Grizzlies to return to North Cascades, feds confirm [View all]

DARRINGTON — Once again, grizzly bears will soon roam the North Cascades, where biologists have considered them extinct for decades.

On Thursday, the National Park Service, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announced a decision to transport grizzlies from British Columbia, Montana or Wyoming in hopes of restoring the historic population in northern Washington. The agencies said there isn’t a start date yet for relocation.

Under the plan, staff from the Park Service and Fish and Wildlife will release three to seven bears every year, until there is a population of 25 bears. The agencies expect to release 11 more bears after that, with the hope the population could reach 200 bears in a century.

“I’m very thrilled that this is going to happen,” said Chris Servheen, a retired grizzly recovery coordinator for U.S. Fish and Wildlife, on Thursday. “We have very few chances to be stewards for grizzly bears in the lower 48 states.”

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/grizzlies-to-return-to-north-cascades-feds-announce/