Grizzly fever grips state legislature

CHEYENNE – A resolution introduced in the Wyoming Legislature this session seeks to release grizzly bear protections in the state of Wyoming, with a second and third bill creating a hunting period for state agencies and a fund to compensate victims of attack by the animals. (A hunting guide was killed and three others injured during grizzly attacks in Wyoming in 2018.)

House Bill 0135, introduced by District 27 Representative Mike Greear (R-Worland), seeks to create a fund for grizzly attack compensation program, funded by optional fund donations from hunting permit purchasers.

Under the bill, the Department of Game and Fish would administer the fund, with claims filed by attack victims (if the attack occurred in Wyoming), specifically to reimburse victims for out-of-pocket funeral expenses, medical expenses and loss of earnings. In this instance, medical expenses could include dental and vision services and prosthetic devices.

“A constituent mentioned to me how devastating a bear attack can be on a person and their family, so [I introduced the bill] to fund the victims of bear attacks in the state through a donation that can be taken when you purchase a hunting license,” explained Greear.

If passed, the legislation would take effect July 1, 2019.

The bill has been introduced and is currently with the Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources Committee.

While a federal judge in Montana reinstated legal protections for grizzly bears in the Yellowstone region in September 2018, reversing a 2017 decision to remove the bears from the Endangered Species Act, House Joint Resolution 0001, introduced by freshman Representative John Winter (R-Thermopolis) of District 28, requests the “swift delisting under the Endangered Species Act of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear” and requesting that the bear be managed under local control, with full federal funding.

A former outfitter from Cody and board member of the Park County Conservation District, Winter dedicated his first legislation in an effort to delist the grizzly bear from protected status, a measure which has failed in the past.

“Predator issues are a concern of mine so I look forward to working with the delegation to institute some control there,” said Winter.

According to the resolution, three people have been killed by the animals in Wyoming since 2009, with 31 attacked since that time, and a loss of 142 cattle in 2018 alone.

The resolution also claims the state has spent $45 million in grizzly management since 1990, $19 million since 2009, while at the same time only receiving $1 million in federal funding for management measures. The resolution would request full federal funding and swift action to delist the grizzly.

The resolution has been received for introduction.

Senate File 00093, introduced by Senator Wyatt Agar (R-Thermopolis), seeks to re-establish a Game and Fish department grizzly hunt, after an August 2018 was called off after the federal ruling in September.

The senate filing states that the court order to reinstate grizzly protections “impedes the state of Wyoming’s ability to protect the safety of its citizens, particularly in light of grizzly bear attacks on workers and other citizens and tourists of the state”.

If found beneficial to the state and legal under state law, passage of the legislation would enable the department to establish a hunting program and offer hunting licenses for the grizzly, effective immediately.

S.F. 00093 has been introduced and sent to the Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources Committee. Agar said that hunters and outfitters came out in support of the bill late this week. It has also been reviews by the Game and Fish and “they have no problem with it.”