This article by Franz Camenzind celebrates the positive steps that have been made in the broad ranging efforts and collaborations to have a viable grizzly bear population in the lower 48. Scientifically the bear is certainly in a better place than it was 40 years ago, but it seems to be lagging as far as our culture’s willingness to accommodate bears in ever fragmented landscapes. We need to ask why modern wildlife biology has been able to achieve stronger numbers of bears in the face of decreasing habitat and food supply, yet modern state managers willingly acquiesce to the social demands to kill for recreation. How ironic that 21st century science has enabled recovery  only to cater to hunting demands reminiscent of the dark ages!

http://trib.com/opinion/columns/camenzind-why-grizzly-bears-should-remain-on-the-endangered-species/article_6acdf13d-daae-5984-b7fe-c414cec1be8e.html

Mountain lions face some very unique challenges in South Dakota. Politically there is a strong unscientific push to basically remove as many cougars as possible, especially from the areas through which dispersal might naturally take place. There is also a relative lack of public land where lions might be protected if there was an intelligent attitude towards them. Livestock growers do benefit from maintaining an enhanced environment and even though it can mean changing human behavior, there are ways to reduce conflict. Whether people are willing to live in harmony with the landscape or whether they seek dominion and are not willing to accommodate small inconveniences is the question that must be asked. Putting the kind of pressure that has been directed at the fairly new mountain lion population of the Black Hills in the name of recreation brings negative attention to this great state–where the politics could be perceived as more reminiscent of ‘Deadwood’ than of the 21st century

http://www.kotatv.com/news/south-dakota-news/mountain-lion-harvest-down-from-previous-years/32158470