DECADES OF GRIZZLY HISTORY Wyoming has worked hard over the years to delist grizzly bears as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The following timeline charts some of the many milestones Wyoming has seen in grizzly bear conservation, as well as of the court challenges which continue today. 1975 1982 1983 Grizzly bears listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The USFWS issues the original Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan. The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee was formed to coordinate on bears in the lower 48 states. Staffed by federal, state, tribal and local interests, the committee makes recommendations to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regarding the listing status of the bear in the lower 48. 2011 2010 2009 2007 Ninth Circuit Court rules on three of the four criteria. Whitebark pine decline must be further considered, but the court says the regulatory mechanisms are adequate. USFWS and the Department of Justice appeal the relisting to the Ninth Circuit Court in San Francisco, arguing the judge did not consider information on the whitebark pine provided in a USFWS legal briefing, and should have " deferred to the opinion of federal experts to interpret biology. " Bears are relisted in September and two criteria are upheld: * The Conservation Strategy and state plans are inadequate. * The loss of whitebark pine as a food source was not adequately considered. The delisting rule is challenged with several lawsuits based on four issues: * The Conservation Strategy is not enforceable. * Inadequate regulatory mechanisms. * Impacts of the decline of whitebark pine were not sufficiently examined. * Concerns over genetic connectivity. 2013 2016 2016 The Food Synthesis Report from the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team demonstrates that whitebark pine decline had no significant impact on the grizzly bear population. That report is delivered to USFWS. USFWS moves forward with proposed delisting rule. Wyoming Game and Fish updates its Grizzly Bear Management Plan and holds multiple public forums to gather insight into how Wyomingites want grizzly bear management to proceed within the state. The Conservation Strategy also is updated with the most recent recovery criteria and population demographic information. 24 | December 2020 2017 USFWS establishes a new population threshold for 600 bears and a management objective of 674. Bears are delisted and Wyoming assumes management authority for the second time.