[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15359]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            TRIBAL HERITAGE AND GRIZZLY BEAR PROTECTION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. RAUL M. GRIJALVA

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 2, 2017

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, the Tribal Heritage and Grizzly Bear 
Protection Act will ensure continued respect for both the ecological 
and cultural values of the grizzly bear. It requires that conservation 
and management of the species is conducted in close consultation with 
federally recognized Indian Tribes, as many Tribes value the bear in 
ways that cannot be accounted for solely under Endangered Species Act 
(ESA) protections. Eagles have been recognized for their symbolic 
importance to our country and were protected by Congress under the Bald 
and Golden Eagle Protection Act, even after these species had recovered 
under the ESA. Similarly, grizzly bears are essential to the culture 
and history of our nation's Tribes and deserve strong protections.
  The recent decision by the Department of the Interior to remove 
Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections from grizzly bears in the 
Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) remains controversial and is being 
challenged in court. While GYE grizzly bears have made significant 
progress towards recovery over the past forty two years, the population 
is still at risk of extinction from a suite of impacts, including 
habitat loss and fragmentation, climate change, decline of food 
sources, and human caused mortality. The best available science does 
not support the decision to delist the GYE grizzly bear population 
without putting in place strong safeguards to prevent population 
decline and maintain connectivity with other populations of grizzly 
bears. Removing protections reverses the progress that has been made 
over the last four decades under the ESA. Over 50 Tribal Nations stand 
in opposition to delisting and have raised concerns over the Department 
of the Interior's decision, particularly regarding the science, lack of 
transparency, and irreparable harm that delisting GYE grizzly bears 
would cause to Tribal sovereignty, sacred site protections, treaty 
rights, consultation mandates, and spiritual and religious freedoms.
  To guarantee continued protection of all grizzly bears, the Tribal 
Heritage and Grizzly Bear Protection Act sets strong conservation 
standards for grizzly bears and their habitat. It bans trophy hunting 
and only permits the take of grizzly bears under a narrow set of 
circumstances: scientific or exhibition purposes, religious purposes of 
federally recognized Indian Tribes, and protection of agricultural 
interests and public safety. Grizzly bears are important top predators 
and help maintain ecosystems by keeping grazing populations in check, 
which prevents overgrazing of key habitats. They are a critical 
component of our landscapes and should not be hunted simply for sport. 
Additionally, grizzly bears have already lost large expanses of their 
historic range and existing habitat should be protected against further 
destruction.
  Human caused mortalities of grizzly bears are a key threat to the 
species, including aggressive predator control of grizzly bears. This 
bill prohibits non-discriminatory predator control measures, such as 
those used by many states, which may result in the taking of grizzly 
bears on U.S. public lands. The bill also increases annual funding for 
livestock loss prevention programs to add prevention of loss from 
grizzly bears; productive, precautionary measures like these can 
address human-grizzly interactions much better than indiscriminate 
measures that kill large numbers of grizzly bears and result in few 
positive outcomes.
  Finally, this bill affirms Tribal sovereignty and spiritual and 
religious rights. The grizzly bear is considered an ancestor by many 
Native American cultures, celebrated in numerous ceremonies, and is a 
key part of environments that include sacred and historical sites. This 
bill recognizes the grizzly bear's significance by requiring 
consultation with Tribes before permitting grizzly bear take and before 
major federal actions that may impact bears or their habitat. It also 
adds Tribal members to the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee and 
creates a much needed process and management partnership for 
reintroduction of grizzly bears to suitable land of willing Tribes. 
Grizzly bears are a core part of Tribal heritage and healthy 
ecosystems, and it is critical to protect this remarkable species and 
the culture they embody.

                          ____________________