In Montana, Governor Greg Gianforte is seeking to lift the protection of grizzly bears. If this process continues to go through with federal officials, then it may allow for the hunting for grizzly bears for the first time in decades.

Since 1975, grizzly bears have been labeled “threatened” by the authority of the Endangered Species Act. They have been categorized as endangered due to excessive hunting and deforestation. Nevertheless, hunting of this species is prohibited in the states, and is only allowed in Alaska.

Gianforte believes the number of bears in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) has exceeded the recovery goals placed and is trying to end their protection. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (FWS) the grizzly bear population in the U.S. during 1975 was 700 to 800. Now in the NCDE alone, officials have said there are nearly 1,200 bears in just Montana.

In March, the FWS opposed Gianforte claim when he reclassified the species as “biologically recovered” meaning they have met recuperation standards, but the agency suggests that grizzly bears remain “labeled” and should have no changes made in protection policies.

Not only are advocates concerned with the situation, but they are worried with how the government is handling the issue. “I don’t have any faith that Montana, right now at least, can responsibly manage their wildlife and especially predators such as grizzly bears,” Andrea Zaccardi, senior attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity told CNN.