Shoshone-Bannock tribes object to possible grizzly de-listing

The Fort Hall Business Council has issued a written declaration opposing efforts to de-list the Yellowstone grizzly bear from the Endangered Species Act.

The declaration signed by Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Council Chairman Nathan Small renounces delisting, but rejects any effort by the Idaho Fish and Game Department to propose trophy hunts for the grizzly.

The tribes indicated they would not allow hunting of grizzly bears on Shoshone-Bannock lands and oppose any attempt to hunt grizzlies in their recognized ancestral homelands.

According to a tribal news release, “It is undeniable that the grizzly bear holds a unique position in the traditional culture and ceremonial life-ways of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, in common with many of the other tribes associated with the Yellowstone region that will be deeply affected and detrimentally impacted if the grizzly is delisted and subsequently trophy hunted. The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes’ connection to the landscape now known as the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, where the grizzly now survives on less than 2% of its historic range, has existed from time immemorial.”

The tribe contends the federal government has failed to consult with the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes or the other 25 tribal nations that have an ancestral connection to Yellowstone.