Coexisting with Selkirk Grizzlies
I love the fall. Cooler weather, corn mazes, pumpkins and the return of Seahawks football — fall is a tough season to beat, and nothing says “autumn” quite like a forest filled with larches. There’s a small window when these deciduous conifers change color and turn a brilliant, bright gold. In Western Washington, you won’t find these golden trees. To really experience larches, you have to travel east. I was lucky to catch a glimpse of gold larches in the Selkirk mountains, north of Spokane, earlier in the season.
As I looked out at the golden hillsides and breathed in the cool, crisp mountain air, I thought about one thing: grizzlies. Fall is the time of year when bears (both grizzly bears and black bears) pack on the final pounds before heading into hibernation. I wondered how many grizzlies were hidden from view in the larches, munching on berries and digging up roots.
Washington has grizzly bears. Many people are surprised when we say that. Those who do know about grizzlies in Washington often think about the North Cascades population, but the far northeastern corner of the state is part of the Selkirk grizzly bear recovery area which also includes British Columbia and the Idaho Panhandle.
Unlike the North Cascades population, the Selkirk population, so far around 80 individuals, seems to be growing. As this population continues to grow in the region, it is critical that the potential for conflicts between people and bears are reduced and that there is an increasing understanding and awareness about living, recreating and working alongside this iconic species.
Defenders is committed to reducing conflict between people and wildlife. Our staff hopes to support Selkirk grizzly bears by increasing available resources in the area to minimize conflict and increasing outreach and education to local communities. Over the last month, our Northwest and Northern Rockies staff met with multiple partners in the region to better understand community needs to reduce human-bear conflict.
In Washington, we are just starting conversations and working towards fostering partnerships in the region with a goal of addressing potential conflicts on both public and private lands. Some top issues that we will be working on in the coming years are reducing attractants in campsites, securing waste and garbage and promoting the use of bear spray.
Campsites are filled with “bear attractants” that lure bears towards people. At the top of the list: food itself. Securing your food and other attractants, like toiletries, keeps bears out of your campsite and out of trouble. Right now, most of the U.S. Forest Service campsites in northeast Washington are equipped with a food storage locker, and the others are on track to have them in the next few years, which is great news! Several of these lockers were installed with help from Defenders, and we hope to work with the U.S. Forest Service to assist them and other Forests with this project.
Bears also love getting into trash, and in some areas, there are often larger waste transfer sites where residents take their garbage. In the Selkirks region, there are several of these waste transfer sites. Some are fenced and have secure dumpsters to keep out bears and other wildlife. Others are less secure. Defenders is working with partners to find solutions for how to properly secure these sites to keep bears from getting into trouble and filling their stomachs with garbage.
Keeping food and trash secure can greatly reduce the risk of coming into contact with grizzly bears, but when encounters happen, it’s important to be prepared. People live, work and recreate out in the remote and wild forests of the Selkirk Mountains, which brings them closer to grizzlies. It is important for outdoor recreationalists and those living and working in bear country to take appropriate steps to reduce the likelihood of coming into conflict with bears and to stay safe in bear country. This includes carrying and knowing how to use bear spray and securing bear attractants. Defenders is working with partners to promote the use of bear spray in the region and increase public awareness about grizzly bears in the Selkirks. We are providing bear ID cards to help distinguish between grizzly bears and black bears, accompanied with tips on how to responsibly enjoy the outdoors in bear country.
Defenders has a long history of promoting coexistence. The small Selkirk grizzly bear population is surviving on a working landscape, without a large protected landscape, like a National Park. To ensure that grizzlies in the Selkirks can thrive and continue on the road to recovery, Defenders is dedicated to achieving an acceptance for grizzly bears on the landscape and partnering with multiple entities to protect the habitats that give grizzlies the room they need to roam.
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