Resources

Looking for more information about North Cascades Grizzly Bear restoration? Please visit the links below for resolutions of support, information from the government agencies leading this public process, and information from conservation organizations and bear experts.

January 2021 update:Letter to Congress urging continued commitment for North Cascades grizzly bear recovery

Our organizations wish to emphasize our unequivocal support for the resumption and completion of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) that is intended to restore grizzly bears to the North Cascades Grizzly Bear Recovery Zone. We respectfully ask for your continued support for the formal agency-driven recovery process, the completion of the FEIS, and issuance of a Record of Decision (RoD) that respects the requirements of the ESA under direction of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

July 2020 update: Response to Secretary of the Interior’s termination of North Cascades grizzly restoration plan

Despite public support and scientific recommendation, Trump Administration’s Secretary of the Interior stops work on North Cascades grizzly restoration study. Recent public comment periods and past polling show that roughly 80 percent of respondents support grizzly bear restoration in the backcountry in and around North Cascades National Park, including residents on both sides of the Cascade Crest.

October 2019 supplemental comment period

• Comments from Conservation Northwest on grizzly bear restoration
• North Cascades grizzly bear restoration planning begins—again, blog by Joe Scott
• Scientists letter from Gainies, Lyons, Proctor et al. on grizzly population restoration in the North Cascades
• Okanogan and Chelan county locals support letter submitted to Department of Interior leadersip

February 2019 Update

Update on North Cascades Grizzly Bears

We remain hopeful for North Cascades grizzly bear restoration despite further delay from the Department of the Interior in completing the Environmental Impact Statement.

March 2018 Update

Interior Secretary Zinke Supports Restoration of Grizzlies in North Cascades

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke says the federal government is moving forward with plans to restore grizzly bears in the remote North Cascade Mountains of Washington state.

Questions About Signing our Statment?

Read this helpful Frequently Asked Questions document.

Polling on North Cascades grizzly bear restoration

Polling Finds Washington Voters Strongly Back Grizzly Bear Recovery Efforts in the North Cascades

The poll, conducted May 19-22, 2016 by Tulchin Research for the organization Defenders of Wildlife, found 80 percent of registered voters in Washington support efforts to help the declining population of grizzly bears in the North Cascades recover. Notably, this overwhelming support extends across gender, generational, regional, and even partisan lines – with 89 percent of Democrats, 70 percent of Republicans, and 74 percent of independent voters backing these efforts. This poll included a representative sample of 600 registered voters in both urban and rural areas across the state of Washington regarding efforts to help the declining population of grizzly bears in the North Cascades to recover. Read more.

Testimonial video: Winthrop Barn (2019)

Short Film: Time for the Grizzly? (2017)

Short Film: Wanted: Grizzly Bears? (2016)

Curious about grizzly bears? A 7 minute film about the elusive North Cascades grizzly bear narrated by ecologist and film maker Chris Morgan, and including appearances by many Washington State residents who share their opinions of bears, and help bust some myths. The film includes beautiful footage of the North Cascades, and bears in Alaska where Morgan has hosted several films for PBS Nature, the BBC, and others. We hope you enjoy it.

Short Film: Ranching and Grizzly Bears (2015)

In producing this video, we traveled to Montana’s ranching and grizzly bear country to meet with livestock operators, ranchers and expert wildlife managers to see how other states are successfully coexisting with recovering grizzly bear populations.

Resolutions and Letters of Support

• Comments from the International Association for Bear Research and Management (IBA), October 2019
• Letter from the Snoqualmie Tribe, September 2019
• Quote from Scott Schuyler of the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe, April 2018
• Resolution from the National Wildlife Federation (PDF version), June 2017
• Resolution from Metro Parks Tacoma April 2017
• Resolution from the Whatcom County Council March 2017
• Letter from the Yakama Nation, March 2017
• Resolution from the S’ólh Téméxw Stewardship Alliance, a partnership of sixteen Stó:lō First Nations, May 2016
• Resolution from the Okanagan Nation Alliance including the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, November 2014
• Statement from State Senator John McCoy, 38th Dist. – Tulalip, August 2014
• Letter from from IBEW Local Union 191, Everett, Washington, March 2008
• Letter from General Mills, Inc. Office of Global Sustainability, January 2008
• Resolution from the Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians, September 2007
• Letter from the Yakama Nation, April 2007
• Letter from the Tulalip Tribes, 2007

