OLYMPIA, Wash. – The National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced their new plans to establish an experimental population of grizzly bears in the North Cascades area.
NPS and USFWS’ Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), published on Thursday, identifies this upcoming experimental population as the preferred alternative way to introduce the endangered species into the North Cascades Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone, which also includes areas in the North Cascades National Park.
According to a statement from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), section 10j of the Endangered Species Act permits establishments of experimental populations, however, the final record of decision published in the EIS will be released at another date.
The WDFW will reportedly work with their federal partners to respond to human-grizzly bear conflict that may result from the initiative, support scientific monitoring, and notify local communities and recreationists, should the federal partners move their preferred alternative forward.
“WDFW is dedicated to our role to conserve and manage wildlife in Washington, including for grizzly bears. By selecting an action alternative that includes the 10j rule, the federal agencies have set the stage for significant management flexibility should restoration implementation occur,” said the WDFW Wildlife Program Director, Eric Gardener.
According to Washington state law RCW 77.12.035, the WDFW may only introduce bears native to the state for management programs.
The WDFW are also working to manage and recover grizzly bear populations in Washington’s Selkirk Mountains, in collaboration with the USDFW.
