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CounterPunch
November
8, 2002
Bring Back the
California Grizzly
by MARK J. PALMER
"This is an animal that cannot compromise
or adjust its way of life to ours. Could not by its very nature,
could not even if we allowed it the opportunity, which we did
not. For the grizzly bear, there is no freedom but that of unbounded
space, no life except its own. Without meekness, without a sign
of humility, it has refused to accept our idea of what the world
should be like. If we succeed in preserving the wild remnant
that still survives, the glory will rest primarily on this bear
whose stubborn vigor has kept it alive in the face of increasing
and seemingly hopeless odds."
Adapted from Robert Porter Allen U.S.
Fish & Wildlife Service "Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan"
1982
In 1922, the last California grizzly bear was
shot. It survives today only on our state flag.
The Sierran national parks were created
just a few years too late to save the grizzly in California,
unlike Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks in Wyoming and
Montana which safeguard the last Rocky Mountain grizzlies. There
were reports of a female grizzly with a cub sighted in what is
now Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park in 1924 Ð the fate
of the two is unknown.
In recent years, with expanding public
awareness of wildlife issues and the plight of endangered species,
California has been able to restore some species once on the
verge of extinction. These include the tule elk, Nelson bighorn
sheep in the desert, pronghorn, southern sea otter, and others.
Other recovery efforts are underway for species now listed as
endangered or threatened by the state and federal governments.
With improved public sympathy for wildlife, we have a chance
to bring the California grizzly back to our state.
The biological and political objections
are formidable. But I strongly support the restoration of this
wild symbol of our state. Reintroducing the grizzly is a bold
affirmation of our deep care for wild nature and our willingness
to defend our wildlife heritage.
About the Grizzly
The distribution of the Grizzly Bear
(Ursus arctos) in North America has shrunk considerably in the
past years due to predator control, unregulated hunting, and
habitat loss. Today, grizzly populations in the lower 48 states
are found only in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Washington, with
significant populations largely confined to the Greater Yellowstone
Ecosystem and the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (which
is anchored by Glacier National Park). Healthy populations of
the grizzly still reside in Western Canada and Alaska.
In California, the grizzly once inhabited
most of the state, except for the sparse desert areas of eastern
Modoc and Lassen Counties and the California desert. Much of
the grizzly range overlapped the mountain forest range of the
black bear (Euarctos americanus), but also included large areas
of grassland, chaparral, and oak woodlands.
Grizzlies dominate the habitats they
live in. They tend to be solitary, except for mothers with dependent
cubs and for the brief mating period.
Drs. Tracy Storer and Lloyd Tevis, in
their excellent work The California Grizzly (1955), felt that
the California grizzly was not only one of the largest grizzly
subspecies (based on skull measurements and other clues) in the
lower 48 states, but also that is was largely a lowland species,
inhabiting the vast areas of brush that dominate California's
coastal hills and Sierran foothills. (This would complicate reintroduction
efforts, as these lowland areas are heavily used by people.)
The grizzly is largely a vegetarian,
taking in a wide range of plant matter, but also eating meat
when available, chiefly as carrion. A grizzly will occasionally
kill animals for food when available, including squirrels, fawns,
livestock, reptiles, and amphibians. Grasses, berries, nuts and
acorns, roots, clover, and other plants are consumed in large
quantities. As Storer and Tevis note, "It ate almost anything
and everything that was available."
Grizzlies do den in the winter, although
in California's milder climate, they may have been active year-round
in lower elevations. California's bear population may have bred
and given birth to cubs on a year-round basis, although in Yellowstone
and other areas with more pronounced seasons, breeding is generally
done in the summer, with the female giving birth to young in
the winter den in January.
Grizzlies are pugnacious. Dr. Stephen
Herrero, in his definitive 1985 book Bear Attacks: Their Causes
and Avoidance, identifies at least four circumstances when grizzlies
attack people: mothers defending their cubs; bears surprised
by people at close range; bears habituated to humans, especially
through eating food in campgrounds, at cabins, or in rural garbage
dumps; and bears who consider humans as a possible food source.
All four causes of bear attacks can be
avoided. The National Park Service in the United States and the
provincial parks in Canada have active programs of educating
park visitors, controlling food and garbage around bear habitat,
and closure of areas to public use when aggressive bear activity
is noted.
How can we return grizzlies to California?
I propose a feasibility study to answer four basic issues:
Determine where grizzly bears might
be reintroduced in California. Much of the original habitat of
the grizzly has been converted to human use, such as agriculture
and housing. While there are many wilderness areas, national
forests, and national parks in California that have considerable
protected acreage, much of this land may not be suitable for
grizzlies. Even in parks and forest areas, human use for livestock
grazing, recreation, and habitation may conflict with grizzly
reintroduction. Enough habitat is needed to maintain a viable
population of grizzlies Ð even states like Montana and Wyoming
are hard-pressed to maintain so much open space, free of conflicts.
Consultation should include federal land agencies such as the
National Park Service and Forest Service, along with the federal
Fish and Wildlife Service, which has jurisdiction over grizzlies
under the national Endangered Species Act.
Determine where populations of grizzly
bears might be located that can be transplanted to California.
The California grizzly subspecies is extinct; all remaining grizzly
populations in the lower 48 states are threatened with extinction.
Alaska and Canada still have viable populations of grizzly. The
British Columbia population is probably the closest genetic match
with California grizzlies that still survives in large numbers.
Another possible source for grizzlies for reintroduction would
be from zoos, either through existing inventories (which are
undoubtedly limited and habituated to humans and captivity) or
through development of a captive breeding program with intent
to reintroduce the bears to the wild on a long-term basis.
Determine policies and procedures to
reduce potential conflicts between grizzlies, people, and livestock.
As noted above, grizzlies will, on occasion, attack people and
livestock. Such attacks can be avoided through a variety of public
education programs, improved animal husbandry, and bear management.
But these issues are likely to be politically "hot;"
many people object to the presence of mountain lions in California,
which also rarely attacks livestock and people. Such rare occurrences
are often blown out of proportion to the facts. The California
Department of Fish and Game and federal agencies will also have
to contend with public fears and misinformation about reintroduction.
Preparation of a public education program to address such concerns
is a very important aspect of a reintroduction program.
Determine estimated costs of a reintroduction
program. The state Department of Fish and Game is financially
strapped for a variety of historical reasons (e.g. dependence
on sportsmen's fees, which are declining) and recent reasons
(e.g. the recession cutting into revenues and cutbacks in state
General Fund appropriations for the Department). At the same
time, costs of a grizzly bear reintroduction program would be
low compared to other government programs, and may even be covered,
at least in part, through voluntary contributions from wildlife
enthusiasts.
"In the early 50's, I, myself saw
the grizzlies feeding together in numbers under the trees, far
up the Sacramento Valley, as tranquilly as a flock of sheep.
A serene, dignified and very decent old beast was the full-grown
grizzly as Fremont and others found him here at home. This king
of the continent, who is quietly abdicating his throne, has never
been understood. The grizzly was not only every inch a king,
but he had, in his undisputed dominion, a pretty fair sense of
justice. He was never a roaring lion. He was never a man-eater.
He is indebted for his character for ferocity almost entirely
to tradition, but, in some degree, to the female bear when seeking
to protect her young ... The grizzly went out as the American
rifle came in ..." Ð Joaquin Miller True Bear Stories
(1900)
In addition to the obvious conservation
benefit of restoring a lost species to California's fauna, there
are other benefits to restoring grizzlies.
The grizzly is at the top of the food
chain. As such, it has tremendous impact on the ecosystems in
which it resides. By scavenging carcasses, preying on injured
and sick animals, and by digging and rooting about for food,
they help recycle important nutrients through the food chain.
The grizzly has been missing from the California ecosystem for
70 years; its return would restore a piece of the fabric of nature.
There are also practical benefits. Tourism
is the second largest industry in California, bringing in an
estimated $54 billion in direct spending in 1991 and employing
an estimated 773,000 people in the state. The grizzly is a major
draw for visitors to Yellowstone National Park and other areas
where it lives today. The excitement of a successful reintroduction
program in California can translate into hard cash in attracting
visitors, nature lovers, photographers, and naturalists.
In addition, a successful reintroduction
effort in California for the grizzly will have an impact throughout
the world. Many countries are struggling to retain their precious
wildlife in the face of development pressures, poaching, and
human population growth. California can once again lead the way
by demonstrating successful co-existence with our California
state symbol.
However, it is not clear that enough
protected land exists in California to establish a viable population
of grizzly bears. Much of this issue depends on political issues,
such as can livestock owners coexist with grizzlies on National
Forest lands.
It is also unclear if enough grizzlies
can be obtained from either wild or captive populations to establish
a population in California.
Establishing a viable population of grizzly
bears, which is a wide-ranging omnivore, or similar effort has
never yet been tried before. The closest experience is the re-establishment
of wolves in Yellowstone National Park, an experiment which is
still ongoing. A grizzly reintroduction to Idaho wilderness is
in the advanced planning stages.
The effects of reintroducing the grizzlies
on other wildlife should also be assessed. There is some evidence,
for example, that the black bear has increased its range in California
in historic times due to the extinction of the grizzly. Impacts
of a grizzly reintroduction on other predators and scavengers
should also be considered.
"From the exceeding abundance of
grizzly tracks, it was but natural to suppose that we might be
visited in the night, so we slept "conveniently" near
an easy tree to climb and built a bright fire. But I bet Hoffmann
a keg of beer, to be drunk at the first place where it could
be got, that we would neither hear nor see a bear in the night
...
"But our sound sleep won for me
the beer, for we found large bear tracks within a hundred feet,
or less, of us in the morning Ð he had passed during the
night. It was light moon, when bears love most to roam, but all
hunters unite in saying that it is the rarest thing in the world
for a grizzly to seriously disturb a sleeping man. I have never
heard of a man being thus attacked. They often come up and smell
the man, but if he lies perfectly quiet he will not be molested.
