[Frank]

Public Invited to Open Houses on Options for Grizzly Bear Restoration in North Cascades Ecosystem Public comment period open through March 26, 2015 SEDRO WOOLLEY, Wash. – The public is invited to participate in a series of informational open houses regarding restoration of grizzly bears in the North Cascades ecosystem. The meetings are being held by the National Park Service (NPS) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) as part of the Grizzly Bear Restoration Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process for the North Cascades ecosystem. This is the first opportunity for public involvement in the EIS. The purpose of the EIS is to determine whether or not the agencies will take an active role in restoring the grizzly bear to the North Cascades Ecosystem. The public open houses will be held at these locations and times: Winthrop March 3, 5-7:30 pm Red Barn Upper Meeting Room 51 N. Hwy 20 Winthrop, WA 98862 Okanogan March 4, 5-7:30 pm Okanogan PUD Meeting Room 1331 2nd Ave N Okanogan, WA 98840 Wenatchee March 5, 6-8:30 pm Chelan County PUD Auditorium 327 N. Wenatchee Ave. Wenatchee, WA 98801 Cle Elum March 9, 5-7:30 pm Putnam Centennial Center Meeting Room 719 East 3rd Street Cle Elum, WA 98922 Seattle March 10, 5-7:30 pm Seattle Pacific University Bertona Classroom 1 103 West Bertona Seattle, WA 98119 Bellingham March 11, 5-7:30 pm Bellingham Central Library Lecture Room 210 Central Avenue Bellingham, WA 98227 In addition to these open houses, the public is invited to submit written comments at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/NCEG. Comments may also be submitted through March 26, 2015, via regular mail or hand delivery at: Superintendent’s Office, North Cascades National Park Service Complex, 810 State Route 20, Sedro Woolley, WA 98284. “This is an important phase in the process of assessing environmental impacts,” said NPS Pacific West Regional Director Chris Lehnertz. “Public comment at this stage is critical to ensure that all issues are considered.” The FWS listed the grizzly bear as a threatened species in the lower 48 United States in 1975. The species was listed as endangered by the state of Washington in 1980. “The Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan calls on us to fully consider the restoration of the grizzly bear in the North Cascades, and this process will ensure we solicit the public for their input before putting any plan into action,” said FWS Pacific Regional Director Robyn Thorson. “We will continue to work with our partners to make this an open and transparent process.” The North Cascades ecosystem encompasses 9,800 square miles in the United States and another 3,800 square miles in British Columbia, Canada. The United States portion of the ecosystem includes North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake National Recreation Area, Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, and Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. A few grizzly bears have recently been sighted in the Canadian part of the ecosystem, but no grizzly bears have been sighted in the United States portion for several years. The U.S. Forest Service and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife are cooperating agencies on the EIS. Funding for the EIS is provided by the NPS. The U.S. Forest Service, FWS and other cooperating agencies and partners will provide technical support throughout. For more information on grizzly bear recovery, visit http://bit.ly/NCEgrizzly or nps.gov/grizzly.

[MtnGoat]

I'm uncertain that intentionally reintroducing a lethal animal is a great idea. Surely their numbers outside of the US mainland can support the species, and enough increase in numbers down here to impact the overall count will increase risks to humans here.

[NacMacFeegle]

[MtnGoat]

I didn't claim they were ravenous for human flesh. I'm concerned about harm to humans for whatever reason due to intentionally reintroducing them.

[NacMacFeegle]

I didn't say that you said that grizzly bears are ravenous for human flesh, but your comment did give an overly exaggerated impression of how dangerous grizzly bears are. The fact is that fewer people die from grizzly bear attacks than practically anything else, as is explained in this quote from Backpacker Magazine:

[MtnGoat]

In what manner did I exaggerate anything? Increasing numbers of a dangerous animal increases risks to humans in the same areas. Assuming the population is sufficient elsewhere for preservation, increasing their present range increases the likelyhood of harm, and perhaps with little benefit to the grizzlies as a species.

[NacMacFeegle]

[MadCapLaughs]

[MtnGoat]

well, we could always reintroduce them to your house, and see how that extremely low risk feels then.

[gb]

[monorail]

[grannyhiker]

Strange that similar public meetings about grizz in the North Cascades were going on in the late 1980s. I attended one. The same arguments were going on as in this thread. Since all this was discussed 30 years ago and the North Cascades became part of the Grizzly Bear Recovery Program back then, why the meetings now? For that matter, since the recovery program has been going on for 30 years, where are the bears? I've hiked in Wyoming's Wind Rivers, where grizz are spreading rapidly (confirmed sightings in all parts of the range, although most are still in the northern part). Never spotted a grizz although I really wanted to see one (from a safe distance, of course)! As far as risk goes, I was at far more risk driving to and from the trailhead.

[MtnGoat]

Why *add* risk?

[treeswarper]

[grannyhiker]