'Bears know no borders:' Washington state considers plan to reintroduce grizzlies in wilderness near Manning Park

A U.S. government plan to evaluate options to reintroduce grizzly bears in the North Cascades could lead to more bruins in the mountainous region between the Fraser Valley and the Okanagan.

Earlier this month, the U.S. National Park Service announced it would examine possibilities to restore and manage grizzly bears in Washington state’s North Cascades, a 25,000-square-kilometre ecosystem that abuts B.C.’s Skagit and Manning provincial parks, where the bears once thrived.

“It could be a wonderful opportunity if groups on both sides of the border work with the (First) Nations and each other,” said Cailyn Glasser, a natural resource manager with the Okanagan Tribal Alliance.

The alliance of eight First Nations has been working to protect grizzly bears in Syilx territory from Manning Park to Kootenay Lake since 2014. Discussions with the provincial government have so far been focused on stewardship and management.

It’s estimated that the North Cascade region is home to about six grizzly bears, although sightings are rare and none have been seen on the American side of the border for more than 25 years. 

“If the U.S. picks up and restarts their process it will benefit our process,” said Glasser. “This ecosystem is transboundary and bears know no borders.”

The U.S. has been discussing grizzly recovery in the region for almost three decades. A “completely new” evaluation began this month after a previous plan to reintroduce the bears in the North Cascades was scrapped by the Trump administration.

“This is a first step toward bringing balance back to the ecosystem and restoring a piece of the Pacific Northwest’s natural and cultural heritage,” Don Striker, superintendent of North Cascades National Park, said last week.

Grizzlies are a key part of the North Cascades’ ecosystem, keeping small animal populations in check and turning soil as they did for roots and other food. The bears are also culturally important to Indigenous people.

Ranchers have typically been opposed to reintroducing grizzlies, fearing they might attack cattle. The bears were hunted nearly to extinction in the last century.

In a tweet, Washington state Rep. Dan Newhouse urged the people of central Washington to attend virtual meetings on the new process to “voice their opinion and put this misguided proposal to rest, once and for all.”

He said the reintroduction of grizzlies would negatively impact people and communities.

“It is disappointing our voices are once again being ignored, even after the last process was discontinued due to overwhelming opposition.”

B.C. wildlife scientist Clayton Lamb said people coexist with grizzlies in many places, including in B.C., but it comes with challenges.

“There are legitimate hurdles,” said the bear researcher with Biodiversity Pathways and the University of B.C. “That discussion is real and we definitely need to think about how to support those people who would have to live (in bear territory).”

Wayne McCrory, a B.C. bear biologist who worked on plans to reintroduce grizzlies to the Manning Park region in the 1990s, said any bears should be collared and tracked to determine risk to people.

Under the B.C. plan, which was eventually cancelled, five bears would have been brought in each year from Wells Grey Provincial Park. Biologists had already started to collar bears ahead of transport when the government changed its mind, he said.

McCrory said Manning Park and North Cascades National Park would provide excellent grizzly bear habitat.

The B.C. government said Friday it’s working across ministries and in collaboration with the ONA, S’ólh Téméxw Stewardship Alliance, Nlaka’pamux Nation Tribal Council and the Upper Similkameen Indian Band to assess the feasibility of grizzly bear recovery in the North Cascades.

The B.C. government has estimated 15,000 grizzlies are in the province. About 340 die each year of human-related causes. Of the 56 grizzly populations in B.C., nine are classified as threatened.

The government banned grizzly bear trophy hunting in 2017. Before the ban, an average of 297 grizzly bears were legally killed by hunters annually, according to provincial data.

Across the province, various initiatives are underway to help protect and restore grizzly populations.

The Coast to Cascades Grizzly Bear Initiative tracks bear sightings through the 1-855-GO-GRIZZ hotline. Natalie Worrall, coordinator with the Hope Mountain Centre, said three sightings were reported this year, with an average of five or six per year over the last five years.

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— With files from Postmedia News

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