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North Cascades grizzly bear

A small population of grizzly bears continues to roam Washington's North Cascades, but they are endangered and need your help.

Conservation in action

Grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) have lived in the Cascades for thousands of years. There are still grizzly bears in Washington, including in the Selkirk Mountains, an extension of the Rocky Mountains, in the extreme northeastern part of the state. But today the the North Cascades grizzly, the only population of grizzlies outside of the Rocky Mountains, is in desperate trouble.

What you can do for Cascades grizzly bears

With fewer than 20 grizzlies in the Cascades of Washington, the population won't recover without the addition of a small number of bears from established grizzly populations to help start the long road to recovery–a road that will take our bears a century to travel.

Grizzly bear recovery in Washington

Grizzly bears in the lower-48 were recognized as threatened and in need of recovery in 1975. In 1997 the US Fish and Wildlife Service established a recovery plan for North Cascades grizzlies, but has yet to implement it. Real recovery won't happen without citizens convincing the US Fish and Wildlife Service that extinction is not an option. People have brought these bears to the brink of extinction and people have the power to bring them back.

Our governments are legally obligated and the people in Washington State and British Columbia have a unique responsibility and opportunity to recover the grizzly bear. Independent polls show public support for grizzly bear recovery in the North Cascades that transcends geographic and demographic lines.

In a poll conducted in 2005, a majority of people living in or near the northwest portion of the North Cascades recovery zone stated strong support for grizzly bear recovery. In general, 79% of those polled support grizzly bear recovery in the North Cascade mountains.

As the regional leader in grizzly bear recovery, Conservation Northwest volunteers and staff educate and advocate for grizzly bear conservation to protect this beautiful animal, conduct field work in the North Cascades, and help build citizen support for the Endangered Species Act.

Connected habitat lands are important to all animals, including the endangered grizzlies. Outside Washington, roads are restricting grizzlies from access to important habitat lands.

Our enormous gratitude to Washington State Senators Erik Poulsen and Lisa Brown for their continued support of grizzly bear recovery education in the North Cascades and to federal Representative Rick Larsen for his support for funding for a recovery plan. Their commitment to the people, wild places, and wildlife of Washington is appreciated by us all.
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