Grizzly bears will be reintroduced to Washington state’s North Cascades mountain range, the federal government said this week; This decision came after years of bitterly divided debate.
But given that the complex process requires trapping the bears, transporting them by truck and transporting them by helicopter from British Columbia or northwestern Montana, it could still be years before the creatures venture into remote and rugged terrain.
“We have a lot to do before we can establish a timeline,” said Jason Ransom, a wildlife biologist at North Cascades National Park. “For a project like this to be successful, it’s really important that you get the planning right.”
The National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Thursday that they hope to establish a “founding population” of 25 bears within the next five to 10 years by releasing the animals into remote areas of the forest.
This move will bring back one of the keystone species of the North Cascades, one of the best-preserved landscapes in the United States. Grizzly bears were once found in the area, but thousands were killed for their fur. According to the National Park Service, there have been no definitive sightings of bears here since 1996.
The two agencies plan to release three to seven bears each year. The goal is to establish a population of 200 bears within 60 to 100 years.
The North Cascades is one of six regions where federal agencies are pursuing grim restoration.
Advocates say this effort will make the overall ecosystem healthier.
“Our culture had a war against these species, and now we know it better, and this is a chance for us to tell a different story,” said Gordon Congdon, a retired orchardist and conservationist who lives in Wenatchee, Washington. restoration effort. “We think that by restoring the grizzly bear, it will improve the ecology of the environment and benefit other animals and habitat diversity.”
Grizzly bears turn soil, disperse seeds and can move and thrive in many habitats, Ransom said. Bears are expected to fare relatively well as climate change reshapes the environment.
“I think their ability to move and the wide range of food they require bodes well for them. They may be one of the survivors of climate change,” Ransom said. “Bringing back a species like this increases the resilience of the ecosystem in the face of change.”
But opponents worry the bears pose a safety risk to humans and will gravitate to lowland areas with farms and livestock. This group includes some farmers and ranchers near the border of the area where the bears will establish a new home.
For more than a decade, Washington state has struggled to prevent wolves from killing livestock and people from illegally harming wolves.
“We already have problems with predators in the state. “We don’t need another apex predator when we can’t handle the one we have,” said rancher Rachel McClure, secretary of the Okanogan County Cattlemen’s Association. “We are busy dealing with the wolves. “We don’t need to worry about bears.”
McClure said he suspects grizzly bears will move away from the landscape the ecologists have chosen: “They’re not going to stay where they put them.”
Federal agencies are sensitive to such concerns. But Ransom said the release sites would be “in a high-quality habitat, far, far away from everyone else.”
The habitat area in Washington state is roughly the size of New Jersey, and roughly 85% is under federal management, said Andrew LaValle, Fish and Wildlife public affairs officer.
The federal government has also designated the grizzly bears in this project as a “non-significant experimental population” under the Endangered Species Act, which will provide greater regulatory flexibility.
People would be allowed to kill grizzly bears to protect them from bodily harm, and federal agencies would be allowed to relocate or kill bears if necessary. In limited cases, with government permission, private landowners will be allowed to kill grizzly bears if they approach the animals and pose a threat.
But lethal action “is not the first tool in the toolbox,” LaValle said.
Bears will be captured in late summer or early fall using something called a “vent trap,” which resembles a long steel drum with a lid, according to Ransom. Once inside, the creatures will be anesthetized, undergo a veterinary examination and be radio-collared so biologists can track their whereabouts.
The bears will be trapped and sent to their accommodations, then helicopters will lift them into the wild for release.
Joe Scott, Conservation Northwest’s deputy international program director, said the hard-fought recovery is slow, arduous work. Female grizzly bears generally do not breed until they are 5 years old and rarely venture outside their territory. Many offspring do not survive until they reach reproductive age.
“No matter how long it takes to get here, this is just the beginning. The actual execution is not a slam dunk,” Scott said.
He added that starting with 25 bears would allow the population to gradually increase: “It gives people and bears a chance to get used to each other in a place we haven’t had for decades.”
This article first appeared on NBCNews.com.