We know how to move bears successfully, and we know how to live with them safely, Servheen said in a statement. In the face of Euro-American settlement, Oregon grizzlies seemed to retreat fairly steadily in the mid- to late-1800s to three redoubts: the Klamath Mountains (including the Siskiyous), the Southern Cascades, and the Blue/Wallowa Mountains (including Hells Canyon country). Bear numbers in Washington dwindled due to hunting in the late 1800s, landing the grizzly on the endangered species list 40 years ago. The North Cascades are among the largest wild areas in the contiguous 48 states, encompassing close to 10,000 square miles. process to reintroduce grizzlies to North Cascades National Park. I might need to change my vote, depending on the method of "reintroduction." Supposedly the size of the coastal ones rivaled coastal griz in AK. The public largely supports reintroduction of this native species, as the bears are an integral part of healthy forest and mountain habitats in the Cascades, as well as an important part of regional Native American and First Nations cultures, dating back hundreds of years. Its estimated there are currently less than 20 grizzlies in the state, though a female was fitted with a radio collar and released last year, along with her three cubs, according to the Washington DFW. Historically, the CA griz inhabited the whole state. The Wenatchee World. Members get 15+ publications right in your pocket. The Biden administration will restart planning to reintroduce grizzly bears to the North Cascades Range, a project the Trump administration halted in 2020. Species reintroduction is the deliberate release of a species into the wild, from captivity or other areas where the organism is capable of survival. / Carlos Carroll, Reed F. Noss and Nathan H. Schumaker / [et al.]. In this June 2, 2016, file photo, a grizzly bear at the Woodland Park Zoo waits for a salmon to be tossed to him in Seattle. "This is frustrating . To date, nearly 1.500 grizzly bears inhabit those areas which are closely monitored by the U. S. Department of Fish and Wildlife. Can we do this in every state? 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. The public overwhelmingly supports reintroduction of this native species, as the bears are an integral part of healthy forest and mountain habitats in the Cascades. WENATCHEE Chelan County commissioners have drafted a letter opposing federal agencies' plan to reintroduce grizzly bears into the North Cascades. Central Washingtons Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse was quick to criticize the plan. Your instinct is you want to pet them and play with them, but you can't. On Monday, the agencies extended the comments period by an additional 45 days, citing requests from members of the public and local officials. Mexican Grey Wolves have been reintroduced into areas on the border of Arizona and New Mexico in the Mongollon mountains and have had . This is a first step toward bringing balance back to the ecosystem and restoring a piece of the Pacific Northwests natural and cultural heritage, North Cascades National Park Superintendent Don Striker said in a news release. Separate from the issue of reintroducing grizzly bears into the North Cascades, the recovery of grizzly bears in the lower 48 states is an amazing success story due to collaborative conservation efforts led by federal, Tribal, state and other partners. Threatened grizzly bears could roam again in the wildest reaches of Washington state. According to the latest estimates by biologists, its likely that fewer than 10 grizzly bears remain in the North Cascades. Into Los Angeles, yes, I would support that. An estimated 60,000 grizzly bears inhabit North America, half of them in Alaska. At one point, they occupied less than two percent of their historic range, but due to significant recovery efforts there are now populations in Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Wyoming. Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. Fish and Wildlife Service released a document in January describing four ideas for reintroducing grizzly bears to the North Cascadesregion in Washington state. In rural Washington, some opponents of the grizzly bear reintroduction program include ranchers, who worry the predator will pose a threat to their livestock. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use, A grizzly bear and her cubs in Yellowstone National Park. The bears would be captured and transported from interior British Columbia or Northwest Montana, according to a notice about the proposal. We have wolvs coming in that's going to make a dent. Create, restore, and protect habitat connections within and beyond the NCE including to the Selkirk, Cabinet/Yaak, Bitterroot, and Yellowstone Ecosystems so that the movement of bears and other wide-ranging species can naturally occur, and the reintroduced Grizzly Bear population is not geographically isolated. The grizzly is also an important part of regional Native American and First Nations cultures, dating back hundreds of years. Federal agencies started a public planning process to reintroduce the bears in 2015, but it was suspended in 2017 by Ryan Zinke, then the secretary of the interior during the Trump administration. 