The Grizzly Zone -- 160 Sightings Indicate Rare Bears Recovering In The North Cascades
SEDRO-WOOLLEY - After five years of searching in the North Cascades, government biologists have yet to capture a grizzly bear, or even photograph one.
But they know they're out there.
In one maddening instance, grizzly tracks were found all around a remote camera except in front of the lens, said Jon Almack of Washington's Department of Wildlife.
And scientists have gathered so much evidence of grizzlies - the tracks of seven different grizzly bears, an estimated 160 reliable sightings, and a food cache in which a grizzly buried a half-consumed deer at the northern end of Lake Ross - that it appears likely the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will next year declare the North Cascades a Grizzly Recovery Zone.
Such a designation would not have as dramatic an impact on industry as spotted owl or salmon protection, partly because most grizzly habitat already has wilderness protection.
But it would mean some changes for hikers, campers, ranchers and loggers if up to 7.5 million acres is managed for increasing the grizzly population. Biologists' goal is to go from an estimated 10 to 20 bears now to 70 to 90 bears in the future.
A decade ago, few believed Cascade grizzlies existed in what remains one of the most rugged, remote areas in the U.S. But evidence of their presence may mean they are both rebounding because of protection and being pushed south from logged, mined and drilled habitat in British Columbia. Grizzlies also roam the Selkirk Mountains in northeastern Washington.
Overall, the grizzly-bear population in the continental U.S. has declined an estimated 99 percent in the last 150 years, but recent efforts to protect the bears seem to be having results: in the Yellowstone area, 57 cubs were counted in 1990, compared to just 23 in 1980.
In the Cascades, meanwhile, environmental groups are petitioning for the grizzly's status to be changed from "threatened" to "en
BEARS MAKE COMEBACK IN CASCADES
dangered" and recently asked for immediate emergency protection, a petition the federal government rejected last month.
Wednesday, Bellingham's Greater Ecosystem announced that it will sue as a result.
A recommendation on a possible recovery zone for grizzlies is due to go to the Fish and Wildlife Service this fall after the Forest Service finishes taking inventory of the grizzly habitat using satellite photographs.
"The next big problem is where to draw this magic line of a recovery zone and how that affects bears and how it affects people," Almack said.
The North Cascades ecosystem includes 12 million acres. But before grizzlies are encouraged to fully populate that area, Almack said a number of issues will have to be resolved:
-- Should recreationists be kept from some valleys until mid-June to give grizzlies emerging from hibernation time to feed before the bears move to higher country?
-- Should hikers be required to take the bear precautions common in the Rockies and Alaska and should they be fined if they don't?
-- Should ranchers be paid for losses if grizzlies kill their livestock?
-- Should the government spend money on such a program?
Almack estimates that it will cost $300,000 annually to properly study the grizzlies. Additional money would be needed to educate recreationists, post bear warning signs, bear-proof garbage containers, etc.
If grizzly bears are going to be encouraged in Washington state, he said, the public needs to be taught that the image of "ursus horribilis" is worse than its bite.
The grizzly's diet is 95 percent vegetarian and its huge claws are used primarily for digging such prey as ants and ground squirrels, he said. Grizzlies avoid humans when possible and, unless they've had some contact with them, usually don't attack them.
"The bear is not the problem," Almack said. "It's people who are the problem. We are moving into a wild animal's back yard and not living by their etiquette. Yet it is usually the bear who pays the price for our rudeness."
He cited a recent incident where wildlife photographers sprinkled gelatin mix on rocks in the North Cascades to draw black bears. The bears became so accustomed to the treat that they later chased down an innocent hiker, tearing off her pack before letting her alone without serious injury.
But some regard encouragement of grizzlies with about as much enthusiasm as they would luring more immigrants from California.
"I am still skeptical," said trail guidebook author Ira Spring. He fears trails will be closed on an already crowded park system to prevent clashes between bears and humans.
However, some hiking enthusiasts think the bears' presence would improve the wilderness experience.
"For me, the grizzly bear is an indicator species" demonstrating the health of the wild ecosystem, said Frank Ponikvar, a Seattle artist who is vice president of the Montana-based Great Bear Foundation. "If hikers want to keep the wild in wilderness, the bear has to be there."