From the Associated Press by Matthew Brown
BILLINGS, Mont. – Federal officials say a court ruling that returned Yellowstone grizzly bears to the threatened species list has unexpectedly put the animals at increased risk.
In September, U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy ruled that about 600 grizzlies in and around Yellowstone National Park remain in danger of extinction due to climate change, shootings and other factors.
The ruling reversed a 2007 decision to remove grizzlies from the threatened list in parts of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
But in court documents filed Monday, government attorneys said Molloy inadvertently put bears at greater risk. They said the ruling voided restrictions against new road construction, livestock grazing and development that were enacted after the 2007 decision.
