North Cascades Ecosystem Subcommittee

NOTICE (7/7/2020): U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt announced July 7, 2020 that the Department of the Interior will not move forward with a new Grizzly Bear Restoration Plan for the North Cascades Ecosystem and the associated Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Click here to read more.

North Cascades Subcommittee Membership

Kristin Bail (Chair) Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
Karen Taylor-Goodrich North Cascades National Park
Brendan Brokes Washington Dept. of Fish & Wildlife
Hannah Anderson Washington Dept. of Fish & Wildlife
Gregg Kurz U.S.Fish & Wildlife Service
Jamie Kingsbury Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
Jim Brown Washington Dept. Fish & Wildlife

Advisors

John Rohrer (Chair) Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
Wayne Kasworm U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Jesse Plumage Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
Anne Braaten North Cascades National Park
Scott Fitkin Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife
Scott Fisher Washington Department of Natural Resources
Gregg Kurz U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Information, Education & Outreach Subcommittee

Denise Schultz North Cascades National Park
Ann Froschauer US Fish and Wildlife Service

Subcommittee Meetings

Refer to the Meeting Calendar for upcoming meeting information

Meeting Summaries

Policy, Management and Research Reports

Accomplishments

NEPA Process and Documents

An Environmental Impact Statement is underway to evaluate alternatives for how to restore a viable grizzly bear population in the North Cascades Recovery Area. The National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) are the lead agencies on the EIS. The cooperating agencies are the U.S.D.A. Forest Service and the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The plan/ EIS will provide decision-makers with sufficient information on potential environmental impacts and offer the public an opportunity to give input to the decision-makers on the topics covered by the plan/EIS. The NPS and FWS Regional Directors, in consultation with the Department of the Interior, will use the results of the process to select an alternative for implementation.

The EIS involves in-depth public engagement, analysis of existing scientific studies and analysis of the potential impacts of grizzly bear restoration in the North Cascades ecosystem. For the latest information on the EIS, visit here.

A Brief history of grizzly bear recovery in the U.S. and in the North Cascades:

A brief history of grizzly bear recovery in the U.S. and in the North Cascades:

1975 – Grizzly bear listed as threatened species, lower 48 states under Endangered Species Act.
1980 – Grizzly bear listed as an endangered species by State of Washington.
1982 – National Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan approved by FWS; revised in 1993.
1983 – Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee established.
1991 – 9,800 square miles of North Cascades ecosystem in Washington State identified as adequate habitat for grizzly bears. Grizzly bears are confirmed in locations from just north of Interstate 90 to the international border.
1991 – The decision was made by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee during their winter 1991 meeting to recover grizzly bears in the North Cascades.
1993 – Detailed habitat evaluation of the North Cascades ecosystem published.
1997 – North Cascades chapter added to National Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan.
2004 – Grizzly bear recovery plan completed for the British Columbia portion of North Cascades ecosystem.
2014 – NPS/FWS begin Environmental Impact Statement on grizzly bear restoration in the North Cascades ecosystem.