With biologists working on a plan to restore grizzly bears to the mountains of northern Washington, North Cascades National Park recently published a trio of videos outlining the options for moving forward and describing what the threatened species would bring to the ecosystem.

Overview of the grizzly restoration plan

About bears in the North Cascades

About coexisting with bears

Comments on the draft Grizzly Bear Restoration Plan/Environmental Impact Statement created by the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are being accepted through March 14, and open houses are being held throughout February at multiple locations near the park complex.

The grizzly bear was listed as a threatened species in the contiguous United States in 1975. The species was listed as endangered by the state of Washington in 1980.

The North Cascades Ecosystem encompasses 9,800 square miles in the United States and another 3,800 square miles in British Columbia, Canada. The United States portion of the ecosystem includes North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake National Recreation Area, Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, and Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.