Montana wildlife official warns proposed federal grizzly delisting map broadens scope; public comment open through March

Quentin Kujala, chief of conservation policy for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP), told the Senate Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation Committee on Jan. 14 that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service responded to state petitions by proposing a much larger distinct population segment (DPS) for grizzly-bear management than Montana had expected and denied the petitions that sought delisting for two recovered ecosystems.

Kujala summarized the agency's position and the process for public input: the service proposed a DPS that spans a wide area across the northern Rockies and would delist grizzly bears outside that polygon, while leaving the bears inside the new polygon subject to further consideration. A federal comment period runs from Jan. 15 through March 17; the service is hosting a public meeting in Missoula on Jan. 28 at the Hilton Garden Inn from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Kujala said the service plans a final decision in January 2026.

Kujala told the committee the two long-discussed recovery areas — the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem — have each met the population and distribution benchmarks the service uses for recovery; "there's about a 1000 grizzly bears in each of those populations," he said. He explained that the service counts bears inside a defined demographic monitoring area (DMA) when assessing recovery, and bears outside those DMAs are not credited toward recovery numbers.

Why it matters: Kujala said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's response differed from state expectations because the service denied the state petitions and instead proposed a larger polygon for the DPS. That shift raises questions about how existing conservation strategies, state regulatory mechanisms and prior state-federal agreements will be applied under the proposed rule.

Key points Kujala raised to the committee:

- Recovery and counts: NCDE and Greater Yellowstone have met the recovery metrics the service uses (approximately 1,000 bears in each DMA); smaller ecosystems — the Cabinet-Yaak and the Selkirks — have far fewer bears (Kujala said the Cabinet-Yaak and Selkirks each have roughly 50 bears). - Proposed DPS and uncertainty: The service’s proposed DPS covers a much broader swath of the northern Rockies than the conservative, ecosystem-based map state officials had expected; Kujala said Montana officials are still assessing how the new polygon affects conservation strategies. - Regulatory mechanism and policy tools: The service’s proposed rule also addresses 4(d) provisions — the section of the Endangered Species Act that can adjust allowable take and management tools — and the proposal floated concepts such as time-limited landowner permits for taking bears in acute conflict situations and broader authorization for hazing or harassment in some circumstances. - Public input timeline: The federal comment window is Jan. 15–March 17, with a Missoula meeting Jan. 28; the service expects a final rule in January 2026.

Kujala urged interested stakeholders to review the proposal and participate in public meetings and comment opportunities. He said Montana FWP will continue to analyze what the new DPS polygon means for the state’s conservation strategies and for day-to-day bear management, and he noted that Montana strengthened state regulatory mechanisms during the previous session with Senate Bill 295.

Ending: Kujala said the proposed rule does not change on-the-ground management while it remains under federal review, and he encouraged stakeholders to submit comments during the federal window and to attend the Missoula meeting on Jan. 28.