Grizzly bears will soon removed from the endangered species list, where environmentalists and scientists are becoming more concerned for the iconic species' future, since the bears will no longer be protected by conservation federal laws.

A draft rule was issued in March by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, petitioning the bears to be removed from the list, where the threatened wild species have been included in the list since 1975.

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Some 40 years ago, the bears were considered to be almost extinct, since population numbers dwindled to an alarming number of less than 140 individuals. Scientists are expecting for the bears to produce about 700 since then, however the expected number has not yet been reached in the Yellowstone area.

The draft involves that grizzlies can now be hunted and killed within a 19, 729 square mile area which will also be legal inside Yellowstone National Park, including parts of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming which will also depend on the population numbers per area. 

The finalization of this federal plan will be set later this year, this would mean that Wyoming can allow killing of 58 percent of their bear populations, in Montana, 34 percent and eight percent for Idaho. Apart from this, the mentioned states are also required to implement a bear management plan. 

After the draft's release, Montana's Fish, Wildlife and Parks then issued draft regulations that will include spring and fall hunting seasons across several districts near the border of Yellowstone. This set of regulations is known as the Grizzly Bear Management Unit, where each district is to abide a certain number or quota, for the number of bears to be hunted.

According to Montana's FWP's Ron Aasheim, this is the first true attempt in a sustainable management option down the road. In addition, strictly, no hunting is allowed until the final proposal, which is also included in the states' hunting programs.

Back in 2007, the grizzlies were de-listed for a short time, but a lawsuit prompted federal agencies to return them under the law's protection. Experts say that this can be a similar trend, since conservationists are arguing that the bears have not yet fully rebounded yet, versus local communities are hoping to revise for more options in bear hunting.

TagsGrizzly Bear, grizzlies, endangered species, Endangered Species List, yellowstone grizzly bear, bear hunting