Grizzly Bear Damage Management in Montana

6 organizations filed 7 public comments on Grizzly Bear Damage Management in Montana, at the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The comment window closed 1d ago.

Abstract

Wildlife Services (WS), a program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, is announcing the availability of its Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) to address grizzly bear damage management to protect agriculture, natural resources, property, and human health and safety in Montana. The preferred alternative (Alternative 1) is to continue the current grizzly bear damage management activities with provisions for WS-Montana involvement in managing grizzly bear damage and threats in accordance with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service’s Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan and Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Grizzly Bear Management Plan. Alternative 1 incorporates non-lethal and lethal operational and technical assistance strategies and allows WS-Montana to respond to requests for assistance on federal, state, tribal, municipal, and private land within the state of Montana. The DEIS is available for review and comment prior to issuing a decision. Comments are due by October 5, 2026. UPDATE; The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Notice of Availability (NOA) for the DEIS in the Federal Register on August 21, 2026 with public comments originally due by October 5, 2026. WS has elected to extend the public comment period by 30 days to allow for additional review by the public. The public comment period on the DEIS will now close on November 4, 2026. All comments received on or before the closing date will be considered.

Commenters (6)

• Montana Wool Growers Associationtrade assoc.

  2 filings · confidence 85%
• Center for Biological Diversity

  1 filing · confidence 97%
• Glacier-Two Medicine Alliancetrade assoc.

  1 filing · confidence 85%
• Greater Yellowstone Coalitiontrade assoc.

  1 filing · confidence 85%
• Montana Stockgrowers Associationtrade assoc.

  1 filing · confidence 85%
• Swan View Coalitiontrade assoc.

  1 filing · confidence 85%