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The department hired an environmental cleanup company. Defenders is contributing to the effort to reintroduce fishers and grizzly bears to the North Cascades. (C) The Rewilding Institute | Site by Brick Road Media, Wilderness and Grizzly Bears for the North Cascades. Feasibility of Timber Wolf Reintroduction in Adirondack Park / Paul C. Paquet, James R. Strittholt and Nancy L. Staus / [et al.]. With the publics help, we will evaluate a list of options to determine the best path forward.. Is the Return of the Wolf, Wolverine, and Grizzly Bear to Oregon and California Biologically Feasible? Additionally, many grizzly bear advocates viewed a population in the Bitterroots as the best way to connect the genetically isolated populations in Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks. But social pressure is how legislation gets made," Inman wrote, adding that he donated $25,000 to the cause - money that, he said in an interview, would help fund the pro-reintroduction campaigns of the National Wildlife Federation and Conservation Northwest. We focus on the need for large carnivores and protected wildways for their movement; and we offer a bold, scientifically credible, practically achievable, and hopeful vision for the future of wild Nature and human civilization on planet Earth. Reading essays like this warms my heart and makes me dream of better days in the future! A grizzly bear and cub in Yellowstone National Park. The two agencies began researching the possibility of reintroducing grizzlies in 2015; in 2020, however, the Trump Interior Department terminated the process without offering a public explanation, sparking a lawsuit from the Center for Biological Diversity. Wolves and Wolverines, amazingly, have recolonized the North Cascades after being extirpated by people, and Fishers were recently reintroduced to the NCE. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. The agency's criteria for GYE grizzly bears calls for a minimum of 500 individuals and at least 48 females with cubs. The National Park Service is evaluating once again how grizzly bears could be reintroduced to North Cascades National Park. Fish & Wildlife Service, not the U.S. Forest Service. It is heartily backed by wildlife conservation organizations and Native American tribes. The plan to reintroduce bears to North Cascades National Park could eventually see the grizzly population grow to about 200. U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt told a meeting. The USFWS and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife have been working on a multi-year planning process to bring grizzlies back to Washingtons North Cascades Ecosystem. We had no idea this announcement today was going to be made, said Andrea Zaccardi, the carnivore conservation legal director for the Center for Biological Diversity. The last confirmed sighting of a grizzly bear in the U.S. portion of the North Cascades was in 1996, according to the National Park Service. We must all work together to make this . Its been a long road to recovery for the grizzly. Hunters and government agents killed thousands of bears, once found throughout the region, for fur and to remove them from the region entirely, the Center for Biological Diversity said in court filings. One of the number one pros of reintroducing the grizzly bear is that they are what is known as an "umbrella species". My constituents and I have consistently opposed proposals to [reintroduce grizzly bears] under multiple administrations because introducing an apex predator to the area would threaten the families, wildlife, and livestock of North Central Washington, state Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-4th Dist., said in a news release. John Davis, TRI Executive Director From When motorized vehicles are deemed essential to recovery, limit their use as much as feasible to wildlands outside of designated Wilderness. "Here I am trying to tell people, 'Bears are sweet, calm down.' OtoPro SoundGear Phantom and Impulse Review, Vortex Razor HD 4000 GB Rangefinder Review, Toric UHD 2.5-15x44mm FFP Hunt Series Riflescope Review, Hunting Big Mule Deer after Mid-October with Cliff Gray. The National Park Service and the U.S. The first of six meetings on the bear reintroduction plan is . A final decision could take years. The U.S. We have much more to do and your continued support is needed now more than ever. What Should the Future of the Pacific Northwest Trail Look Like? With the publics help we will evaluate a list of options to determine the best path forward.. These bears will not recover in the North Cascades on their own as the area is far too isolated from existing populations. "Black bears are more abundant than cougars . I would personally put money, time, and physical effort to help make this happen. The National Park Service and U.S. The narrative about Cascades grizzly bear recovery will take decades to unfold. But the topic - wildlife, and specifically bears - wasn't unusual for him. The National Park Service and U.S. Once we have an "army" of these bears built up, we air drop them into heavily populated areas of CA and let them work their magic. But the idea languished without money for a multiyear . In an emailed press release, Joe Scott, international program director for Conservation Northwest, said that the announcement ushers in an exciting chapter for grizzly bear restoration in the North Cascades., After 30 years of analyses, process and discussions we have a clear way forward, he said. In a press release, the NPS said that the agencies would begin work on a new Environmental Impact Statement to evaluate several potential plans . It's no Bellingham, WA lawmakers deadlocked as drugs ravage Snohomish County, rest of state, Woman shot in West Seattle, hours after 2 killed on Capitol Hill, Oregon tells a cautionary tale about drugs, but we're not listening, squelched by Interior, under the Trump administration, in 2020, North Cascades Ecosystem Grizzly Bear Environmental Impact Statement, nonessential experimental population designation. Grizzlies roamed the North Cascades for thousands of years until the 1800s, when trapping and hunting reduced their numbers below viable levels; according to the NPS, most of the bear population was destroyed by the 1860s. CORRECTION (Nov. 11, 2022, 11:30 a.m. March 3, 2021 khouse@oregonian.com 503-221-8178 @Kelly_M_House. Bears are the same. Grizzly bears were added to the list of threatened species in the lower 48 states in 1975 and have been listed as an endangered species in Washington since 1980. This is a first step toward bringing balance back to the ecosystem and restoring a piece of the Pacific Northwests natural and cultural heritage, North Cascades Superintendent Don Striker said in a news release. Today, no more than 10 grizzlies are believed to roam the 10,000-square-mile area. The National Wildlife Federation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization A previous restoration effort was started and stopped twice between 2017 and 2020. Were pleasantly surprised theyre reconsidering augmenting the population. A year later, the new interior secretary, David Bernhardt, shuttered the process once again, with little explanation. The Upper Skagit people coexisted with grizzly bears in the region for nearly 10,000 years pre-contact,Scott Schuyler, policy representative for the Upper Skagit Tribe, said in a statement. It does make for a very long road again to start from scratch, pretty much.. Fish and Wildlife Service released a document in January describing four ideas for reintroducing grizzly bears to the North Cascades region in Washington. 2. Beginning in 2017, the Department held numerous public meetings, Tribal consultations and more than 70 stakeholder briefings, during which overwhelming opposition was received for the plan. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Fish & Wildlife Service recently announced plans to evaluate options for restoring grizzly bears in the North Cascades. The plan has been hailed by Tribal leaders, conservation groups and other wildlife advocates. Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse, who represents rural central and eastern Washington communities, has opposed restoring grizzly populations in the past and indicated he would do so again. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. The North Cascades are one of six USFWS-designated grizzly bear recovery zones in the U.S., spanning 9,000 square miles of mostly federal land. Dave Parsons, TRI Carnivore Conservation Biologist We favor minimizing disturbance to and intervention in the Wilderness and conserving and restoring its whole native biota. The agencies proposal surprised the group suing over the 2020 halt. Specifically, I support Alternative C: Incremental Restoration. "It's like when you see a tiger at the zoo. KTVZ NewsChannel 21 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation. But in the past 10 years, there have been four confirmed grizzly sightings in the North Cascades, all across the Canadian border, the court filings say. Dukas/Universal Images Group via Getty Images file. Thursdays announcement was lauded by environmental advocates. The recovery of grizzly bears in the lower 48 states is an amazing success. The reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park has an unexpected upside: It's helping to fatten up the bears, new research suggests. Published: September 27, 2019 Step 2) Copy and paste this suggested message (or write your own). Biologists last estimated that fewer than 10 grizzly bears remain in the North Cascades, the most at-risk bear population in North America. Grizzly bear just north of the National Elk Refuge in Grand Teton National Park, Wyo. The view of The Rewilding Institute is that the Wilderness Act should not be so dogmatically interpreted as to proscribe vital restoration measures, but should be holistically interpreted to weigh heavily in favor of minimalist tools and intervention. To fully restore the ecological integrity of the North Cascades, we need to give Grizzly Bears a helping hand and actively bring them back. See our instructions at the bottom of this page on how to make your voice heard. The USFWS has recently opened a public comment period on reintroduction of grizzlies to the North Cascades, the latest effort in a decades long struggle to bring the bears back from the brink. In a letter to the president and the Environmental Protection Agency,they called for increased restrictions on neonicotinoids, a type of pesticide that has been cited as a potential cause to colony collapse disorder. By OLIVIA HOBSON. Bear numbers in Washington dwindled due to hunting in the late 1800s, landing the grizzly on the endangered species list 40 years ago. IE 11 is not supported. It is staunchly opposed by ranchers' groups and some local officials. Grizzly reintroduction in the North Cascades became a hot issue in the Northwest and during the Trump administration, when restoration plans were subject to changing political whims. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Active restoration is needed for ecological, as well as ethical, reasons. I gladly throw in $100. Species that may be eligible for reintroduction are . The restoration is needed to help restore the biodiversity of the region and help ensure the survival of the species and, eventually, remove it from the endangered list, according to a joint statement by both sponsoring agencies. The post was uncommonly unfunny, Inman acknowledged on Tuesday, saying that he'd done it in a rush to beat the comments deadline. This alternative is expected to produce the goal population of 200 bears in 60-100 years. Public comment on the plan is open through Dec. 14. 3. By Tuesday, however, that number had jumped to about 110,000, she said. Create a personalized feed and bookmark your favorites. The population is functionally extirpated, which means theres not enough reproduction going on for there to be any long-term grizzly population on both sides of the border, Ransom said. The department hired an environmental cleanup company to use vacuum trucks on remaining oil. It may not display this or other websites correctly. In a news release on Thursday, he criticized the decision to restart it and urged the Biden administration to consider local input. They asked for public comments on the proposals, which range from doing nothing to building a new population of 200 bears within 25 years. Send a message to the National Park Service in support of grizzly restoration in the North Cascades. Initially, he said, "I was like, 'Oh god, am I going to reintroduce grizzlies and then die at the hands of a bear?'". The National Park Service and U.S. Grizzly bears are a key native species for the park and its ecological processes. We urge conservationists to work together toward a Grizzly Bear recovery plan in the North Cascades that respects the welfare of individual bears, ecosystem health, and Wilderness values. The National Park Service and the U.S. ", Inman's parents live at the edge of the North Cascades, where he said he hikes and runs fairly often - which, yes, means he's advocating to share his recreational space with those predators. The Recovery zone will eventually cover 9,800 square miles and will be a lifeline to these bears as they gradually recover from severely depleted populations across the West. Fish. Local and national environmental groups have praised the decision. The National Park Service and US Fish and Wildlife Service will investigate reintroducing grizzly bears to Washington's North Cascades, restarting a process the Trump administration halted seven years ago, the federal government said on Thursday.. Scientists identified the mountain range as prime habitat for grizzly bear reintroduction in 1997, like it had been for thousands of years. Homeowners, farmers, ranchers, and small business owners in our rural communities were loud and clear: We do not want grizzly bears in North Central Washington. Washingtons portion of the North Cascades Ecosystem (shared with British Columbia) is among the most ecologically intact regions in the continental United States, still providing safe homes for nearly all of the post-Pleistocene species native to this sublime landscape. The Rewilding Institutes stand on Grizzly Bear reintroduction for the North Cascades. The idea of reintroducing grizzlies to the region has been proposed before. This is a first step toward bringing balance back to the ecosystem and restoring a piece of the Pacific Northwests natural and cultural heritage, Superintendent Don Striker of North Cascades National Park said in a news release. The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times. PHOENIX - An Arizona conservation group wants the federal government to consider reintroducing grizzly bears into the state. As they eat and travel throughout their range, they spread seeds and nutrients, and as they dig for bulbs and other food in the ground, they help to aerate the soil. The public comment period on grizzly bear restoration in the North Cascades will remain open until October 24th, 2019. The grizzly has profound cultural significance and its restoration will enrich our ancestral lands and help restore the foundations of our cultural practices. The Trump Administration is committed to being a good neighbor, and the people who live and work in north central Washington have made their voices clear that they do not want grizzly bears reintroduced into the North Cascades. Heres the best way to make your message heard: Step 1) Open the National Park Service webpage:CLICK HERE. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Why not SF too? Wildlife officials and advocates should undertake active Grizzly Bear reintroduction with utmost compassion for the individual animals involved, and great respect for the laws of the land in the United Statesand also in Canada, if bears are to be sourced there. The extreme area of northeast Oregon has been studied as another potential site for reintroduction, but as of this date no plans have been made to make that a reality. Keep stress and discomfort of individual bears to the absolute minimum necessary to achieve gains for the natural community. They'll be into every apartment and home, and some people will certainly be sacrificed. They belong here, Joe Scott, international program director for Conservation Northwest, said in a statement. KTAR.com. of Fish and Wildlife, is to take bears either from British Columbia or northwest Montana and introduce them into the Northern Cascades at the rate of 3 to 7 bears per year. My constituents and I have consistently opposed proposals to do so under multiple administrations because introducing an apex predator to the area would threaten the families, wildlife, and livestock of North Central Washington.. The wolves have kept the park's population of elks . As a result, laws prohibiting the hunting of otters were put in place in 1911. The Department of the Interior began planning the environmental review process in 2015 under the Obama administration. Ransom said restoring grizzlieswould enhance biodiversity and could make the ecosystem more resilient to future changes. We offer our board, staff, and leadership council in the effort to make the North Cascades Ecosystem as big, wild, whole, and connected as possible. Scientists hope the data will help them predict future outbreaks. A grizzly limb bone discovered in Oregon Caves in the Klamath Mountains may be more than 50,000 years old, which would rank among the earliest brown-bear fossils found in North America. The project aims to produce a population of about 200 grizzly bears within 100 years. Please add you voice and speak up for grizzly recovery efforts in the North Cascades. The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) has been the primary focus of grizzly recovery efforts to date. The one glaring absence is the Grizzly Bear. Many of the scientists named in the letter also have been involved in efforts to retain federal protections for threatened grizzly bears in Western states and gray wolves across most of the nation. Or maybe I should write a screenplay Reintroduce bears to eat liberals? The agency outlined a preliminary plan to create an experimental population by adding three to seven captured grizzly bears to the North Cascades for five to 10 years, with a goal of building an initial population up to about 25 bears. It wasnt a lack of habitat. Now that the comments period has been extended to April 28, he's have time for more pro-bear comics. I think they're funny," Inman said of bears. Tipsy Tuesday: Cold Bow Challenge, Gear Reviews, And The Latest Hunting News! Four virtual public meetings will be held to gather input on the proposal over the next month. The National Park Service and U.S. The Rewilding Institute supports the active reintroduction of Grizzly Bears to the North Cascades Ecosystem (NCE). It is the U.S. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. A file photo of a two-month-old Grizzly bear named Hutch at the Ultimate Sport Show at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, Mich. (AP Photo/The Grand Rapids Press, Chris Clark). Four virtual public meetings will be held to gather . The department began planning the environmental review process in 2015 under the Obama administration. 6 The caves also show a number of scratch marks thought to have been made by the claws of bears. The Rewilding Institute supports the active reintroduction of Grizzly Bears to the North Cascades Ecosystem (NCE). We support the recovery of large carnivores and other strongly interactive species, including Grizzly Bears, wherever possible in their native ranges. It's not clear, but Matthew Inman says he is pretty sure he "gave them a kick in the butt. Delaware's delegation urged to back federal pot reclassification. Sulphur Creek is used as an irrigation return by the Sunnyside Valley Irrigation District. More information about the Departments efforts toimprove thestatus of grizzly bears in the lower 48 U.S. states can be foundonline. North Cascades National Park, located roughly at its center, was the least-visited national park in the contiguous 48 states in 2021. Representative Dan Newhouse (R-WA), whose district includes part of the North Cascades ecosystem, welcomed the Trump administrations termination of the reintroduction process in 2015. It will take decades to do so and were confident that grizzly bears will thrive here just as they do in other wild places and parks, which have served as a model for the rest of the world.. Grizzlies roamed the North Cascades for thousands of years until the 1800s, when trapping and hunting reduced their numbers below viable levels; according to the NPS, most of the bear population was destroyed by the 1860s. The federal agencies will evaluate several options to restore bear populations as part of an environmental impact statement process. These massive bears once roamed across much of western North America, from central New Mexico up to the Arctic Ocean, but due to habitat loss and over hunting, their population fell precipitously in the twentieth century. What accounted for the big jump in comments? An environmental impact statement will explore how the bears could be reintroduced with the eventual goal of removing them from the endangered species list, according to the National Park. Newhouse also wrote letters in opposition during past planning processes, claiming there was not adequate public input.