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Teddy bear could be removed from threatened list

Greg Hilburn
USA TODAY Network

Talk about a comeback.

During the 1950s and 60s Louisiana black bears were on the brink of disappearing, with fewer than 100 remaining in a shrinking habitat.

But today at least 500 bears — and perhaps as many as 1,000 — roam the deep woods of the Tensas National Wildlife Refuge, Upper Atchafalaya Basin and other connecting corridors like Three Rivers.

The dramatic recovery, which began when officials enrolled Louisiana black bears in the Endangered Species Act program in 1992, led to a U.S. Geological Survey conclusion the animals have just a 1 percent chance of going extinct in the next 100 years.

And the USGA study may soon lead to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removing the Louisiana black bear from the threatened species list, a goal of Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham since he was appointed in 2008.

"The bear is a symbol of what's wild that's still here," Barham said. "Bears are at the top of the chain in Louisiana, so they attract more attention. Most people will never see a bear in the wild, but they want to know that they're still there.

"The Louisiana black bear is still the teddy bear," Barham said.

The Louisiana black bear has made a remarkable recovery since efforts began to restore the population more than 20 years ago.

Barham is referring to the nickname created when President Teddy Roosevelt hunted in northeastern Louisiana more than a century ago. Roosevelt spared a bear that had been tied to a tree for his hunt, and the story spread.

Tom MacKenzie of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said agents are reviewing the study now to determine whether the Louisiana black bear can be de-listed.

"The final decision to maintain the threatened status or propose the de-listing will be made after a full comprehensive review of the study and interviews with the authors," MacKenzie said. "There is no time line. That depends on what we learn as we review the study, and anything we do would include a public forum."

But MacKenzie said the study shows clear progress.

"The recovery effort has been a huge success so far," he said. "It shows a monumental commitment of all of the agencies, individuals and state — all are key players," he said. "It says a lot about the people of Louisiana that they want to keep an iconic species alive and are making the sacrifices to do so."

Following the black bear's listing in 1992, a recovery plan was published in 1995 with three goals to restore the population. Those goals included creating two viable populations, a habitat connecting the two populations and the long-term protection of the corridor.

Joseph Clark, the USGS research ecologist who led the study in collaboration with Jared Laufenberg from the University of Tennessee, concluded all three criteria have been met.

But Paul Davidson, executive director of the Black Bear Conservation Coalition, said the LDWF and the USFWS are making a mistake in rushing the removal from the threatened list.

Though Davidson said he's confident about the bear's recovery in Louisiana, he said the language within the recovery plan is too vague to meet muster.

"We never could have predicted bears would bounce back as fast as they have," Davidson said. "Bears have done quite well.

"But the terms of the recovery in the plan have to be able to be defined and proven, and in my opinion the study hasn't done that."

Davidson said removing the bear from the threatened list without more specific criteria "would open us up to litigation from environmental groups that could set back de-listing for five or 10 years."

Davidson said before moving forward with de-listing the recovery plan "should be modified with criteria that we can prove has been accomplished."

He said Barham rushed the process because it was a personal priority with an eventual goal of issuing hunting tags for bears.

"We're not opposed to de-listing or to eventual hunting," Davidson said. "But it doesn't make sense that as soon as we restore them we start killing them. I don't think the general population will embrace that."

Barham contends restoration of any threatened species should be a priority for LDWF.

"It's a mark that the department is doing what it should do, just as it was when the brown pelican and bald eagle were de-listed in Louisiana," he said.

"My goal from the start was to do what it took to de-list the teddy bear before I left this job," Barham said. "I'm still encouraged that will happen.

"I think opponents just want protection rather than management, which would include a harvest (hunt). When you're managing viable populations of species harvest is part of that management."

Follow Greg Hilburn on Twitter @GregHilburn1

On the Web

The full study — Population Viability and Connectivity of the Louisiana Black Bear — is available online at http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/louisiana-black-bear-management-and-research.