Chris Servheen dismayed stimulates the alarm of what has become federal scientists who watch over the Grizzly Bear population of the Yellowstone ecosystem in the past 55 years.
The group of biologists and research technicians, known as the Grizzly Bear study team, is at best demonstrated and undoubtedly dismantled, he told Wyofile. For decades, until his retirement in 2016, Sevheen worked closely with the study team while coordinating the Grizzly Recovery for the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
“It functionally destroys the organization,” said Servheen on Thursday. “The study team has been in place since 1970 – more than 50 years of work, experience and knowledge. He will simply disappear and die. ”
Servheen is perplexed as to the Trump administration must win.
“How could someone be so negligent and vile that he tries to destroy something that brought back the grizzly ones from the edge of extinction?” He said. “Why would you do that? It’s so destructive.”
Directed by Elon Musk, the dismantling of the Government Ministry of Effectiveness began with a job frost. Long -term Mark Haroldson supervision fauna biologist Retired, and its position is not filled, according to Servheen. Then, the longtime leader of the team, Frank Van Manenannounced a previous retirement that held.
“He didn’t want to leave,” said Servheen about Van Manen, who refused to comment.
According to Servheen, the departure of Van Manen was linked to the continuous upheaval of the federal government.
“They put people for people,” said Servheen. “It is fundamentally bad, to do it to people who have worked hard who have been civil servants for decades.”
The study team of Grizzly Bear Internestitutions is part of the US Geological Survey and its website lists four other employees. Three are technicians, who are often seasonal and entry -level employees. The remaining staff biologist has been underway for about three years.
“They put fear in people. It is fundamentally bad, to do it to people who have worked hard who have been civil servants for decades. ”
Chris Servheen
If one of the employees of the study team chooses to hold it in the middle of a Second wave of buyoutsThey are likely to get out of an office space in the fall. The Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, described by its director As “one of the country’s main laboratories to study the ecosystems and species of the northern rocks”, is one of the hundreds of federal installations closed by DOGE.
Although located in Bozeman, many researchers from the federal establishment work in Wyoming.
“They do all kinds of other things: brucellosis and chronic disease and aquatic species,” said Servheen. “It’s a huge scientific center.”
The planned closure has aroused demonstrations. According to in yellowstonian.org42 retired biologists or assets asked for the Montana congress delegation to use their influence to “protect (the science center) and its employees from these unjustified Dogey attacks”.
The federal offices located in Wyoming have not escaped the closures. The Landes Conservation Office focused on Fish and Wildlife Service in the United States and a USGS Cheyenne water science station are Among those who were marked for blocking.
Wyofile could not officially confirm the impacts on the study team of Grizzly Bear Interagency. Federal Trump Administration agencies have decreased or not responded to Wyofile requests for more information on reducing workforce and office closings. An investigation to an USGS public affairs officer gave no information on the issue.
The Center for Biological Diversity also put pressure on the federal agency for more details. Thursday, the environmental defense organization published a Request for a law on freedom of information To better understand the future of the Federal Grizzly team.
According to a source, the two members of the veteran study team – Van Manen and Haroldson – remain engaged in Grizzly sciences in pro -Bono emeritus roles, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Nevertheless, Servheen fears that the scientific team could go to the Grizzly population – estimated at About 1,000 Bears in the Grand Yellowstone – which he is responsible for studying.
Over the decades, federal researchers have played a central role in improving the understanding of the Bruins of the region, Including completed studies This has helped to argue that the grizzly ones are fully recovered and no longer require protection against the endangered species law. They also raised mortality and other demographic data sets and compiled an annual report.
“The Yellowstone Grizzly Bear Recovery Foundation was built on science,” said Servheen. “Remove this science eliminates our ability to maintain Yellowstone grizzly ones.”