Two environmental groups that are suing the railroad over the issue claim not enough is being done to protect grizzly bears, some of whom are drunk on fermented grains, from being killed by trains on remote Montana rail lines.
The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) violated the Endangered Species Act, according to a lawsuit recently filed against the railroad by the Western Watersheds Project and WildEarth Guardians in the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. .
Eric Molva, executive director of the Western Watershed Project, told Cowboy State Daily that in some cases grizzly bears have eaten fermented grains that have been spilled from train cars and then accidentally left in or after being struck. Buried on railroad tracks.
“Then the grizzly bear ate it, and the grizzly bear stumbled along the tracks drunkenly,” Molvar said.
Basically, environmental groups say railroads are to blame for bears being plowed.
The company says this is not the case. In fact, BNSF works tirelessly with wildlife agencies and takes steps to protect grizzly bears, according to a statement from the company.
Three bears killed this year
According to reports from state and federal wildlife agencies, the grizzly bear was struck and killed by a train on a stretch of rail line that crosses Marias Pass and the Great Bear Wilderness. These bears are part of the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) grizzly bear population, which is separate from the grizzly bears in Wyoming’s Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Grizzly bear deaths along the tracks have increased since 2008, according to environmental groups.
“From 2008 to 2018, trains operating on BNSF Railroad killed or caused the death of approximately 52 grizzly bears from the NCDE Grizzly Bear Recovery Area,” the group’s lawsuit states. “In 2019, eight from the NCDE Grizzly Bear Recovery Area Grizzly bears killed by trains on BNSF Railroad. In 2023, three grizzly bears from the NCDE Grizzly Bear Recovery Area were killed by trains on BNSF or Montana Railroad lines.”
The three bears killed this year were all attacked in September, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit seeks a declaration that BNSF has violated the ESA and that the court should “enjoin BNSF from violating the ESA and order it to stop harvesting grizzly bears.”
Molvar said the groups believe BNSF needs to do a better job of cleaning up spilled grain, large animal carcasses and other grizzly bear temptations along the tracks.
slow down
He added that trains should slow down in prime grizzly bear habitat.
“You shouldn’t be able to move quickly through critical habitat and wipe out endangered species,” he said.
A former BNSF railroad conductor previously told Cowboy State Daily that when he rode the Montana line, he Grizzly bears and other wildlife are often seen along the way Sadly, some animals were killed.
Railway company says it can keep bears safe
BNSF disputes the environmental groups’ claims and says the railroad takes adequate measures to avoid attacks on bears and other wildlife.
BNSF spokesman Zak Andersen told Cowboy State Daily the railroad often Check tracks and clean up gain overflow.
He told Cowboy State Daily this week that he could not comment in detail on pending litigation. However, he passed on a company statement about the railway’s stance and some of the wildlife safety measures it has taken.
“While BNSF does not comment on specific litigation, we have worked closely with stakeholders since the 1990s, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Montana Fish and Wildlife and park as well as the Blackfeet Nation to eliminate avoidable grizzly bear deaths.”
“Recently, we worked on developing a Habitat Conservation Plan and released a draft HCP in January 2021. Hundreds of comments were received and the final HCP was submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for review prior to release , ” it says.
According to BNSF, measures the company has taken to reduce grizzly bear deaths include removing spilled grain and carrion from the tracks and trimming vegetation along the tracks to improve visibility.
The railroad also provides funding for “additional grizzly bear managers” at state and tribal agencies, as well as bear awareness programs, radio collars for grizzly bear research, bear-proof trash cans and electric fences.
Mark Heinz can be reached Tag @cowboystatedaily.com.
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