Reporter's Notes

Cold

The National Weather Service reported that Bondurant had the coldest recorded temperature in the state Saturday morning, at 38 below zero, beating out Big Piney’s 32 below zero. Bondurant tied with Lander and several locations in Yellowstone National Park for the coldest temperature in the state.

Grizzly

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service extended the public comment period for the proposal to remove the Yellowstone population of grizzly bears from the list of threatened and endangered wildlife as it no longer needs the protection of the Endangered Species Act.

Public comments are encouraged and will be accepted until close of business on March 20. Written comments may be sent to the Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, University Hall 309, University of Montana, Missoula, Mont., 59812. Comments may be sent by e-mail to FW6_grizzly_yellowstone@fws.gov.

As part of the service’s proposal, a distinct population segment of grizzlies in the Yellowstone area is to be established. Biologists believe the Yellowstone area grizzly population and other remaining grizzly bear populations in the lower 48 states and Canada are markedly separate from each other, with no evidence of interaction with other populations.

Since the mid-1990s, the Yellowstone population has grown at a rate of 4 percent to 7 percent per year. More than 600 grizzlies now inhabit the Yellowstone ecosystem. Grizzlies have occupied 48 percent more habitat since they were listed, and biologists have sighted bears more than 60 miles from what was once thought to be the outer limits of their range.