Associated Press - July 16, 2009 7:45 AM ET
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - Federal officials are holding settlement negotiations with environmentalists this week to resolve a 2007 lawsuit over the removal of Yellowstone-area grizzly bears from the endangered species list.
The closed-door talks are scheduled for Thursday and Friday in Missoula. They were ordered by U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy.
Yellowstone's 600 grizzlies were removed from the endangered species list in April, 2007, following a recovery program that cost more than $20 million. The region includes portions of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
Environmental groups that sued over the 2007 decision argue that climate change and other pressures still threaten the bear's recovery.
Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and several conservation and hunting groups have intervened in the case on the side of the federal government.
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