Keeping the Northwest wild Summer 2016 5
Join the Friends
Joining the Friends of the
North Cascades Grizzly Bear means
you support restoring a healthy
population of grizzly bears to the
North Cascades, their home for
thousands of years. Wherever griz-
zlies thrive, so does wildness, clean
water and abundant native fish and
wildlife.
We support recovering the North
Cascades grizzly bear population
through best available science and
community involvement because
it will help keep the Northwest a
natural, beautiful and sustainable
place to live, work and play. Visit
our website, northcascadesgrizzly.
org, to learn more and to join our
new coalition as a supporting indi-
vidual or to sign up as a supporting
organization or business!
In early June, conservation organiza-
tions, local businesses, Native American
tribes, and a growing roster of rural and
urban residents announced their sup-
port for restoring a healthy population
of grizzly bears to the North Cascades
through the Friends of the North Cas-
cades Grizzly Bear coalition. More than
two dozen supporting organizations
and businesses and well over 1,000 sup-
porting individuals have already signed
on as Friends of the North Cascades
Grizzly Bear!
Steering Committee organizations
for this collaborative effort include
Conservation Northwest, the National
Parks Conservation Association, Wood-
land Park Zoo, Defenders of Wildlife,
Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, and the
National Wildlife Federation. Support-
ive resolutions, testimonials, frequently
asked questions, resources and helpful
links, bear safety information, and more
Coalition supports return
of the great bear
frienDs of the north cascaDes grizzly
Make your voice heard
Upon release of the DEIS in fall 2016, federal officials will host public "open houses"
as well as an online public comment period on grizzly bear restoration. It's critical that
we show continued public support during this period. Become a Friend of the North Cas-
cades Grizzly Bear to show your support and receive notifications about how to comment!
www.northcascadesgrizzly.org/sign-our-statement
Jenni minier Grizzly Bear Outreach
Coordinator, jenni@conservationnw.org
are available at northcascadesgrizzly.org.
In June 2015, the federal agencies
released a summary report of the ap-
proximately 3,000 public comments
submitted during the Environmental
Impact Statement scoping period held
in early 2015. Of those who submitted
comments in support of or opposition
to grizzly bear restoration during that
period, comments from grizzly bear res-
toration supporters outnumbered those
from opponents by over five to one.
e Friends of the North Cascades
Grizzly Bear coalition is working to ad-
vance and publicize this widespread local,
regional and national backing for restor-
ing a healthy population of grizzly bears to
their native home in the North Cascades
throughout the multi-year EIS process.
If the North Cascades grizzly popula-
tion is successfully restored, the region
will once again have functioning popu-
lations of all iconic wildlife species that
were present prior to the turn of the
19th century. at is a momentous con-
servation achievement, possible in very
few places in the continental United
States, and one that Washington state,
and the nation, can be proud of. We're
working hard to make it a reality.
Restoring grizzly bears
Meet Jenni
Jenni Minier moved to Belling-
ham because of its proximity to wild
places. An avid skier and mountain-
eer, she and her husband John start-
ed Mount Baker Mountain Guides to
share those wild places with others,
responsibly and sustainably. Now,
as our Grizzly Bear Outreach Coor-
dinator, Jenni works with Conserva-
tion Northwest to make sure that
the "wild" in wilderness is there for
generations to come. Why work for
grizzlies? Jenni believes grizzlies are
a true symbol of what's wild. If griz-
zlies are on the landscape, some
piece of wildness remains intact for
all other wildlife and for people, too.
Keeping the Northwest wild Summer 2016 5
Jenni Minier. Photo: John Minier
