Feds Cancel Plan To Reintroduce Grizzly Bears To North Cascades

SEATTLE, WA — The Department of the Interior is abandoning a plan to reintroduce grizzly bears to the North Cascades after listening to concerns from the surrounding communities.

The federal government has been considering the plan since 2015, but Tuesday's announcement puts an end to a half decade of discussion: the Department of the Interior has officially scrapped the Grizzly Bear Restoration Plan for the North Cascades Ecosystem.

The move was announced by Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt after a meeting with community members in Omak, near the proposed reintroduction zone.

"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," said Bernhardt. "Grizzly bears are not in danger of extinction, and Interior will continue to build on its conservation successes managing healthy grizzly bear populations across their existing range."

In the years since the plan was announced, it's been met with substantial resistance: the federal government says they received more than 143,000 public comments on the proposal, and have had to hold more than 70 stakeholder briefings and numerous public meetings.

The decision to ultimately cancel the relocation effort was celebrated by U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse.

“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.," said Newhouse. "I have long advocated that local voices must be heard by the federal government on this issue, and I am enormously grateful to Secretary Bernhardt."

Environmentalist groups on the other hand, have expressed disappointment with the decision. The environmental group Conservation Northwest told the Associated Press they were unhappy with the move, and that the plan to reintroduce grizzly bears had a wider pool of support than lawmakers suggested.

"This is not an issue that has just west side support," spokesman Chase Cunnell told the AP. "Public support is strong."

The North Cascades was one of six grizzly bear recovery zones across the continental United States.

According to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the zone takes up around 9,800 square miles in Washington, and an additional 3,800 miles north of the border. There are estimated to be less than 20 grizzlies currently living in the zone in Washington, and an additional 25 to 30 in Canada, making Washington's grizzly population "the most at-risk grizzly bear population in the United States today" according to the USFWS.

Read more about the North Cascades Ecosystem and grizzly restoration projects happening across the country at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's website here.