8
government to continue to pursue protection
10
. Conservation Northwest and other organizations are pushing
decision-makers to create state and federal safeguards for wolverines as they recover across Washington and
other parts of the lower 48 states.
Through CWMP monitoring activities, Conservation Northwest will help shape recovery and critical habitat
plans for wolverines in Washington, inform land management decisions, and build upon ongoing research in
the Cascades. Our goals for wolverine monitoring in 2015 were to 1) help the Entiat Ranger District of the
Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest monitor the presence of wolverines in the Entiat Valley in the Glacier
Peak Wilderness of the North Cascades, with a specific interest in documenting a potentially denning and
reproducing female wolverine, 2) document the presence of wolverines in the southern portion of the North
Cascades and the South Cascades; and 3) collect definitive evidence of wolverines on the western side of the
North Cascades in the Mount Baker vicinity where anecdotal reports of sightings and tracks have been made
for a number of years, and 4) collect genetic data through hair samples to help identify individual wolverines at
all of our wolverine monitoring locations. In 2015, our wolverine monitoring continued in the Chiwaukum and
Bootjack Mountains where our remote cameras have documented at least five individual wolverines to date.
To ensure that our efforts add to existing research, we maintain installations that lie outside of the current
study area established by the North Cascades Wolverine Study and focus on locations where ongoing
researchers have made specific requests to complement their efforts.
GRIZZLY BEAR MONITORING
At one time grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) roamed throughout the wild areas of Washington. 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
11
. In 1997, the North Cascades along with five other recovery zones, was
identified as a key area for recovery of the endangered bear species.
12
Now, 20 years after the recovery plan
was written, the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are embarking on an important
public process to explore options for recovering grizzly bears in the North Cascades
13
.
Despite anecdotal reports of grizzlies in the North Cascades, no population or individual has been confirmed in
the area since 1996
14
. Based on expert opinion and a database of sightings, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
believe there are fewer than 20 grizzly bears remaining in Washington's North Cascades ecosystem
15
. As of
10
Federal Agency Ignores Best Available Science in Decision Not To List Wolverine:
http://www.conservationnw.org/news/pressroom/press-releases/federal-agency-ignores-best-available-science-
in-decision-not-to-list-wolverine
11
Grizzly Bears and the Endangered Species Act, National Parks Service:
http://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/bearesa.htm
12
Servheen, C. 1997. Grizzly bear recovery plan: North Cascades ecosystem recovery plan chapter. U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service. Missoula, MT.
13
North Cascades Ecosystem Grizzly Bear Restoration Plan/Environmental Impact Statement:
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectId=44144
14
http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/endangered/species/grizzly_bear.pdf
15
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Species Assessment and Listing Priority Assignment Form:
http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/species/uplisting/doc4748.pdf
