SUBMIT A LTE

Use your voice to keep grizzly bears protected and to push back on misinformation. Letters to the editor are one of the fastest ways to reach decision‑makers and your community. This page walks you through what to write, where to send it, and how to make it count.

WHY LTES MATTER

Editors read them. Lawmakers’ staff compile them. Community members talk about them. A steady drumbeat of short, local letters shapes public opinion and signals that people in your town want science‑based, humane grizzly policy.

WHAT TO WRITE

  • Keep it local. Start with a clear connection to place: your town, nearby forests, a recent local article, or an upcoming meeting. One sentence of local context can double your chance of publication.

  • Stay concise. Most outlets want 150–250 words. Aim for 180–200 unless the outlet says otherwise. One idea, one story, one clear ask.

  • Make a specific ask. Tell leaders and agencies exactly what you want (e.g., oppose delisting, oppose recent legislation, reject trophy hunts, invest in coexistence tools, follow best‑available science).

  • Write like you talk. Simple, direct sentences. Avoid jargon and acronyms. You don’t need citations in LTEs; if you reference data, attribute it in plain language (for example, “state biologists,” “U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service”).

  • Use our talking points as your guide.

LOCALIZE IT

Answer two or three of these in a sentence or two each:

  • Where do you live and what public lands or waters connect you to bears?

  • What recent news, agency proposal, or local event prompted your letter (e.g., rescinding of the Roadless Rule)?

  • What is one concrete action you want leaders to take?

STRUCTURE

  1. Hook (1–2 sentences). React to a recent story or open with a local fact or personal scene.

  2. Core point (3–4 sentences). State your main argument and one supporting example.

  3. Specific ask (1–2 sentences). Name who should act and what they should do—e.g., “Congress must reject H.R. 281/S. 316.”

  4. Close (1 sentence). Reaffirm values and restate why this matters where you live.

Please use this sample as your guide and reflect your own voice, and you can incorporate different talking points to help make your letter more unique.

LTE SAMPLE

To the Editor,

Congress is considering the so-called Grizzly Bear State Management Act, a bill that would force the removal of Greater Yellowstone grizzly bears from Endangered Species Act protections. Instead of allowing scientists to determine whether recovery has truly been achieved, the bill orders the government to reissue a previous delisting rule courts already invalidated and even blocks judges from reviewing the decision.

That is not how wildlife conservation is supposed to work.

The Endangered Species Act requires that decisions about imperiled species be based on the best available science. Grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone region remain a single, isolated population in the lower 48 states. Long-term recovery depends on maintaining secure habitat and reconnecting these bears with other populations in the Northern Rockies.

By forcing delisting through Congress and shielding the decision from judicial review, this bill replaces science and accountability with politics. It would also open the door to state trophy hunts that could kill bears before recovery across their historic range is secure.

Grizzly bears are becoming one of the greatest wildlife conservation success stories in North America, but that success requires continuing to build t on strong protections and careful management. Weakening those protections now risks undoing decades of progress.

If lawmakers truly care about the future of grizzly bears, they should allow science, not politics, to guide recovery decisions.

WHERE AND HOW TO SUBMIT

Most papers publish submission guidelines on a “Letters” page. Do a Google search of “Letters to the Editor + [newspaper name].” Read the rules and watch for word limit, exclusivity, and one‑letter‑per‑month policies.

Have this ready when you submit: full name, street address (not printed), phone number, email, and your word‑count‑friendly letter pasted into the form. If you email your LTE, put the text in the body and use a clear subject line.

Subject line ideas:

  • Opinion: Let Science, Not Congress, Decide the Future of Grizzly Bears

  • Opinion: Congress Should Not Politicize Grizzly Bear Recovery

  • Opinion: A Political Shortcut That Threatens Grizzly Bear Recovery