Trails for everyone, forever

Home News Blog The Plans for Grizzly Bear Recovery in the North Cascades

The Plans for Grizzly Bear Recovery in the North Cascades

Posted by melanib at Nov 09, 2023 11:52 AM |
Filed under: Advocacy, Action Opportunity

The National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently released a Draft Grizzly Bear Restoration Plan/Environmental Impact Statement with different strategies for recovering this keystone species in the North Cascades Ecosystem. You can read the draft restoration plan and make public comment by the deadline of Nov. 13, 2023.

The National Park Service (NPS) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) recently released a Draft Grizzly Bear Restoration Plan/Environmental Impact Statement with different strategies for recovering this keystone species in the North Cascades Ecosystem. Grizzlies are functionally gone from the Cascade Mountains with the most recent confirmed observation in 1996. 

A grizzly bear followed by a cub walk alongPhoto of grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park by Jim Peaco. Courtesy of National Park Service. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife determined in 1997 that the federal government should act to recover grizzly bears in northern Washington. North Cascades National Park is now considering how best to restore grizzly bears to this part of their historical range. 

  • Grizzly Bear Recovery Timeline
  • - 1975 – Grizzly bears in the lower 48 states are listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

  • - 1980 – Grizzly bears are listed as an endangered species by Washington state.

  • - 1982     – FWS approves the National Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan; this plan is revised in 1993.

  • - 1983 – Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee is established.

  • - 1991 – Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee decides to recover grizzly bears in the North Cascades.

  • - 2004 – A grizzly bear recovery plan is completed for the British Columbia portion of North Cascades Ecosystem.

  • - 2014 – NPS/USFWS began drafting Environmental Impact Statement on grizzly bear restoration in the North Cascades ecosystem. The effort was discontinued in 2020.

  • - 2022 – The NPS/USFWS reinitiated the process for developing a Grizzly Bear Restoration Plan for the North Cascades Ecosystem.

  • - 2023     – The NPS/USFWS released a Draft Grizzly Bear Restoration Plan/Environmental Impact Statement 

  • - 2024 – The NPS /USFWS release a decision for their restoration plan.

The recently released restoration plan proposes three options. One option is taking no new action. Due to habitat fragmentation, this is unlikely to restore this species to the North Cascades ecosystem. The two other options involve reintroducing three to seven grizzly bears per year in North Cascades National Park over the next 5 to 10 years. Under these two options, government agencies estimate that it would take 60 to 100 years for these introduced individuals to grow to a self-sustaining population of 200 grizzly bears.

You can read the draft restoration plan and make public comment by the deadline of November 13, 2023.

What is the difference between the two options to reintroduce grizzly bears?

Under alternative B, the introduced population would be managed under current regulations of the Endangered Species Act. The other option, alternative C, would designate the introduced grizzlies as a nonessential experimental population with more flexible rules for managing bears. This is called a 10(j) after a part of Section 10 of the Endangered Species Act.
 

Where would bears be reintroduced? 

To start, grizzly bears would be released in North Cascades National Park, and they are expected to range throughout the Cascade Mountains with the population predominantly located on public lands north of Interstate 90, an area of about 9,800 square miles. Restoring grizzlies into an area so large and remote will mean that human interaction with the bears will be limited.

Map of North Cascades showing three potential grizzly release areas in the north of North Cascades National Park, south of North Cascades National Park and the western Pasayten
Potential grizzly release areas and recreational sites in North Cascades Ecosystem. Courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service.
 

How would this affect hiking access? 

The government is not proposing any long-term closures or modification of public access as part of this plan. It is expected that access to the Pacific Crest Trail and other high use trails will stay the same. When closures are implemented to keep hikers safe, they are likely to be temporary and localized, though we expect the potential for wildlife closures would increase as the grizzly population increases over time. In the case of grizzly bear recovery in Yellowstone, annual closures have generally lasted between 3 to 14 days and have been limited to specific areas.
 
WTA is focused on ensuring that grizzly bear management does not inhibit the public’s ability to experience outstanding North Cascades landscapes. WTA is asking North Cascades to provide more information in the final environmental impact statement about how reintroducing bears will impact backcountry travel. 

Would visitors to the North Cascades need to change their behavior? 

Black bears already live in the areas where grizzlies would be reintroduced. There are things every hiker should know about how to recreate safely in bear country. To avoid bear encounters and prevent any encounters from escalating, you’ll want to follow the same guidelines when it comes to both species. 

These include: hiking in groups, making noise to announce yourself, keeping small children close and dogs on leash and bear-proofing your campsite if staying overnight. Differences in how your behavior should differ between black bears and grizzlies comes in the rare case of aggression. With grizzlies, you should play dead. With black bears, you should escape or fight back. Being prepared for this unlikely situation will help keep you safe. 

Where do I learn more?

You can learn more about the Draft Grizzly Bear Restoration Plan, read the plan and make public comment through November 13.

Comments

saltydogs on The Plans for Grizzly Bear Recovery in the North Cascades

with all the human bear conflicts in parks and forests... and seattle within a morning drive... what a stupid idea to re-introduce grizzle bears. it's just ignoring reality. there will be conflict and hopefully just the bear get shot and the child is not killed.

Posted by:


saltydogs on Aug 03, 2025 09:39 PM

saltydogs on The Plans for Grizzly Bear Recovery in the North Cascades

they draw these dashed lines around the 'habitat'... i've never know an animal to follow the dashed lines on a map. what is going on with this?!

Posted by:


saltydogs on Aug 03, 2025 10:08 PM

melanib on The Plans for Grizzly Bear Recovery in the North Cascades

@saltydogs WTA's advocacy coordinator here to say thank you for your comments. I hear your safety concerns. The decision to reestablish grizzlies in the North Cascades was made back in 1997, and now planning is around how to do that. The dotted lines you noted mark the proposed area for initial release of bears. The plan anticipates that they would disperse across the North Cascades, if the effort succeeds in establishing a bear population. WTA wants to see that grizzly bear management does not inhibit the public’s ability to experience the North Cascades. We'll continue to track this government proposal and keep the public informed if any bears are going to be reintroduced.

Posted by:


melanib on Aug 04, 2025 11:26 AM

saltydogs on The Plans for Grizzly Bear Recovery in the North Cascades

'Yellowstone National Park experiences an average of around 81.5 bear conflicts per year. These conflicts involve bears damaging property, gaining access to human food, or, in severe cases, injuring or killing people.' how on earth is this a responsible idea being so close to a population of over 4 million people.

Posted by:


saltydogs on Aug 04, 2025 03:42 PM

saltydogs on The Plans for Grizzly Bear Recovery in the North Cascades

they identified a stage and release area a quick bike ride from Mazama?! that is insane! do you know how many fast riding bikers are riding around that valley?! why didn't WTA get the word out and stop this?! nobody wants grizz around. they look just amazing in alaska and the wilds of canada.

Posted by:


saltydogs on Aug 04, 2025 08:09 PM