Groups challenge US plan to lift grizzly bear protections

A coalition of tribal and environmental groups is challenging the U.S. government’s decision to lift protections for grizzly bears in the Yellowstone National Park area that have been in place for more than 40 years.

The groups that include the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club on Friday sent a 60-day notice of their intent to sue to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The groups say the decision to lift grizzly bear protections this summer is flawed because it only involves Yellowstone grizzlies rather than the West as a whole.

There are an estimated 700 grizzlies in the Yellowstone area that includes northwestern Wyoming, southwestern Montana and eastern Idaho.

Federal officials didn’t immediately respond to inquiries from The Associated Press.