by Grizzly bears will be reintroduced to the North Cascades mountain range in Washington state, the federal government said this week – a decision that followed years of divisive debate.
But it could still be years before the creatures set foot in the remote and rugged landscape, since the complicated process requires moving clippings, trucks and bears by helicopter from British Columbia or northwestern Montana.
“There’s a lot to do before we can even come up with a timeline,” said Jason Ransom, a wildlife biologist at North Cascades National Park. “For a project like this to be successful, it’s really important that you have the right planning.”
The National Park Service and the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced Thursday that they hope to build an “established population” of 25 bears over the next five to 10 years, releasing the animals into remote parts of the forest.
The move would return a key species to the North Cascades, which is one of the best-protected landscapes in the U.S. Grizzlies were once found throughout the region, but thousands were killed for their fur. The bears have not been seen with certainty there since 1996, according to the National Park Service.
Both agencies plan to release three to seven bears each year. The goal is a population of 200 bears within 60 to 100 years.
The North Cascades is one of six areas where federal agencies are pursuing grizzly restoration.
Advocates say the effort will make the entire ecosystem healthier.
“Our culture had a war on these species and we know better now, and this is an opportunity for us to tell another story,” said Gordon Congdon, a retired orchardist and conservationist who lives in Wenatchee, Washington, and who supported the reform effort. “We think that by restoring the grizzly bear, the ecology of the environment improves, which benefits other animals and benefits habitat diversity.”
Ransom said grubs turn over soil, disperse seeds and can move and thrive in many habitats. As climate change reshapes the environment, the bears are expected to fare well.
“I think their ability to move and the wide spectrum of foods they want is good for them. They may be one of the survivors of climate change,” said Ransom. “Bringing back a species like that builds resilience in an ecosystem against change.”
However, the opponents are concerned that there is a safety risk for people and that they will stray into the lowlands with farms and livestock. That group includes some farmers and ranchers near the border of the landscape where the bears will make a new home.
For more than ten years, the state of Washington has struggled to keep wolves from killing livestock and to prevent people from illegally harming wolves.
“We already have predator problems in the state. We don’t need another apex predator when we can’t handle what we have,” said Rachel McClure, a farmer who is secretary of the Okanogan County Cattle Association. “We are busy dealing with wolves. We don’t have to think about beers.”
McClure said she doubts grizzlies will go away from the terrain ecologists choose: “They’re not going to stay where they put them.”
Federal agencies are sensitive to such concerns. But Ransom said release sites would be “in quality habitat far away from everyone.”
Andrew LaValle, Fish and Wildlife public affairs officer, said the habitat area within Washington state is about the size of New Jersey, and about 85% of it is under federal management.
The federal government has also designated the grizzly bears in this project as a “non-essential experimental population” under the Endangered Species Act, which will allow more flexibility under the law.
People will be allowed to kill grizzlies to protect people from bodily harm, and federal agencies will be allowed to relocate or kill the bears, if necessary. In limited cases, with government authorization, private landowners will be allowed to kill grizzlies if they come close to livestock and pose a threat.
But lethal action is not “the first tool in the toolbox,” LaValle said.
The bears will be caught in late summer or early fall, according to Ransom, using what’s called a “culvert trap,” which looks like an elongated steel drum with a trap door. Once inside, the creatures will be anesthetized, given a veterinary exam and fitted with a radio collar so biologists can track their whereabouts.
The bears in the traps will be sent to staging locations, then helicopters will take them into the wilderness for release.
Joe Scott, associate director of international programs at Conservation Northwest, said grizzly recovery is slow and challenging work. Female grizzlies usually do not reproduce until they are 5 years old and rarely venture out of their home range. Many puppies do not live to reproductive age.
“As long as it takes to get here, this is just the beginning. The actual implementation is not a slam dunk,” Scott said.
He added that starting with 25 bears should allow the population to rise slowly: “It gives people and bears a chance to get used to each other where we haven’t for many years.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
