endorsed by 48 organizations, this plan is a blueprint for true grizzly bear recovery and co-existence with people based on the best available scientific information rather than political expediency. The Recovery Vision provides a list of actions, policies, and practices to address human conflicts, and offers recommendations for improving and protecting grizzly bear habitat. It promotes stewardship and protection of important habitats on private lands, ways to fix inadequate governance, and adapting grizzly bear recovery efforts to climate change. 

The vision emphasizes the importance of a unified Northern Rockies Recovery Area to help grizzly bears adapt to the predictable impacts of climate change, including shifting food sources and the ever-increasing human footprint on the landscape. 

One of the vision’s key goals is reestablishing grizzly bears in the Bitterroot Ecosystem, which is vital to recovery in the Northern Rockies. 

See the Vision document here: https://wildernesswatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/New-vision-for-grizzly-bear-recovery-in-the-northern-rocky-mountains-FINAL.pdf