Federal Grizzly Bear Recovery

When Lewis and Clark explored the West in the early 1800s, an estimated 50,000 grizzly bears roamed the country between the Pacific Ocean and the Great Plains. As European settlement expanded over the next hundred years, bear habitat and numbers shrank. Today, only a few small corners of grizzly country remain, supporting about 1,200 to 1,400 wild grizzly bears.

In 1975, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the grizzly bear in the lower 48 states as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

In 1981, Fish and Wildlife hired a coordinator to direct grizzly bear recovery, research and management in the lower 48 states. The initial Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan was completed in 1982.

In March 2007, grizzlies in the Yellowstone ecosystem were removed from the endangered species list. They remain under federal protection in the rest of Idaho.

In April 2007, the Fish and Wildlife Service initiated a five-year review of grizzly bears in the lower 48 states, except the Greater Yellowstone Area population, to ensure that the classification as threatened is accurate.

• Recovery
• Grizzly Bears - General Description (USFWS)
• Tips and Fact Sheets (USFWS)
• USFWS Grizzly Bear Recovery Home Page