Grizzly Bear Recovery in Washington State: The Good, the Bad and the ‘Horribilis’

A “verry large and turrible looking animal” was how William Clark, of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, described the beast they encountered shortly after crossing into the Northern Rockies. The pair had dismissed tales from natives describing a bear larger and more ferocious than the bears they hunted back east. Meriwether Lewis, tasked with scientifically describing what he saw on their journey, compared this animal with those black bears by saying “it is a much more furious and formidable anamal, and will frequently pursue the hunter when wounded.” It was described as “grisley” perhaps for their temperament or for their brown fur that is frequently tipped with white or gold giving them a grizzled appearance. Either way Ursus arctos horribilis, or the Horrible Northern Bear, was named for that frightening encounter by the US naturalist.

Adult female grizzly bears weigh in on average from 290-400 lbs., adult males from 400-790 lbs. with the largest on record being 1500 lbs. They are five to eight feet in length, are capable of running 30 to 40 mph and may live on average 25 years in the wild.

Adult grizzlies are characterized by a pronounced shoulder hump where their massive shoulder scapula and associated muscles attach to the backbone and light-colored front claws measuring 2–4 inches in length. These features give the bear additional strength to dig for roots, tear through logs looking for food and dig out dens in the winter. They also have short rounded ears and a dished in facial profile. Their color ranges from light tan to dark brown.

Grizzlies hibernate for 5–7 months each year depending on location, though not a hardened rule, hibernation is longer further north and on higher elevation slopes such as in Yellowstone, Glacier or the Northern Rockies where snow is deeper and more persistent. While hibernating, female grizzly bears give birth to their young, who then nurse for the remainder of the hibernation period. Before this, she must prepare a den, and eat an immense amount of food as they need much body fat to sustain them during hibernation. As omnivorous carnivores their diets consist of both plants and animals. Much of their diet is comprised of berries, leaves, grasses and nuts.

Due to many factors, grizzlies have one of the lowest reproductive rates of all mammals in North America. They do not achieve sexual maturity until the age of five, cubs are nursed for two years during which time the mother does not mate and typically she will not produce another litter for three or more years. Unlike the more easy-going black bear, mother grizzlies are ferociously protective of their cubs and are able to defend them against much larger male bears. Aside from these females with cubs, grizzlies are solitary animals although they may gather around water sources when salmon spawn.

One of eight sub species of the Brown Bear (Ursus Arctos), the Grizzly once ranged from the Great Plains to the Pacific Ocean. They were so numerous with an estimated population of 50,000 to 100,000, “early settlers wrote of them grazing like cattle on clover fields.” Now, aside from their Alaskan and Canadian populations, the Grizzly bear occupies only 2% of their historical habitat and number just over 1,000 individuals. Sadly, these bears were almost wiped out from fur trading, hunting and habitat fragmentation.

There are six recovery zones for grizzly bears in the lower 48 states:

• Bitterroot in in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness in western Montana and northeastern Idaho.
• Yellowstone in all of Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, as well as portions of northwest Wyoming, eastern Idaho, and southwest Montana.
• Northern Continental Divide in Northwestern Montana
• Selkirk and Cabinet-Yaak in northwestern Montana and northeastern Idaho
• North Cascades in Washington from the US-Canada border south to Interstate 90

In Washington State, according to the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC), as of 2018, after an augmentation program, the Selkirk recovery zone is home to an estimated 55 to 60 grizzly bears. In the North Cascades recovery zone grizzly bear populations are estimated to be fewer than 20 bears with no resident population. The last confirmed sighting in the area was in 1996.

In the fall of 2014, the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife initiated the process of an environmental impact statement to begin the recovery process of grizzly bears to the North Cascades region. The final plan and environmental impact statement were released in the spring of 2017 with a public comment period following. The National Park Service is in the process of reviewing the public comments and preparing the finalized impact statement.

This recovery zone is, according to the IGBC, “one of the largest contiguous blocks of federal land remaining in the lower 48 states, encompassing approximately 9,800 square miles within north central Washington.” 88% is federal land, 7% state land, 3% private land and 1% municipal and county lands. 60% of this land has no motorized vehicle access. This last percentage is important because grizzly bears are only found in large areas of undisturbed land. The home range for one grizzly bear may be up to 600 square miles.  The most important part of grizzly bear recovery is to find enough habitat. Roads seem to be one of the biggest threats to their habitat and this area has very few roads.

The Good

What these bears can do for an ecosystem is well documented. A study done by Oregon State University shows that bears are primary small fruit seed dispersers in southeast Alaska. Unlike birds who pluck fruits one or two at a time, bears eat berries in vast quantities and then disperse them through their scat. They help plant diversity through eating, and pooping, as well as through their digging habits. In looking for food they turn over the soil which aerates it and leads to positive changes in plant life.

In addition, by regulating their prey they control population numbers which in turn prevents ungulate diseases and helps healthy herd members thrive. They encourage herds to move along which improves plant diversity by preventing overgrazing. Lastly, these large predators help smaller scavengers survive by providing a food source through carrion.

The Bad

No one would deny that grizzly bears are more aggressive than black bears. In an encounter with humans a black bear will frequently turn and run, but the grizzly is far more offensive than defensive. Even though this bear normally avoids people, its temperament can quickly change if cornered, surprised, or a mother’s cub is endangered. Most human-bear conflict comes from surprising a bear at close range, with cubs or protecting food. Because of this, good bear habitat must have areas that are isolated from development, recreation, logging, mining, farming and ranching.

Ranchers understandably worry about adding another large predator that would look at their livestock as food. There has already been much conflict in the general area regarding the gray wolf, and grizzly bear recovery will likely meet the same protests. The process will be slow moving due to those concerns and the bears own slow reproduction habits. Likely reaching the goal of a self-sustaining population of 200 bears will take a century to achieve.

The ‘Horribilis’

So why save this icon of the American west in our state? What would be so bad about letting it go? To many they are a part of cultural history, to others a vital link in a healthy ecosystem and important to the survival of all the species that call the area home. Still the concerns of all who live and recreate in the area need to be addressed and resolved for recovery to be successful. To let them go without considering all the options would indeed be a horrible thing for our natural world and everything in it.

Thank you to Darrell Smith of Western Wildlife Outreach and Daryl Ratajczak of Wildlife for You for checking my facts.