When Chris Morgan, co-director of the Grizzly Bear Outreach Project (GBOP), describes capturing grizzly bears he calls it "weeks of tedium interspersed with moments of terror." That’s what his trapping partner Ian would call it, Morgan said.
"On one occasion, after checking our snare traps twice per day for three weeks, our casual approach was met by the thundering charge of a huge male grizzly bear," he said. "We carefully tranquilized the bear and laced its radio collar, proudly naming our grumpy bear Dawson."
A magical experience Morgan said, but not nearly as magical as the one to come seven years later when the trapping pair would meet Dawson again.
One hundred fifty years ago between 50,000 to 100,000 grizzly bears roamed the lower 48 states. Today the grizzly bear population in the North Cascades is estimated between 5 to 20 bears and is struggling to survive.
The grizzly bear, which is native to the North Cascades, has a roaming territory of 50 to 300 square miles for females and between 300 to 500 square miles for males in high elevation forests, grasslands and meadows. The North Cascades provides one of six recovery zones identified by U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife and plans to restore grizzly bears within the lower 48 states.
By maintaining top predator population the ecosystem functions in a healthier way, said Julie Hayes, Snoqualmie field coordinator for GBOP. The grizzly’s diet is 10 percent carnivorous and the rest consists of vegetation including berries, bulbs, nuts and roots.
The grizzly population within the North Cascades recovery zone is not fully known by the U.S. Forest Service or the National Park Service, said Don Gay, wildlife biologist for the Mount Baker Ranger District. Gay said within the last 40 years there have been no signs that the bears’ population has increased. The last sighting of a grizzly in the North Cascades was in the Glacier Peak Wilderness in 1996.
In order to maintain a population, the bears must be tagged so that biologists can track and identify rangelands. Funding is necessary to learn more about the grizzlies and to maintain and monitor their population, Gay said.
Fish and Wildlife proposed a recovery plan for the North Cascades recovery zone, which would begin with an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and cost over $400,000. The document identifies intervention methods for the grizzly bear population in the recovery zone.
"It is entirely possible that augmentation will never happen, and in order to maintain any local grizzly population people need to act soon," Gay said.
Despite dangerously low grizzly numbers, an EIS has not been enacted due to a lack of funding from Fish and Wildlife, and the situation is not likely to change anytime soon, Gay said. Land management services such as the Forest Service and National Park Service control habitat and are struggling to finance road and trail maintenance, he said.
In the North Cascades grizzly populations are threatened by roads, highways, hunting and destruction of habitat, which is often displaced by housing developments and golf courses, Morgan said.
Grizzlies’ numbers are also low in the North Cascades due to their slow reproduction rate. According to Fish and Wildlife, a female reaches maturity between 4 to 5 years old. Once mature, the female can have up to five cubs in her lifespan. GBOP and the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle are organizations addressing the different challenges facing these animals by providing accurate bear information and promoting conservation.
The GBOP works with rural communities in the North Cascades that are located along the recovery zone by educating them about bear biology, ecology, behavior, safety and proper sanitation methods. Developing better backcountry etiquette allows the forests to become safer and more enjoyable.
"It is important to educate the public about safety in the woods because people can be somewhat removed from the natural environment," Hayes said. "Education is important for understanding grizzlies, for reducing the fear level of grizzlies and for enjoying the environment more."
The Northern Trail Exhibit at the Woodland Park Zoo has two grizzlies, Denali and Keema. In the exhibit the zoo educates the public about bear biology and conservation efforts. Education is a large focus for Hayes because through environmental education people learn to respect nature and appreciate wild places, she said.
Wilderness provides a place to experience the interconnectedness with nature. For Morgan grizzly bear country is special because these animals live in a unique habitat.
"You can become a richer person for connections to wilderness," Morgan said.
According to GBOP, 92 percent of the residents in the North Cascades Mountain range want grizzlies to be preserved for future generations.
"Humans need wild places and there is no better wild place than an ecosystem with wild carnivores," Morgan said.
While there are organizations such as GBOP and the Woodland Park Zoo to educate the public about bear biology, ecology, and proper bear and human interaction, education alone is not enough to stabilize the bears of the North Cascades. Funding for grizzly bear restoration is also necessary to maintain the population in the recovery zone.
"It’s about a place that is wild enough for grizzly bears," Morgan said. "It is not available all over the world and there is a chance to do it right here."