The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Biden administration has declined a petition from Wyoming and Montana to remove grizzly bears from endangered species protection, the agency announced on Wednesday.

“This reclassification will facilitate recovery of grizzly bears and provide a stronger foundation for eventual delisting,” USFWS Director Martha Williams said in a statement. “And the proposed changes to our rule will provide management agencies and landowners more tools and flexibility to deal with human/bear conflicts, an essential part of grizzly bear recovery.”

Those in affected areas have sought to remove grizzlies from the federal endangered species list after decades of documented population increases of the bears. Grizzlies number about 2,000 in the 48 contiguous states, up from fewer than 1,000 in the 1970s.

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