Gov. Butch Otter today praised the federal government's decision to drop charges against Jeremy Hill, the Bonners Ferry man who shot and killed a grizzly bear, saying he feared for the safety of his children who had been playing outside. But Otter, who served three terms in Congress from 2000 to 2006, also called on federal lawmakers to fix a "badly" flawed Endangered Species Act. "It’s time for Congress to join us in recognizing that protecting property as well as lives needs to be a much bigger part of the equation if efforts to recover species are going work in the West.” Otter's call for reform more or less echoes comments made Wednesday by current First Congressional District Rep. Raul Labrador. This much seems clear: Hill's case could be the next flashpoint in the call for Endangered Species Act reform/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here. (AP file photo, of Otter & Labrador at GOP Victory Party in November 2010)

Question: Is it time to change the Endangered Species Act to provide more protection for property owners like Jeremy Hill, who killed a grizzly cub to protect his children?