What They Are Saying: Interior Listened to Central Washington’s Rural Communities on Grizzly Bears
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Tuesday, July 7, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) welcomed U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to North Central Washington, where he participated in a roundtable discussion with community leaders to announce that grizzly bears will not be introduced into the North Cascades Ecosystem.
Roundtable participants and stakeholders applauded the decision, praising Secretary Bernhardt and the Administration for listening to the voices of local communities:
"I am ecstatic that the reintroduction of grizzly bears into the North Cascades has been stopped; I am so grateful to Congressman Newhouse – he never gave up. For years, those impacted by this reintroduction have been ignored. Finally, a decision that recognizes the importance of the safety of our communities and our local economy." – Washington State Senator Shelly Short, 7th Legislative District
"Much like ‘taxation without representation,' our rural communities are suffering from ‘regulation without representation.' Secretary Bernhardt listened to the extensive community and local elected comments in opposition to grizzly bears in the North Cascades and – finally – delivered this decision for North Central Washington. Thank you, Congressman Newhouse, for working to ensure our local voices were heard." – Washington State Representative Jacquelin Maycumber, 7th Legislative District
"Bears love pears, and grizzly bears' diets consist of trout and salmon. Grizzly bears would struggle to find food sources outside of our abundant agriculture industry in Central Washington, and we should not be introducing a predator that could have negative impacts on an already threatened species. Just as humans gravitate toward their favorite foods, there is nothing preventing the grizzly bear from leaving their proposed wilderness in search of their favorite foods. Our community expressed our concerns about grizzly bear introduction, and Secretary Bernhardt listened. I am grateful to the Secretary and to Congressman Newhouse for their work to finalize this decision for our local communities and economy." – April Clayton, President,Chelan Douglas County Farm Bureau
"Thank you, Congressman Newhouse, for your persistence to ensure that the citizens in rural North Central Washington had a real opportunity to raise our voices on this issue. The pragmatic and commonsense approach taken by Secretary Bernhardt and the Administration gives our local communities the confidence that their voices are being heard, and we are grateful for the decisive leadership on the grizzly bear proposal." – Douglas County Commissioner Marc Straub, District 3
"It is refreshing to have a government agency listen to the concerns of those who actually live here. They listened with an open mind and made a commonsense decision." – Chelan County Commissioner Doug England, District 3
"A big thank you to Secretary Bernhardt and Congressman Newhouse. It is much appreciated that government officials really looked at the total picture of adequate habitat and food supply for grizzly bears and especially listened to the concerns of citizens most affected by the proposal." – Jeff Keane, 2nd Vice President, Washington Cattlemen's Association
"I was grateful for being included in Tuesday's announcement. The grizzly bear decision is good news for Central Washington's livestock producers, which is something we don't hear very often." – Jeff Dawson, Washington Cattlemen's Association
"We strongly applaud the announcement today by U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt that grizzly bears will not be introduced into the North Cascades. We are thankful for the leadership and hard work of Congressman Dan Newhouse that resulted in this announcement. Dan never stopped working on behalf of his constituents and because of his efforts we once again have a reasonable grizzly bear policy in Washington." – Mike LaPlant, President, Washington State Farm Bureau
"Rural communities in the North Cascades have clearly and repeatedly communicated their opposition to the introduction of grizzly bears. Ranchers and these communities already face staggering challenges as a result of other apex predator species, so this announcement is welcome news. We appreciate Representative Newhouse's longstanding work on this issue as well as the Trump team who listened to stakeholders and science." – Kaitlynn Glover, Executive Director, Public Lands Council & National Cattlemen's Beef Association Natural Resources
You can read more about the announcement in the Capital Press:
Interior Department: No imported grizzlies for North Cascades
By Don Jenkins – July 7, 2020
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt personally delivered the news Tuesday at the Omak, Wash., Elks Lodge: The federal government won't release grizzly bears into the North Cascades.
Bernhardt was joined by U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, a Republican, and an invited group, including cattlemen, farmers and local elected officials. After a brief introduction, Bernhardt said the federal government was scrapping reintroducing grizzlies.
"I just about started crying. It was, ‘What? Really?'" Okanogan County Commissioner Andy Hover said. "Everybody was really, really thankful. It gives rural America hope, having the government listening to its comments and not just rolling over it."
Click here to read the full article.
Background:
The North Cascades Grizzly Bear Restoration Plan/Environmental Impact Statement was first proposed by the Obama Administration. Central Washington communities surrounding the North Cascades National Park were not provided an adequate opportunity to give their input on the proposal.
In March 2017, Rep. Newhouse wrote to North Cascades National Park Service Superintendent Karen Taylor-Goodrich to express opposition to the plan, citing an inadequate level of local community input and encouraging federal agencies to defer to state and local authorities on grizzly bear management efforts.
On April 12, 2018, Rep. Newhouse wrote a letter to former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, expressing his deep concern regarding the then-Secretary's support for the proposal.
On June 6, 2018, the House Appropriations Committee approved Rep. Newhouse's amendment to the FY19 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act that would deny funding to the U.S. Department of Interior to be used for the transport of grizzly bears in the North Cascades until local communities had the chance to adequately submit their public comments. The amendment was included in the passage of the final FY19 Interior Appropriations language.
On July 19, 2018, the full House of Representatives approved legislation containing Rep. Newhouse's amendment to deny funding used for the transport of grizzly bears in the North Cascades.
In October 2019, hundreds of North Central Washington residents attended a public listening session – requested by Rep. Newhouse – in Okanogan, Washington, where officials from the Department of the Interior and U.S. Fish and Wildlife listened to local concerns on the proposal to introduce grizzly bears into the North Cascades Ecosystem.
U.S. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Fish & Wildlife Rob Wallace was at the Okanogan County Fairgrounds Agriplex as many of the more than 600 North Central Washington residents provided up to two minutes of oral comment on the record. As reported by Capital Press, 50 people spoke in opposition to grizzly bear introduction, and 12 people spoke in support.