Livestock groups respond to potential Washington Grizzly Bear introduction

Recently, the Public Lands Council, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, and Washington Cattlemen’s Association issued the following statements in response to the Department of the Interior’s announcement in support of introducing Grizzly Bears in the Washington North Cascades:

“We are extremely disappointed with the Department of the Interior’s support to introduce Grizzly Bears to the North Cascades of Washington. For more than a year we have heard the secretary talk about being a better neighbor, but unfortunately actions speak louder than words. Reintroducing as many as 200 man-eating predators into an area already reeling from exploding gray wolf populations is anything but neighborly. This decision won’t just impact ranchers—it’s a blow for the entire North Cascades ecosystem, the safety of locals and visitors and the local economy, too. In fact, the only beneficiaries of an action like this will be the radical environmental activists that support this type of ill-advised ecosystem tinkering,” said Ethan Lane, PLC and NCBA Federal Lands executive director

“The idea of dumping man-eating Grizzly Bears from helicopters into Washington National Parks has not been well thought out. Once the Grizzly Bears walk out of the park into rural towns and private and state lands, the communities surrounding the recovery area can be greatly impacted. Already the livestock community has had little to no help with the management and recovery of wolves in the North Cascades, and cannot accept and welcome another federally listed apex predator with no monetary help from the federal government. What is the reasoning behind thinking a recovery like this can be accomplished without the support of the ranching, logging, recreation and natural resource based communities or consideration for public safety?” said Sarah Ryan, WCA executive vice president.