Grizzly bear observations

This page presents an assortment of grizzly bear observation accounts that have occurred in or near to Washington State's North Cascade Ecosystem. We will keep this page updated as new accounts become available.

As stated in the report titled the 'North Cascades Grizzly Bear Ecosystem Evaluation' (Almack et al. 1993)(see left), North Cascades grizzly bear observations are rated on a reliability scale from Class 1 to Class 4. A Class 1 (confirmed) reliability rating indicated a grizzly bear observation confirmed by a biologist and/or by photograph, carcass, track, hair, dig, or food cache. Grizzly bear sign required verification by a grizzly bear biologist. Tracks were documented by photograph and/or plaster cast and met grizzly bear front foot toe alignment criteria using the Palmisciano Line Method. If tracks were not of sufficient quality to allow the use of the Palmisciano Line Method, they were rated with a lower reliability. Hair samples were guard hairs identified by microscopic examination of basal and shaft scale patters in combination with shaft shield and shaft tip coloration. If structural characteristics of the hair could not be differentiated, the rating was lowered. Digs and food caches required verification by a grizzly bear biologist. A Class 2 (high reliability) report documented and observation of a grizzly bear that was identified by two or more physical characteristics, but lacked verification criteria as noted for a Class 1 observation. The presence of a shoulder hump, long front claws, and concave facial profile were the physical characteristics used to identify Class 2 observations. A Class 3 (low reliability) rating indicated that the observation report included documentation of only one identifying physical characteristic of a grizzly bear, making it impossible to verify the species of bear observed. A Class 4 (not a grizzly bear) rating was given to an observation that was reported as a grizzly bear, but which, upon investigation, was verified to be a species other than a grizzly bear.

Between 1983 and 1991, there were 20 Class 1 sightings, 82 Class 2 sightings, and 102 Class 3 sightings.

If you need to report a North Cascades grizzly bear observation, please click here.

	History Since pre-historic times, grizzly bears have been a part of the west. Before Europeans arrived, grizzly bears were thriving in all western states ranging as far south as Mexico. Population levels in the lower 48 states are estimated to have been between 50,000 - 100,000 grizzly bears. For a series of short historical grizzly bear accounts in the North Cascades please click here.
	The map on the left show the historical and current distribution of grizzly bears in North America. Grizzly bear numbers and range in the lower 48 states have been reduced by around 98% in the last 200 years.
	Trapping Records Hudson Bay Company trapping records show that 3,788 grizzly bear hides were shipped from the North Cascades area trading posts between 1827 and 1859. The decimation of the grizzly bear population continued for more than a century with commercial trapping, habitat loss, and unregulated hunting the leading causes of death. The last grizzly bear to be killed in the North Cascades of Washington was in 1967 in Fisher Creek (in what is now North Cascades National Park).
	Left: "Cougar Pete" (Peterson) appointed by "Teddy" Roosevelt as First Forest Ranger for Snoqualmie National Forest - "Cougar Pete" shot this 1000 pound+ grizzly bear (which had been killing cattle in the Cascades) and shipped the hide to Smithsonian Institute. SOURCE: Snoqualmie Valley Historical Society. Click here for the 1923 newspaper article associated with this picture.
	More recent North Cascades observations Of North Cascades grizzly bear sightings reported to government agencies between 1950 and 1991, 20 were confirmed and an additional 81 were considered highly probable. Today, the estimated resident population in Washington’s North Cascades is between 5 and 20 bears (the estimated population in British Columbia’s North Cascades is also 5-20 bears). Most likely the home ranges of a small number of grizzly bears span the border.
	Bacon Creek, Whatcom County, 1989 The grizzly bear track photograph on the left was taken on Bacon Peak (Whatcom County) in 1989. It shows the elongated claw marks on the front track (the lower of the two), and also the "shallow" toe arc that is typical of grizzly bears (and not black bears). To learn more about identifying the difference between grizzly and black bear tracks, click here.
	Thunder Creek, 1991 A photograph of a grizzly bear front track was taken in the Thunder Creek drainage (North Cascades National Park Service Complex) in 1991. This represents a Class 1 level observation, which means that it has been verified as evidence of a North Cascades grizzly bear. To learn more about identifying the difference between grizzly and black bear tracks, click here.
	Glacier Peak, 1996 In 1996, a bear biologist saw a grizzly bear on the south side of Glacier Peak in the Glacier Peak Wilderness Area. This is the last recorded Class 1 observation.
	British Columbia grizzly bear video, 2002 In June 2002, two Canadian hunters came across a grizzly bear in the southern portion of British Columbia. The bear was grazing in a meadow east of Manning Provincial Park (which is directly adjacent to Washington's North Cascades National Park Service Complex). The men were able to obtain some video tape of the bear which can be viewed by clicking the links below. Please note, these video clips are in mpeg format - they are very large files. Clip 1 (3 MB) Clip 2 (2.5 MB) Clip 3 (1.5 MB)
	Chesaw Grizzly Bear, May 2003 In May, 2003 a rancher witnessed a grizzly bear making its way across his property near Chesaw, Washington. Although this grizzly bear observation was east of the North Cascades Ecosystem, it was in Okanogan County, around 25 miles east of the North Cascades Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone. The three photographs to the left were taken by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists who documented by photo, measurement, and plaster cast several bear tracks found in mud near a spring on the property. They collected hair samples from a barbed wire fence through which the landowner reported the bear had passed, as well as bear scat (droppings) found near the tracks and hair. The biologists also found and photographed a small dig site (see left) where a large animal had excavated a ground squirrel burrow, a common foraging behavior for grizzlies, but not typical for black bears. Page under construction More coming soon!