Editorials and Op-Eds

• Why returning grizzlies to the North Cascades is the right thing to do, Seattle Times Pacific NW Magazine feature by Ron Judd, November 2015
• Grizzly bears have a natural place in the North Cascades, Editorial in Methow Valley News, October 2019
• Editorial: Plan for grizzly bears’ return reemerges from den, The Everett Herald, August 2019
• EDITORIAL: Feds wise to listen on grizzly bear proposals, The Wenatchee World, July 2019
• Zinke’s broken promise on North Cascades grizzlies stings, Op-Ed in The Seattle Times, December 2018
• Editorial: Despite concerns, bring back ‘the great bear’, Yakima Herald Editorial, July 2018
• Bring Grizzlies Back to the North Cascades, Backpacker Magazine Op-Ed, August 2017
• Ryan Zinke is right: Reintroduce the North Cascades grizzly bear, The Seattle Times, April 24, 2018
• Commentary: How grizzlies and people can share North Cascades, The Everett Herald, April 22, 2018
• Local Commentary: Ecosystem can support grizzlies, Stanwood Camano News, July 16, 2018
• Actor Jeff Bridges weighs in on protecting Cascades grizzlies. You can, too,  The Bellingham Herald, March 14, 2017
• Commentary: North Cascades needs a healthy grizzly bear community, The Everett Herald Op-Ed by conservationists Joe Scott, hunter and business-owner Mark Heckert, and hiking guidebook author Craig Romano, March 2017
• Editorial: Why grizzly bears need to return to the North Cascades, Editorial from The Everett Herald Editorial Board, March 2017
• Editorial: Zinke an unexpected ally for Cascade grizzlies, Editorial from The Everett Herald Editorial Board, March 2018
• Speak up for grizzlies or they’ll be gone for good, Tacoma News Tribune Op-Ed from Alan Varsik, interim director of zoological and environmental education for Metro Parks Tacoma, March 2017
• Big, wild country needs grizzlies, Wenatchee World Op-Ed from local resident, hunter and Okanogan Sportsmen’s Alliance founder Gregg Bafundo, April 2017
• Grizzlies in the North Cascades by hiking guide author Craig Romano, Jan/Feb 2015 edition of Mountaineers Magazine
• Grizzly bears can make North Cascades a piece of wild America, March 2015 opinion editorial in The Seattle Times by Rob Smith, Northwest regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association

Helpful Links

Note: All content belongs to third parties and is not officially endorsed or guaranteed by the Friends of the North Cascades Grizzly Bear.

• The myths around grizzly bears, The Wenatchee World, October 2, 2019
• With Zinke Out, North Cascades Grizzly Reintroduction Plan Stalls, Earthfix/OPB, December 21, 2018
• Grizzlies Back on Track in the North Cascades, Earth Island Journal, April 4, 2018
• Grizzly bears could make a return to WA — for real this time, Crosscut, April 26, 2018
• Should We Bring Grizzly Bears Back To North Cascades? – March 2016 KUOW interview with bear ecologist Chris Morgan
• A synthesis of historical and recent reports of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in the North Cascades Region, National Park Service, 2018
• Info on the historical presence of grizzlies in the North Cascades from Lauren Danner, author of Crown Jewel Wilderness: Creating North Cascades National Park
• 1983 Washington Department of Game paper on historical sightings of grizzly bears in the North Cascades (also on DocumentCloud)
• January 2017 News Release – Recovery strategies for North Cascades grizzly bear announced
• One page flier with suggested comments on grizzly bear restoration DEIS (Updated February 2017)
• Information on North Cascades grizzly bears from the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC)
• The North Cascades: Just right for grizzly bears, an interview with bear ecologist Bill Gaines, Ph.D
• Cascade Hiker Podcast 052 Grizzly Reintroduction with Chase Gunnell of Conservation Northwest, April 2017
• National Park Service / USFWS Frequently Asked Questions
• Grizzly Bear Restoration Project Home
• North Cascades Ecosystem Grizzly Bear Restoration Plan Public Scoping Newsletter
• NCE Grizzly Bear Restoration Plan Background documents
• Conservation Northwest – North Cascades Grizzly Bear
• North Cascades Grizzly Bear on Facebook
• Bear Safety in Washington, 60 second video
• Ranching and Grizzly Bears, 25 minutes video
• More “bear-aware” safety information

Map

North Cascades Recovery Area: PDF | JPEG

Remote Camera Image

One-pager on North Cascades Grizzly Bear DEIS

Including suggested talking points for comments in support of restoration. Download as a PDF.

Brochure on North Cascades grizzly bears

Environmentally, culturally and ethically, restoring grizzly bears in the North Cascades is the right thing to do. Download as a PDF.

Bear Identification Card

It’s estimated that fewer than 10 grizzly bears live in the North Cascades Ecosystem. If you work or play outdoors, you can help restore grizzly bears in the North Cascades by documenting their presence. Download as a PDF. Bear comparison artwork courtesy of the Be Bear Aware Campaign. Photographs by Chuck Bartlebaugh.

Are You Bear Smart Poster

Download as a high-resolution PDF. Learn about bear identification and bear smart camping, hiking and recreating in this informational poster. Bear comparison artwork courtesy of the Be Bear Aware Campaign. Photographs by Chuck Bartlebaugh.

Grizzly Bear Coloring Page

Grizzly Bear Coloring Page: PDF