House Joint Memorial 4, sponsored by Representative Gerald Raymond, asks Congress and the president to delist the grizzly bear in the lower 48 states and to review the Endangered Species Act’s implementation in light of recent court guidance.

Representative Raymond said Idaho has “played a great role in making sure that grizzly is alive and well” and argued delisting would return management to state control.

Steve Nadeau, a retired state wildlife professional who said he had 30 years with Idaho Department of Fish and Game and holds a master’s degree studying grizzly–human conflicts, told the committee that delisting requires more than population counts. Nadeau said two of five factors for delisting — habitat/range and regulatory mechanisms — have not been fully addressed and cautioned that the state lacks a permanent grizzly management plan. He advised the committee to “do nothing” on a memorial and instead support biologists and interagency work to demonstrate Idaho can manage bears safely.

Representatives of agricultural interests including Russ Hendricks of the Idaho Farm Bureau supported the memorial, saying recovery goals have been met and that landowners are living with growing local conflicts. Hendricks told the committee he and his members “support House Joint Memorial 4,” and urged lawmakers to send it to the floor.

Committee members debated whether Idaho currently has a management plan adequate for delisting. Representative Church said she would vote no because she had not seen an updated management plan; Representative Gallavez said interagency conservation strategy conversations are underway and supported advancing the memorial.

The committee approved the memorial by voice vote. The chair declared the ayes had it and the memorial will go to the House floor for consideration.