Protected the Most Important Grizzly Bear Corridor in the Lower 48

April 16, 2016

As a result of Cottonwood’s continuous litigation efforts, by Fall 2020, no grazing had been reported at the Sheep Center for over five years. By standing up for state and federal wildlife agencies and Native American Tribes, Cottonwood effectively stopped domestic sheep grazing in one of the most important grizzly bear corridors in the lower United States.

For the past 100 years, the federal government has operated a research facility known as the U.S. Sheep Experiment Center in eastern Idaho and Southwest Montana. The Sheep Station has historically grazed thousands of domestic sheep in the Centennial Mountains at elevations that near 10,000 feet.

Native American Tribes and several state and federal wildlife agencies demanded the Sheep Station not to graze in the Centennial Mountains. Due to the unique east-west geographic configuration of the Centennial range, these mountains form the only ideal corridor to allow grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park to move towards unoccupied Wilderness areas in Idaho. Over the course of more than five years, Cottonwood filed three continuous lawsuits on behalf of its members and other conservation organizations.

 
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In 2012, Cottonwood secured a Freedom of Information Act request that showed a grizzly bear collar had been cut off and hidden under a rock in a stream near the location where the domestic sheep were being grazed. A rifle cartridge was recovered, and federal investigators told reporters that Sheep Station employees were the most likely suspects for what was presumed to be a dead grizzly. Sheep Station employees were also responsible for killing other wild predators, including black bears and wolves, for preying on the domestic sheep.

The Sheep Station also grazed domestic sheep across several miles of the popular Continental Divide Trail, knowing that grizzly bears guarding sheep carcasses had chased Sheep Station employees on at least two separate occasions. The grazing along the trail also put hikers at risk of being attacked by bears defending sheep carcasses.

After Cottonwood won its first Sheep Station lawsuit, the Obama Administration sought to close the research facility to save millions of taxpayer dollars every year and protect grizzly bears. After Cottonwood won its second lawsuit, the Trump Administration again sought to permanently close the research facility to save taxpayer money. However, despite these efforts, U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) continuously passed Appropriations Riders to keep the Sheep Station open.

Though the research facility has not grazed sheep in the Centennial Mountains for several years as a result of Cottonwood’s continuous litigation, closing the entire facility would save tax payers over $1 million dollars per year and ensure this important corridor remains permanently open to grizzlies and other wildlife.

Call U.S. Senator Daines and tell him you want to close the U.S. Sheep Experiment Center to save millions of taxpayer dollars and protect wildlife. (406) 587-3446