Grizzly Bears Get Welcome News Even as Efforts to Remove Their Protections Continue
Earlier this month, grizzly bears received some welcome news when U.S. District Court Judge Dana Christensen of Montana issued a ruling halting a logging project in the Kootenai National Forest. Wildlife advocates have opposed the proposal since 2022, arguing that the 10-year plan, which included commercial logging and prescribed burns across thousands of acres in the Cabinet-Yaak Mountains, would further endanger an already fragile population. There are only around 45–50 grizzly bears living in the Cabinet-Yaak ecosystem, a number that is far below the federal recovery goal of about 100 individuals.
The project would have required extensive road construction, which advocates have shown to be a major threat to grizzly bears. Roads increase human access, shrink usable habitat, and can cause bears to abandon territories for generations. In his ruling, Judge Christensen agreed that federal agencies failed to adequately analyze these risks under the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act. Citing U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service records, he noted that even roads closed to the public can displace bears, writing, “Females who have learned to avoid roads may also teach their cubs to avoid roads. In this way, learned avoidance behavior can persist for several generations before bears again utilize habitat associated with closed roads.”
This legal victory comes at a critical time for grizzly bears, who remain under intense political pressure. Several anti-wildlife members of Congress are pushing to strip grizzly bears of their Endangered Species Act protections, including through the dangerous Grizzly Bear State Management Act of 2025 (H.R. 281 / S. 316). If passed, the bill would delist the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly population, despite scientific concerns and strong public opposition. A recent study found that grizzly bear sightings alone generate an estimated $8.7 million a year for Yellowstone tourism, yet experts say the bears’ true economic and ecological value is far higher. Because the research measured only a single aspect of their impact, wildlife experts argue that Yellowstone’s grizzly population is, in truth, priceless.
Yet while some lawmakers continue their short-sighted efforts to weaken protections, grizzly bears remain deeply cherished by the American public. This year, they were selected as one of eight animals featured in the 2025 LG Endangered Species Content Series, which debuted in Times Square with large-scale 3-D displays featuring the iconic animals. Now in its second year in partnership with the National Wildlife Federation, the campaign celebrates at-risk North American wildlife. The inclusion of grizzlies underscores how beloved this species is—and why it needs our collective support to counteract the political threats still looming over its future.