Grizzly bear managers meet Dec. 10-11 in Missoula, mont.
The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC), the multi-agency committee responsible for grizzly bear recovery in the continental United States and adjacent Canadian Provinces will be holding their annual winter meeting in Missoula, Montana from December 10, 2013 – December 11, 2013. The meeting will take place at the Holiday Inn Downtown, located at 200 S Pattee St. The sessions on both days will begin at 8:00 AM. The public is invited to attend and a public comment period will be provided at the end of each day.
Each of the grizzly bear recovery ecosystem chairs will be reporting on their accomplishments over the past year, as well as discussing plans for the upcoming year.
Frank van Manen, leader of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST) will be presenting the results of a comprehensive food synthesis report related to grizzlies in the Yellowstone Ecosystem. The team has been working on the report since last year and a preliminary version was presented to the members of the Yellowstone Ecosystem Subcommittee at their fall meeting in Bozeman. That Yellowstone subcommittee voted to accept the report pending completion of a final chapter and peer reviews currently underway. A copy of the publication will be posted on the IGBC & IGBST websites on the morning of December 11, the day the report will be presented to the IGBC.
After being presented with the results of the food synthesis report, the IGBC will discuss the idea of proposing a new rule and make a recommendation to the United States Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS). The USFWS is the lead agency in development of a possible new proposal to delist the Yellowstone population. The USFWS will take the IGBC recommendation and after consulting with solicitors and others would make a decision on whether to develop a new delisting proposal or not. If the decision is to proceed with a new delisting proposal, the USFWS will publish a proposal for public comment approximately mid-2014.
Individuals with disabilities may request meeting accommodations by contacting Gregg Losinski at 208 -390-0635 or through the Idaho Relay Service at 1-800-377-3529 (TDD). The Winter IGBC Meeting agenda may be viewed by visiting the IGBC Website at: http://igbconline.org/images/pdf/Winter_Agenda_2013.pdf