A wide range of livestock and agricultural industry groups, as well as state and local governments, oppose a Biden administration plan to release grizzly bears into a Washington forest area located near rural communities.
The groups, including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), the Public Lands Council (PLC), and the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), argued in comments filed with the federal government this week that releasing grizzly bears near of the communities would be detrimental to its members in the region.
They also said such a move would threaten public safety and jeopardize future conservation efforts.
“Introducing an apex predator like the grizzly bear into a new area of Washington state is a mistake and poses a huge threat to our rural communities and hard-working farmers and ranchers,” said Mark Eisele, a Wyoming rancher and incoming president of the NCBA.
“This plan is being pushed by bureaucrats thousands of miles from the West who do not fully understand the damage this species will cause to producers. “The Biden administration should listen to rural residents and rethink this plan.”
Ranching and agricultural groups oppose a Biden administration plan to release grizzly bears into the wild. Getty Images/iStockphoto
“Grizzly bears are 20 times more dangerous than black bears and are well known for their aggressive and fatal attacks,” added PLC Chairman Mark Roeber, a Colorado rancher. “Their broad diet means they can harm anyone: corn farmers, orchardists, cattle farmers, sheep farmers. The list goes on and on.”
Roeber argued that the decision to airdrop bears into a new environment should not be taken lightly and said he has faced livestock predation as a result of gray wolf populations near his ranch. Grizzly bears, he added, are an even greater predator that “will only cause more harm to our fellow livestock producers in Washington state.”
In late September, the National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service proposed a rule and draft environmental impact statement that opens the door to the release of grizzly bears in North Cascades National Park, located in the north Washington along the US-Canada border. The proposal was applauded by left-wing environmental groups, but harshly criticized by legislators and local residents.
North Cascades National Park in Washington. Getty Images
Under the proposal, the federal government would release up to seven grizzly bears annually into the North Cascades Ecosystem (NCE) for the next five to ten years.
The federal government’s overall goal would be to establish a grizzly bear population of approximately 200 bears in the coming decades.
“In addition to the threat to human safety, the reintroduction of grizzly bears into the NCE will pose a real risk to the economic viability of ranch and farming families that support the rural economy throughout Washington state,” the NCBA said, PLC, AFBF, The American Sheep Industry Association and several local affiliates wrote in comments filed Monday.
“There will be numerous significant economic damages to public and private land producers, as well as serious increased risks to human safety. “These consequences are bad enough on their own, but they are even harder for producers to bear when this reintroduction is not even necessary for the continued growth of the national grizzly bear population.”
The federal plan released in September includes three options, two that would involve actively restoring populations of the threatened grizzly bear species and a “no action” alternative that would maintain current management practices.
The public comment period for the proposal expired Monday.
“We reiterate our opposition to the reintroduction of the grizzly bear given the likely adverse impacts on our local communities and the lack of local government involvement by federal agencies,” the Chelan County Board of Commissioners wrote in its own comment, the local government body close to the NCE. letter.
Under the plan, up to seven grizzly bears would be released annually. Getty Images/iStockphoto
“At a minimum, we hope that you will consider our comments and develop a draft EIS and proposed rule 10(j) that more accurately reflects the current science, management needs, and impacts of grizzly bear reintroduction to the local community.” .
The state governments of Montana and Idaho also weighed in on the proposal, arguing that the federal government’s proposal would be harmful.
“Grizzly bears will occupy a diversity of habitats, regardless of land ownership or zonal designation. It is naïve to think that there will only be bears on public lands, unless the intent is to control bears to exclude those that roam onto private lands,” wrote Montana Parks, Wildlife and Fisheries Director Dustin Temple. “If that is the intention, then many more bears will be needed to reach the desired population.”
According to the NPS, grizzly bears occupied the North Cascades and served as an “essential part of the ecosystem” for thousands of years.
However, in the 20th century, as a result of aggressive hunting practices, the species was brought to the brink of extinction and the last confirmed sighting of a grizzly bear in the NCE was in 1996.
The last confirmed sighting of a grizzly bear in the North Cascades was in 1996. Getty Images/iStockphoto
Hugh Morrison, FWS regional director, said in September that grizzly bears are part of the region’s heritage and that their restoration could be done in a way that ensures communities, residents and animals “can coexist peacefully.”
The plan would release grizzly bears near communities and, according to the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, intentionally or unintentionally killing a grizzly bear in the state can result in massive fines and penalties, as the species is listed as threatened at the federal and state levels. classified as endangered.
Plans to reintroduce grizzly bears to the North Cascades date back to the Obama administration.
Then, after significant state opposition led by Congressman Dan Newhouse, the Trump administration concluded that grizzly bears would not be restored to the ecosystem.
The Biden administration revived plans to release the bears.REUTERS
Former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt noted in July 2020 that grizzly bears are not endangered and that his agency could manage populations throughout their current range.
However, late last year, after extensive litigation from environmental groups, the Biden administration announced it would revisit whether to move forward with restoration, a process that led to the proposal in September.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn