After decades of hunting and trapping, grizzly bears now only exist in two percent of their former range in the lower 48 states. The North Cascades Ecosystem, encompassing approximately 6.1 million acres, is one of the few places left that is wild and remote enough to support a population of bears. Because of the small number and isolation of North Cascades grizzly bears, coupled with their slow reproductive rates, biologists believe the bears are at significant risk of eventual extirpation. Biological consensus is that grizzly bears in the North Cascades will not recover on their own and need some form of human intervention to achieve reproduction and eventual recovery.
You can submit a comment on the proposed plan and Environmental Impact Statement here. Comments are due on October 24th, 2019. Of the four alternative approaches proposed for grizzly restoration outlined in the EIS, MVCC supports Alternative C – Incremental Restoration. We recognize that wildlife agencies must balance the urgency of local extinction with concerns of communities living near grizzly habitat. Under Alternative C, the National Park Service and US Fish and Wildlife Service would reintroduce 5 to 7 grizzly bears into the North Cascades each year over roughly 5 to 10 years, with a goal of establishing an initial population of 25 grizzly bears, creating a small source population to help re-establish slow reproduction over the next 100 years. This type of recovery effort was undertaken in the Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystem of Montana with success.
If you have questions about why grizzlies belong in the North Cascades ecosystem click here. Please also send a copy of your comments to Congressman Dan Newhouse, let him know that Methow residents respect wildlife and support restoring threatened and endangered species.
P.S. We have teamed up with the National Park Conservation Association and Conservation Northwest to announce a very special guest in the Methow the evening of October 17th. Chris Morgan, an ecologist and award-winning conservationist, educator, TV host and film producer will be at the Winthrop Barn to share his incredible decades of experience working with bears around the world – and his passion for saving the North Cascades grizzly bear. This is an event you won’t want to miss! Save the Date! |
