9
own monitoring efforts to this critical wolverine habitat.
GRIZZLY BEAR MONITORING
At one time, grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) roamed throughout most of what is now Washington state. After their
near extirpation from the lower 48 states in the 1800's, grizzly bears were listed as Endangered under the
Endangered Species Act in 1975
10
. In 1997, the North Cascades, along with five other recovery zones, was
identified as a key area for recovery of the endangered bear species and designated as a federal Grizzly Bear
Recovery Zone.
11
Now, 22 years after the recovery plan was written, the National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) are in the midst of an important public process to explore options for recovering
grizzly bears in the North Cascades.
12
Despite anecdotal reports of grizzlies in the North Cascades and recent confirmed sightings just north of the
British Columbia border, no population or individual has been confirmed in the Washington portion of the
ecosystem since 1996
13
. Based on expert opinion and a database of sightings, the USFWS believe there are fewer
than 10 grizzly bears remaining in Washington's North Cascades ecosystem
14
. As of 2012, the British Columbia
Ministry of Environment estimates there are six grizzly bears in the Canadian North Cascades
15
.
In 2010, with oversight from the North Cascades Interagency Grizzly Bear Subcommittee, the Cascade Carnivore
Connectivity Project (CCCP) and other project partners began an extensive survey to detect grizzlies potentially
occupying Washington's North Cascades Ecosystem (NCE)
16
. The efforts of the CCCP covered approximately 25
percent of the NCE and did not detect photographic or genetic evidence of grizzly bears in the study area.
Continued monitoring in the area assists the NPS and the USFWS in evaluating options for grizzly bear restoration
in the region. The CWMP's effort to detect grizzly bears in the NCE was designed to complement the work already
carried out by the CCCP. Survey locations are selected based on the sampling model created by CCCP and the
sampling method they employed based on the "hair corral" described by Kendall and McKelvey (2008).
17
The
10
Grizzly Bears and the Endangered Species Act, National Parks Service:
http://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/bearesa.htm
11
Servheen, C. 1997. Grizzly bear recovery plan: North Cascades ecosystem recovery plan chapter. U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service. Missoula, MT.
12
North Cascades Ecosystem Grizzly Bear Restoration Plan/Environmental Impact Statement:
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectId=44144
13
http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/endangered/species/grizzly_bear.pdf
14
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Species Assessment and Listing Priority Assignment Form:
http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/species/uplisting/doc4748.pdf
15
British Columbia Grizzly Bear Population Estimate for 2012:
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/wildlife/docs/Grizzly_Bear_Pop_Est_Report_Final_2012.pdf
16
Cascades Carnivore Connectivity Project Grizzly Bear Survey:
http://www.cascadesconnectivity.org/research/grizzly-bear-survey/
17
Long, R.A., J.S. Begley, P. MacKay, W.L. Gaines, and A.J. Shirk. 2013. The Cascades Carnivore Connectivity
Project: A landscape genetic assessment of connectivity for carnivores in Washington's North Cascades Ecosystem.
Final report for the Seattle City Light Wildlife Research Program, Seattle, Washington. Western Transportation
Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman. 57 pp. and Kendall, K.C., and K.S. McKelvey. 2008. Hair collection.
