# 2025-00329: Feds Redrawing Grizzly Bear Territory Like Political Gerrymandering 2025-00329, Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Grizzly Bear Listing on the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife With a Revised Section 4(d) Rule, is a Federal Register proposed rule from an unnamed agency published 2025-01-15 (as of 2026-06-11). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-00329 - As of: 2026-06-11 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Document number: 2025-00329 - Title: Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Grizzly Bear Listing on the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife With a Revised Section 4(d) Rule - Type: Proposed Rule - Agencies: unknown - Citation: unknown - Published: 2025-01-15 - Effective: unknown - Comments close: not stated - Significant: no - Touches household money: no - Regulation identifier numbers: none - Last updated: 2026-06-11 ## In one line Feds Redrawing Grizzly Bear Territory Like Political Gerrymandering ## Summary The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to update the grizzly bear’s endangered status to clearly show where these bears live now and where they might roam soon in Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. They’re keeping the grizzly bear listed as threatened and tweaking the rules to better protect them. This update helps focus conservation efforts and invites public comments before final decisions. ## Abstract We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service or FWS), propose to revise the listing of the grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) in the lower-48 States under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act or ESA). After a review of the best scientific and commercial data available, we affirm that the currently listed grizzly bear population meets our requirements for consideration as a distinct population segment (DPS) under the Act and that the population remains likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future. However, we find that clarification of the geographic areas included within the DPS is warranted. Therefore, we propose to revise the listing by defining the boundaries of the contiguous U.S. grizzly bear DPS. The revised entity would include all geographic portions of the currently listed lower-48 entity that contain suitable habitat and where grizzly bears are currently found or are likely to be found in the future as populations recover. This area includes all of Washington and portions of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. The contiguous U.S. grizzly bear DPS would retain threatened species status. This proposed rule would promote conservation of the grizzly bear by ensuring that the listing under the Act explicitly reflects the areas where grizzly bears currently occur and are likely to occur in the future. Clarifying that the listing does not include areas outside of the grizzly bear's historical range will assist as recovery proceeds. We are also proposing to revise protective regulations for the grizzly bear issued under section 4(d) of the Act. ## Effects PRIA read - DPS Boundary Defined; Threatened Status Retained: mixed, medium. The Fish and Wildlife Service proposes to define the contiguous U.S. grizzly bear Distinct Population Segment (DPS) to include all of Washington and portions of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming and to keep that DPS listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The proposal updates the… - Revised Section 4(d) Protections and Exceptions: mixed, medium. The Service proposes to revise the grizzly bear's protective regulations under section 4(d) of the Endangered Species Act and is specifically seeking information about which section 9 prohibitions to include or clarify. The Service asks whether to consider exceptions such as: incidental take from l… ## Related documents - [2026-20735](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20735): Extensions of Credit to Insiders, 2026-10-09 - [2026-20790](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20790): Application of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to the Refunded Portion of Certain Federal Refun…, 2026-10-09 - [2026-20721](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20721): Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods: Enforcement Policy for Certain Retail Food Establishments and Restauran…, 2026-10-09 - [2026-20650](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20650): Low-Value Shipments, 2026-10-08 - [2026-20660](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20660): Optional Practical Training Fees, 2026-10-08 - [2026-20677](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20677): Airworthiness Directives; Various Helicopters, 2026-10-08 ## Sources - [2025-00329 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/01/15/2025-00329/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-and-plants-grizzly-bear-listing-on-the-list-of-endangered-and) - [2025-00329 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-01-15/pdf/2025-00329.pdf) ## Related - [Previous: 2025-00325, Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 12-Month Finding for the Greater…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-00325) - [Next: 2025-00330, Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 12-Month Finding for the Norther…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-00330) - [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2025-00329 (as of 2026-06-11).