Report That Bush Administration May Reject Citizen Management Approach to Grizzly Recovery Raises Troubling Questions About Its Commitment to Conservation

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Report That Bush Administration May Reject Citizen Management Approach to Grizzly Recovery Raises Troubling Questions About Its Commitment to Conservation

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, WASHINGTON, Apr. 25 -/E-Wire/-- The Bush administration's reported intent to scuttle a precedent setting plan, based on local citizen management, to restore grizzly bears in the Northern Rockies wilderness, raises the most troubling questions to date about its commitment to putting environmental laws and common sense above ideology and partisan politics, according to the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), a primary architect of the grizzly plan.

"If the administration doesn't like this approach to conservation, it's hard to imagine anything they will like," said NWF president Mark Van Putten. "Interior Secretary Gale Norton says she wants to foster collaboration with local citizens. That is precisely what citizen management will accomplish."

The initiative in question involves the reintroduction of grizzly bears into the wilderness country of central Idaho and western Montana. A committee of local citizens would â for the first time ever â have authority to oversee the reintroduction, helping to eliminate fears of conflicts between bears and people who live, work and recreate on the land.

The innovative Citizen Management Plan was hammered out in months of negotiations between conservationists, the region's timber industry and local labor unions. It was adopted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last summer, after extensive public comment, as the best way to restore grizzly populations while respecting public interests.

"Citizen management is a model for making federal wildlife laws work for local people," said Tom France, NWF's Montana office director and one of the plan's developers. "To reject this plan would be to reject giving local citizens a voice in a major wildlife recovery effort."

Despite strong bipartisan support, including that of the former Montana Gov. Mark Racicot, Gov. Dirk Kempthorne of Idaho had the state file a suit to stop implementation of the plan. Kempthorne cited his fears of what he called "flesh eating carnivores." "This is the kind of fear-mongering that once led people to nearly exterminate wolves," said France. "False fears and the whim of a single governor should not trump sound science and a plan that can unite people in restoring America's wildlife heritage."

The citizen management plan would gradually restore bears to a 15 million acre wilderness that represents the last place in the lower 48 where a large bear population could be re-established. Most of the area is congressionally-designated wilderness, where bears would be far from conflicts with people.

"This would be common sense conservation in action," said Van Putten. "This is the administration's opportunity to deliver on its own rhetoric about getting local voices involved in decision making and collaboration with the federal government. It's a chance to show they respect the rule of law and the good ideas of sensible citizens. If they kill this plan, they'll be damaging America's confidence that conservation progress can happen under this administration. We will continue to work for an outcome that will prove common sense conservation and the Bush administration can co-exist."

The nation's largest member-supported conservation education and advocacy group, the National Wildlife Federation unites people from all walks of life to protect nature, wildlife and the world we all share. The Federation has educated and inspired families to uphold America's conservation tradition since 1936.

From National Wildlife Federation

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