The original population target for the first listed lower-48 grizzlies was 136 to 300 bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem at the time of listing in 1975. The later 1982 recovery planning work then set a specific delisting target of 301 bears for that population.

What that means

  • At listing: the Service was working from an estimated population range of 136 to 300 bears in Yellowstone.
  • For recovery/delisting planning: the target became 301 bears for the Greater Yellowstone grizzly population.
  • The recovery plan also used different targets for other regions, but Yellowstone was the main early benchmark discussed in the sources.

In plain terms

If you mean the number tied to the first ESA listing , the best-supported answer is 136–300 bears. If you mean the original recovery goal after listing , it was 301 bears for Yellowstone.