Hikers can bear grizzlies
Restoring grizzly bears to Washington's North
Cascades and Idaho's Selway-Bitterroot ecosystems won't interfere
with hunters, hikers or horseback riders, says a conservation group
in Bellingham, Wash. The group, Greater Ecosystem Alliance,
examined closures of trails and campgrounds caused by grizzlies in
11 national forests and two national parks. All had little effect
on recreation. Blocked trails were few and limited in area, and
they did not prevent visitors from using the vast majority of the
forests and parks, a report by the Alliance says. In Montana's
Flathead National Forest, which has more grizzly bears than any
other forest in the lower 48, the Forest Service has closed only
one campground in the past 10 years to avoid bear-human
confrontations, the report notes. Copies of the 10-page Grizzly
Bear Recovery Impacts on Recreation within Grizzly Bear Recovery
Zones are available for $3 from the Greater Ecosystem Alliance,
Suite 316, 1155 N. State St., Bellingham, WA 98225
(206/671-9950).