Fish and Wildlife, National Park Service to restore grizzly bear population in North Cascades

NORTH CASCADES, Wash. -- Federal agencies have decided to reintroduce grizzly bears to the North Cascades in western Washington.

According to the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife, agencies will try to move three to seven bears into an area approximately 9,800 square miles over five to 10 years. The goal is to achieve an initial population of 25 bears. The bears will come from the Rocky Mountains and part of British Columbia.

The National Park Service says public feedback was critical in this process since it began in fall of 2023 with over 12,000 comments received.

NPS says there is no timetable for when the bears will be reintroduced but updates will be posted on their website.

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