Grizzly Bears Officially Returning To Washington Cascades

Grizzly bears are officially returning to the Cascade Mountains.  

The National Park Service and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced a decision Thursday to actively restore grizzly bears, although no reintroduction date or schedule was released.  

The agencies recently concluded the public comment period of the process under a plan started by the Biden Administration in 2023. The Trump Administration had scrapped a proposal to restore the bears in 2020. 

There's been vocal opposition to the grizzly bear plan among East side elected officeholders since the idea was introduced.  

The grizzly restoration will fall under a designation that allows landowners to protect their property if the bears wander in.  

Plans call for three to seven grizzly bears to be brought into the ecosystem annually over the next five to 10 years.  

The federal agencies are moving forward with the reintroduction under the 10 (j) designation.   

The plan does allow for a local response if the bears infringe on private land.  

Congress added the 10 (j) designation to relieve landowner concerns that reintroductions may result in restrictions on the use of private, tribal, or public land.   

Under 10 (j), the grizzlies will be introduced as a nonessential experimental population with more flexible rules for managing bears.   

Landowners can continue to manage their lands without concern about violating the Endangered Species Act by inadvertently harming a species.   

Plans call for three to seven grizzly bears to be brought into the ecosystem annually over the next five to 10 years.     

It’s estimated there will eventually be approximately 200 grizzly bears within 60 to 100 years.