From Greater Yellowstone Coalition and others
Call the Governor’s office at 406-444-3111 or submit a comment today and urge Governor Gianforte to safeguard Montana’s strong wildlife legacy by vetoing the following legislation:
· Senate Bill 337 restricts where Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks can relocate conflict grizzly bears which will lead to more lethal removals.
· Senate Bill 98 allows people to kill grizzly bears that are a perceived threat to livestock. This legislation would deregulate the limits on grizzly bear mortality that are in place to ensure populations remain stable and could potentially mislead Montanans into committing acts considered criminal under current federal law.
· House Bill 302 requires county commission approval to relocate bison, giving politicians the decision-making authority over the Fish and Wildlife Commission and taking the public out of wildlife decision making. This bill undermines the state’s commitment to managing species under the public trust doctrine for the benefit of all Montanans, and will weaken Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ ability to manage our state’s wildlife and restore wild public bison herds in Montana.
· House Bill 318 establishes a new definition for wild bison that will disqualify virtually all bison, including privately owned, those from existing conservation herds, and even wild Yellowstone bison, from being used to restore public wild bison herds in Montana. The intent of these bison bills is to ensure wild bison cannot be restored in Montana outside the Yellowstone area.
· Senate Bill 267 is unethical and seeks to increase wolf hunting and trapping by offering a bounty, or monetary incentive, for killing a wolf.
· House Bills 224 and 225 add snaring as an acceptable method for killing wolves and extend the wolf hunting and trapping season. The intent of these bills is to increase wolf harvest and has no scientific rationale.
· Senate Bill 314 has no scientific justification and instructs the Fish & Wildlife Commission to significantly reduce the wolf population by encouraging the use of tools such as baits, night hunting, and unlimited tags for a single hunter.
HB 224 - Allows the snaring of wolves for the first time in Montana. Very problematic not only for wolves, but many other species, including grizzly bears that will be caught in the larger snares used for wolves.
HB225 - Extends the hunting and trapping season for wolves by 30 days, from the Monday after Thanksgiving to March 15. Wolf breeding season is Jan-Feb so this legislation targets pregnant wolves by extending the season to mid-March. Not only a problem for wolves, but a problem for grizzly bears also because some bears won't have denned yet, and/or will be emerging from dens (in early March). Trapping is indiscriminate in that many non-target species are trapped including domestic pets, listed species, etc.
HB 302 - This bill would require county approval to relocate bison in Montana, including quarantined and tested brucellosis-free Yellowstone bison. It would restrict Montana Tribes and citizens from re-establishing bison herds on their own lands.
HB 367 – Would change the Montana constitution to require the state to use hunting and trapping as the 'primary means' of managing wildlife.
HB 468 –.This bill would allow hound hunting of black bears, and would also allow a training and chase season for hound hunters until July 31st. There are already spring and fall hunts for black bears from April 15-May 31st and Sept. 5-Nov. 29. Allowing a chase season until July 31st means that there is only one month - August - when black bears are not hibernating when they cannot be killed or harassed. An amendment is being considered to end the training and chase season June 15 instead of July 31.
SJ 18 - Resolution to require FWS to revise the grizzly bear recovery plan; re-evaluate Bitterroot and Cabinet Yaak recovery areas/populations due to “public safety and economic challenges.”
SB 98 – Allows a landowner unilateral authority. to kill a grizzly bear (if they are delisted in the future) if they perceive it to be threatening livestock or a person.
SB 267 – This is essentially a bounty on wolves. It authorizes reimbursement for expenses incurred by trapping and hunting wolves.
SB 306 - Would require that four of the seven Fish and Wildlife Commissioners are landowners engaged in agricultural production, giving producers a clear majority in wildlife management decisions.
SB 314 – Requires the wolf hunting and trapping season to be established with the intent to reduce the population to 15 breeding pairs. This would decimate the current wolf population of approximately 830 down to approximately 120. The bill also allows the unlimited killing of wolves by a single license holder in some areas, allows baiting, and allows night hunting of wolves with artificial light.
SB 337 – This bill would not allow Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) to relocate bears outside recovery zones, and in recovery zones grizzly bears could be relocated only in places approved by the Fish and Wildlife Commission. This bill has significant impacts for establishing connectivity between grizzly bear populations, ties the hands of FWP and introduces decision-making based on politics instead of science.