Grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park might soon make it off the endangered species list—which is either great or terrible, depending on your point of view. Bears in the park, a powerful symbol of the “wild” American West, are listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act; their numbers have more than tripled since the early 1980s, from roughly 200 to over 600. The Bush Administration has submitted a proposal to de-list the bears, meaning they would lose many federal protections. Limited hunting of grizzlies in the Yellowstone region would likely be allowed.

Those in favor of the move say it marks a rare success for the ESA (currently under review in Congress), which critics liken to a roach motel in that those who make it on the list rarely make it off. Very few species have recovered sufficiently to be taken off the endangered list—which, again, is either a sign that the law is misguided or that not enough is being done to preserve habitat and otherwise help protect threatened plants and animals. “Those opposed to removing the bears' “threatened status (a step below “endangered” on the scale of bad to worse) say that it would jeopardize the land the bears need for survival, and reverse their recovery. The public has 90 days to submit comments on the proposal.

Photo Credit: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service