Grizzly’s central Idaho future debated as feds mull reintroduction

In recent years, the grizzly bear, once nearly extinct in the lower 48 states, has been recovering and expanding its range. Central Idaho, with the largest complex of wilderness areas in the contiguous United States, has seen increasing reports of grizzlies passing through but is not yet home to an established grizzly population. Estimates range on when, and if, that might happen, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service saying it could be in the next 15 to 30 years.

Now, as the agency plans to release a draft of a new reintroduction plan later this year and a new proposal to delist the bear from the Endangered Species Act moves through Congress, the question of how best to live with the bears in Idaho is as urgent as ever.

‘One of the few areas left’

The four big central Idaho wildernes