Commentary: How grizzlies and people can share North Cascades

Steps that are working elsewhere can limit conflict between people and bears as their numbers grow.

By Robb Krehbiel

They’re the “ghost bears” of the North Cascades. With fewer than 10 remaining in this vast ecosystem, some people joke that you are more likely to see Sasquatch than one of the elusive bears roaming the forested wilderness.

As the most endangered grizzly bear population in the country, the North Cascades grizzly bears are in desperate need of assistance. Plans to bring additional bears into the Cascades were drafted in 2014, but the recovery plan’s fate remained uncertain under President Trump.

After months of delay, Department of the Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke recently made a surprise visit to North Cascades National Park to announce a restart to the recovery planning process. This news was welcomed by Washingtonians, who overwhelmingly support grizzly restoration in the North Cascades. However, a final decision is pending. The National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must now analyze various plans and options to recover this extremely small population, ensuring that grizzlies will once again roam the rugged landscape of the North Cascades.

During his visit, Zinke spoke on the prospects for restoration. “I am absolutely confident that we’re on the right path, that we can introduce the grizzly back into the ecosystem, and it will be a net positive. … I’m not going to make a pre-judgment, but I can tell you the winds are very favorable.”

Recovery of grizzlies in the North Cascades will require more than a speech. To ensure that grizzly bear recovery is a success, we need to do more than physically bring bears back to the landscape. We need to ensure that people and bears can share this land we all call home.

The Pacific Northwest is an outdoor recreationalist’s paradise. Whether it’s hiking or hunting, mountain biking or fishing, many Washingtonians escape to these forests, rivers and mountains to experience our natural heritage. But exploring these wild lands should be done with care and caution. Before heading into bear country, it’s important to know how to avoid conflicts with either grizzly or black bears.

Defenders of Wildlife has worked for more than 20 years across the grizzly bear’s range to promote coexistence tools and provide education about recreating in bear country. In Washington, we have reached out to communities through our PlaySmart campaign, providing tips for how to avoid conflicts while in bear country.

As the recovery plan for North Cascades grizzlies moves forward, there are already people who live alongside the great bear here in Washington. In the northeast corner of the state, Pend Oreille County and the Kalispel Tribe are neighbors to a small (but slowly growing) population of grizzlies in the Selkirk Mountains. To reduce human-bear conflict in the region, the county and the tribe are partnering with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife to learn about bear behavior and the importance of bear spray. Defenders of Wildlife has recently expanded our electric fence cost-share program into Pend Oreille and Stevens counties, helping private landowners cover the cost and providing technical assistance to install bear-resistant electric fences around common bear attractants such as chicken coops and fruit trees.

On the Colville National Forest, U.S. Forest Service staff, with the assistance of numerous partners, have been installing food storage lockers at campgrounds so that campers can safely store their food from bears and other wildlife. The forest has a goal of installing lockers at every forest campsite over the next five years.

Pend Oreille County Public Works officials have also been working to secure their waste transfer sites. Without a landfill in the county, residents take their trash to community pickup locations, where dumpsters are later trucked to landfills. Unfortunately, trash can be a magnet for wildlife, especially bears. To keep bears out of trash and away from people, the county is working to fully fence these sites.

These projects show that Washingtonians are willing and able to share our landscape with grizzly bears. We know that there is widespread support for grizzly restoration in the North Cascades. Defenders of Wildlife will closely follow the recovery process, as we have since the beginning. In the meantime, we remain committed to working with communities to provide the tools, resources and assistance that people need to coexist with the great bear.

Robb Krehbiel is the northwest representative for Defenders of Wildlife’s Seattle office.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

FILE - In this Friday, Oct. 4, 2019, file photo, a man using an electronic cigarette exhales in Mayfield Heights, Ohio. On Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019, the American Medical Association said it is calling for an immediate ban on all electronic cigarette and vaping devices. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)
Editorial: Shut down flavored tobacco’s gateway to youths

Legislation in Olympia would bar the use of flavors and menthol in vape products and cigarettes.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Tuesday, Feb. 18

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Herald report of Everett protest inaccurate, biased

I was at the rally and protest in Everett last on Feb.… Continue reading

Media shouldn’t use ‘she’ for trans people

About 79 percent of Americans oppose those observed male at birth from… Continue reading

USAID freeze halts vital aid work

I am outraged the Trump administration is making the U.S. weaker in… Continue reading

Goldberg: Trump declares war on higher ed, not just woke parts

The move, aided by Elon Musk, to gut NIH funding, is part of a larger and debilitating attack on academia.

Comment: Trump’s Kennedy Center will narrow exposure to art

Trump’s move to takeover the Kennedy Center is not about the arts but about celebrating his tastes.

Rivian, based in Irvine, Calif., has introduced its new R2 models, smaller and more affordable SUVs. (Rivian)
Editorial: Open electric vehicle market to direct sales

Legislation would allow EV makers to sell directly to customers, making lease or purchase easier.

People walk adjacent to the border with Canada at the Peace Arch in Peace Arch Historical State Park, where cars behind wait to enter Canada at the border crossing Monday, Aug. 9, 2021, in Blaine, Wash. Canada lifted its prohibition on Americans crossing the border to shop, vacation or visit, but America kept similar restrictions in place, part of a bumpy return to normalcy from coronavirus travel bans. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Editorial: U.S. and Canada better neighbors than housemates

President Trump may be serious about annexing Canada, but it’s a deal fraught with complexities for all.

CNA Nina Prigodich, right, goes through restorative exercises with long term care patient Betty Long, 86, at Nightingale's View Ridge Care Center on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Boost state Medicaid funding for long-term care

With more in need of skilled nursing and assisted-living services, funding must keep up to retain staff.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Monday, Feb. 17

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Comment: No one saw Musk’s DOGE rampage coming or its threat

With no formal grant of authority, Musk is making cuts without fully understanding the consequences.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.