Sam Jojola, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent (retired)
WAN: Contrary to what Washington D.C. wildlife bureaucrats have said for the past decades, politics have and will, in many cases, trump science. Especially when it comes to the latter part of a political administration when, miraculously, some species have an amazing “recovery” and can either be delisted, or not listed at all.
The USFWS proposed the delisting of the grizzly bear in the Yellowstone Ecosystem as of March 3rd. The world will be watching how this decision plays out in the months ahead, and any failures will be inherited by the new presidential administration. Perfect! Impeccable timing!
The 50 or so grizzly bears in the Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem in Montana are not being considered by USFWS for greater protection, and will not be upgraded from a threatened to endangered status (http://flatheadbeacon.com/2016/02/15/conservationists-sues-cabinet-yaak-grizzly-bears/). The grizzlies in this ecosystem have been plagued by hunters mistaking them for black bears, but also are threatened by malicious kills and other man inflicted causes.
USFWS bureaucrats historically over several decades have completely lost the trust of the American public in numerous decisions involving delisting and listing procedures for a variety of species of concern. Political meddling into science- based wildlife is a long-ongoing documented pattern within USFWS upper level management.
Just Google the words “scientific misconduct by USFWS”, and one can see a continuous pattern of political selling out of wildlife resources, scientific fraud, whistleblower retaliation, and many cases of cronyism (catering to special interest groups like the wind power industry, Safari Club International, and others).
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