Feds resume study of restoring grizzlies to North Cascades

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS
Associated Press

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Environmental groups are hailing a decision by the Biden administration to resume studying whether grizzly bears should be restored to the remote North Cascades mountains in Washington state. The National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Thursday they would jointly prepare an environmental impact statement on restoring the endangered bears to the North Cascades ecosystem. The decision overturns the Trump administration’s termination of restoration plans in 2020. The North Cascades is one of the largest wild areas in the lower 48 states. It encompasses more than 9,500 square miles centered on North Cascades National Park. It also includes large areas of surrounding national forest.