As a lifelong explorer of the West, I know what it’s like to live among wildlife. We coexist with bears and wolves every day, and it’s part of what makes the West wild and worth living in.
That’s why I’m fed up with politicians in Washington using federal funding bills to play games with wildlife protections. Appropriations bills like H.R. 4754 should never be a dumping ground for “poison pill” policy riders that undo decades of work from local communities, biologists and land managers.
In 2011, Congress used this trick to delist Rocky Mountain wolves. The result? A bloodbath that stained our reputation as conservationists and responsible stewards. Now, they’re trying to pull the same stunt with grizzly bears — even as fewer than 2,000 are left in the Lower 48, and are scattered and isolated…