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Grizzly
Bear Recovery
Grizzly
bears lived in the North Cascades long before people arrived and are a vital component of the North Cascades Ecosystem.
They are also recognized as an important part of our national heritage
that should be preserved. Most
people believe that grizzly bears have a right to co-exist with humans if safety
and economic concerns can be addressed.
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In
1975, the grizzly bear was listed as “Threatened” under the US
Endangered Species Act.
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In
1983, the Interagency Grizzly
Bear Committee (IGBC) was established with the goal of recovering the grizzly bear
population in the lower 48 states.
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The
IGBC includes representatives from the US Fish and Wildlife Service,
National Park Service, USDA Forest Service, US Geological Survey, state Fish
and Wildlife Departments, and the British Columbia Ministry of Water, Land,
and Air Protection.
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The
IGBC was charged with identifying good areas for recovering grizzly bears in
the lower 48 states.
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The
IGBC identified six ecosystems in four states with an adequate amount of
good quality habitat for grizzly bear recovery (see below).
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The six lower 48 grizzly bear recovery zones
(source: USFWS)
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 The
North Cascades recovery area (pictured below) is bounded by the Canadian international
border, approximately the west border of the Mount Baker/Snoqualmie National
Forest, the I-90 corridor, and approximately the east border of the
Wenatchee/Okanogan National Forest and the Loomis State Forest.
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The
North Cascades grizzly bear recovery area covers almost 10,000
square miles (one of the largest in the United States).
More than 40% of the recovery area is designated wilderness, 90% is
federal or state owned, and 68% has no motorized access. To see a map of the
north-eastern portion of the North Cascades recovery ecosystem in Okanogan County,
click here. To see a map of the north-western
portion of the North Cascades recovery ecosystem in Whatcom and Skagit Counties,
click
here. For a slightly larger version of the map below, showing the entire
recovery ecosystem, click here.
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For
a full chronology of events related to grizzly bears in the North Cascades
of Washington, click here.
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For
a mini handout poster (two 8.5 x 11 sheets) containing interesting facts,
maps, and statistics , please click
here (650 kb pdf).
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Courtesy of North Cascades National Park Service
Complex Geographic Information System
Background
research on the habitat, biology, and behavior of grizzly bears has been
completed as a prelude to further recovery actions.
Researchers have found that:
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 Most
core, or secure habitat for grizzly bears is located in wilderness areas or
portions of the North Cascades with no motorized access.
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The
recovered population in the North Cascades Ecosystem will be about 200-400
grizzly bears (about one per 33 square miles).
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It
will take up to a century to achieve this population.
The
next step in the recovery process is the development of a formal Environment
Impact Statement (EIS). The EIS
process will be managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service with
assistance from other agencies. A
wide range of recovery strategies will be considered at that time.
When this public process is initiated, local communities will have
extensive opportunities for input on the development and selection of recovery
strategies.
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