Grizzly bears just got some breathing room. The deadline for officials to decide whether they’ll retain Endangered Species Act protections has been extended until December, according to WyoFile. This applies to grizzlies across the Lower 48 and within the Yellowstone area.

The nearly year-long delay is a result of sifting through 200,000 public comments received in response to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) January 2025 proposal, delayed paperwork, staffing shortages and regulatory backlog as well as a delay in confirming Brian Nesvik as 19th Director of FWS.

“Grizzly bears are an extraordinarily complex species and generate significant public interest and involvement,” said Gina Shultz, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s acting assistant director for ecological services. “Rulemaking for complex species such as grizzly bears requires significant staff time and agency resources.”

U.S. District Court Judge David Nye approved Shultz’s request for a Dec. 18 extension, calling it “proper, fair, reasonable and in the public interest,” which means grizzlies will retain their existing federal protections for now.

Grizzly bears in the Yellowstone region have surpassed recovery targets since the early 2000s. Previous attempts to transfer management to state wildlife agencies in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, proved ineffectual, and were overturned by separate lawsuits. Nesvik, when he served as director of the Wyoming Fish and Game Department, was in favor of delisting grizzlies and turning them over to state management.

Stay tuned to GOHUNT for further updates.