The difficulty is, to lie quiet while an animal more ferocious
than the lion and stronger than the strongest ox is thus examining
you. But our friend that night took no such liberties. He apparently
passed down the canyon, stopped and turned around when near us,
then passed on."
William H. Brewer Up and Down California
in 1860-1864
Since grizzlies have a reputation for
attacking livestock, it is likely that organized agriculture
will be opposed to a reintroduction program. Possible resolutions
include:
- Establishing a livestock/grizzly management
plan before reintroduction to address and prevent such incidents;
- Helping livestock owners protect livestock
from grizzlies, such as through the use of outdoor lighting,
guard dogs, and grizzly-proof pens;
- Transplanting of problem bears to other
localities;
- Killing of problem bears when no other
resolution is possible; and
- Reimbursement of ranchers for lost livestock.
Nationally, the conservation organization
Defenders of Wildlife has been paying Montana ranchers for livestock
losses caused by a pack of wolves that recently established themselves
in the northern part of that state.
Grizzly attacks on humans are rare. Herrero's
research covered attacks in the United States and Canada national
park system, where most attacks occur. >From 1900 to 1980,
he documented 165 human injuries from 143 incidents; he estimates
perhaps as many incidents occurred outside the national parks
during the same period. Fifty percent of injuries were major,
requiring hospitalization for more than 24 hours, and 19 deaths
occurred.
While such injuries and attacks by grizzlies
receive headlines, they need to be kept in perspective. Officials
from the Centers for Disease Control, for example, report that
domestic dogs kill 18 to 20 people every year in the United States.
From 1975 to 1984, there were 604 hunting accidents in California,
several of them fatal.
Nonetheless, people often respond to
fear rather than facts. In Yellowstone National Park, proposals
to reintroduce wolves were first greeted by concerns from hiking
and backpacking organizations, although there is only one authenticated
case of a wolf attacking a human in the wild in North America.
Subsequent public education efforts at the park have resulted
in strong public support for wolf reintroduction, although the
powerful livestock industry still actively opposes the effort.
There was strong public opposition voiced
to proposals by biologists of the University of California, Berkeley,
to releasing coyotes on Angel Island State Park in San Francisco
Bay to control deer numbers. Public fears about grizzlies need
to be addressed up front.
Some sportsmen1s organizations may well
be opposed. While it would appear to be in their interest to
support reintroduction of grizzly bears, both to support a healthy
ecosystem and for potential future bear hunting, some sportsmen1s
groups in California still cling to outmoded ideas about wildlife
issues. Many still insist that mountain lions harm deer herds
in California, contrary to any evidence. Reintroduction of grizzly
bears may be seen as another predator competing with sportsmen
for deer, or may be seen as some vague attempt by "the anti-hunters"
to further interfere with hunters in California. Similarly, commodity
producers, such as logging and mining companies, may oppose grizzly
reintroduction for fear of restrictions on their activities on
public and private lands needed for bear habitat.
"Toiling in the treadmills of life
we hide from the lessons of Nature. We gaze morbidly through
civilized fog upon our beautiful world clad with seamless beauty,
and see ferocious beasts and wastes and deserts. But savage deserts
and beasts and storms are expressions of God1s power inseparably
companioned by love. Civilized man chokes his soul ... We deprecate
bears.
"But grandly they blend with their
native mountains. They roam the sandy slopes on lily meads, through
polished glaciers and chaparral, living upon red berries and
gooseberries, little caring for rain or snow ... Magnificent
bears of the Sierra are worthy of their magnificent homes. They
are not companions of men, but children of God, and His charity
is broad enough for bears. They are objects of His tender keeping
...
"Bears are made of the same dust
as we, and breathe the same winds and drink of the same waters.
A bear1s days are warmed by the same sun, his dwellings are overdomed
by the same blue sky, and his life turns and ebbs with heart-pulsings
like ours, and was poured from the same First Fountain. And whether
he at last goes to our stingy heaven or no, he has terrestrial
immortality. His life is not long, not short, knows no beginning,
no ending. To him life unstinted, unplanned, is above the accidents
of time, and his years, markless and boundless, equal Eternity.
"God bless Yosemite bears."
John Muir, Thoughts upon Finding a Dead
Yosemite Bear " (1871), from John of the Mountains, edited
by Linnie Marsh Wolfe
The grizzly can come back to California,
if we will let it. The major obstacles are political in nature,
surely a poor excuse for inaction in the grand scheme of things.
The California state legislature and the federal and state wildlife
and land agencies can take a remarkable and historic step by
developing a feasibility study for a reintroduction of grizzly
bears into California.
Help bring back the California grizzly!
Mark Palmer
is a wildlife activist who lives in Davis, California. This essay
is excerpted from his forthcoming book Wildlife Alive: A Conservationist
in California. This article originally appeared on Faultine:
the Journal of the California Environment.
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