Southwest Montana News

Congressman Matt Rosendale (MT-02) has filed an amendment to H.R. 8998, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for 2025. The amendment, identified as Amendment #27, seeks to prohibit the use of funds for implementing, administering, or enforcing protections for the threatened species of the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem population of grizzly bears under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

"Human bear conflicts are steadily increasing as bear populations expand closer to Montana communities and further from their described habitat," said Rep. Rosendale. "Grizzly bears easily can maim or kill people, and it is empirically proven that their listing is a lethal threat to the residents of my state. When man and bear are forced to meet, the bear always wins, and continued refusal to delist them will only put more people in harm’s way."

Recent incidents underscore these concerns. On July 18, a 72-year-old man was attacked by a grizzly bear while picking huckleberries in Flathead National Forest and had to shoot the animal in self-defense before being hospitalized. Additionally, last year saw a motorist striking a grizzly bear near Bonner, Montana—an area south of their typical range.

In 2022 alone, nearly 150 confirmed cases of livestock predation by grizzly bears were reported in Montana. These incidents have resulted in significant financial losses for residents and heightened anxiety among ranchers.