By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
The Biden administration’s outdoor agencies—the National Park Service (NPS) and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS)—have announced their decision to move forward on reintroducing grizzly bears to Washington state’s North Cascades.
Much of the area is within the boundaries of the North Cascades National Park, and lands surrounding the park are primarily within the Okanogan-Wenatchee national forest, which is a popular area for big game hunting, as well as hiking, backpacking, wilderness camping and trail riding.
According to KCPQ News in Seattle, the local Fox News affiliate, the two agencies “will seek to move three to seven bears per year for a period of five to 10 years to establish a population of 25 bears.”
The FWS will reportedly publish a final rule within days.
Depending upon one’s perspective, this is either a welcome announcement, or the beginning of what could be considered a looming disaster, especially for Okanogan mule deer herds and the sportsmen and women who hunt them. Advocates on both sides have taken to social media to express their views.
Some opponents of the grizzly bear plan have pointed to a state statute which appears to conflict with the NPS/FWS announcement. Washington adopted this statute years ago:
“RCW 77.12.035 – Protection of grizzly bears-Limitation on transplantation or introduction—Negotiations with federal and state agencies.
“The (Fish & Wildlife) commission shall protect grizzly bears and develop management programs on publicly owned lands that will encourage the NATURAL regeneration of grizzly bears in areas with suitable habitat. GRIZZLY BEARS SHALL NOT BE TRANSPLANTED OR INTRODUCED INTO THE STATE. Only grizzly bears that are native to Washington state may be utilized by the department for management programs. The department is directed to fully participate in all discussions and negotiations with federal and state agencies relating to grizzly bear management and shall fully communicate, support, and implement the policies of this section.”
But according to the administration announcement, “Under the decision, grizzly bears in the North Cascades will be designated as a nonessential experimental population under section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act. The designation will provide authorities and land managers with additional tools for management that would not otherwise be available under existing Endangered Species Act regulations…There is no set timeline for when translocation of grizzly bears to the ecosystem may begin. The National Park Service will publish updates on the park website and notify partners and the public of implementation plans as they develop.
One insider advised TGM privately the federal agencies do have the authority to reintroduce grizzlies.
Perhaps not surprisingly, Democrat Gov. Jay Inslee is celebrating the news. He has been accused of appointing environmentalist anti-hunters to the state Fish & Wildlife Commission, and in recent years, that panel has cancelled the traditional spring black bear hunt.
In a message on “X” (formerly Twitter), Inslee wrote: “Thanks to the Biden administration, grizzly bears are coming back to the North Cascades. These animals were a keystone species here for thousands of years. Their reintroduction will restore a valuable part of our ecosystem and collective natural heritage.”
Inslee is a climate change extremist who championed legislation to one day prohibit the sale of gas-powered vehicles in the Evergreen State. More important to TGM readers, he is a gun control advocate who signed legislation last year banning so-called “assault weapons” and in 2022, he signed a bill banning the sale of so-called “large-capacity magazines.” Both laws are being challenged in federal court by the Second Amendment Foundation and others.
