While I am loathe to be the bearer of bad news, the Biden administration is once more embarking on an ill-considered move. This time, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Park Service are planning to reintroduce grizzly bears into the North Cascades National Park in northern Washington, and Republicans representing the area are pushing back. 

A group of Republicans are calling for the Biden administration to allow the public additional time to voice concerns with a proposal to release grizzly bear populations in a federally managed forest area in northern Washington.

Led by Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., the six GOP lawmakers asked Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Director Martha Williams and National Park Service (NPS) Director Charles Sams in a letter Friday to extend the public comment period on the proposal to 180 days. They also requested the agencies host additional in-person meetings with community members that would be impacted by the proposal.

"Time and again, northern Washingtonians have expressed their deep concerns about the introduction of grizzlies into the North Cascades, as they are a danger to the safety of their communities," Newhouse said in a statement. 

Trouble is clearly bruin over this issue.

Grizzlies are not the big, fluffy critters that they appear to be in the many humorous memes one finds on the internet. They are a big, fast (35mph) apex predator; a full-grown male inland grizzly, like you would have found in the Cascades a century ago, can weigh up to 650 pounds; the big coastal browns of Alaska, which is the same species but inhabiting a very different environment, can weigh half again that. They are intelligent animals, adaptable, and spend much of their summer gorging on anything available to fatten up for winter. And, yes, they are known for "unfavorable human/bear interactions." They are not furtive beasts, nor do they adapt well to living around human communities; they are creatures of the wilderness and should be left there.

There are other considerations in the Cascades, as well.

"We have previously provided extensive comments opposing grizzly bear reintroduction into our local communities," the commissioners of Chelan County, Washington, which is located near North Cascades, wrote to the NPS in late 2022. "We continue to oppose grizzly bear reintroduction given the likely negative impacts to public safety, economic development, recreation opportunities and the overall livelihood of our rural communities." 

"The federal agencies leading this effort have generally failed to address these concerns and have failed to engage in any meaningful way Chelan County and other neighboring counties in the proposed grizzly bear restoration area," they continued in their letter.

In addition, the Washington Cattlemen's Association, National Cattlemen's Beef Association and Public Lands Council have opposed reintroducing grizzly bears to the region over the species potential devastating impact on cattle.

It's probably best that the Biden administration hit the paws button on this project, but as is so often the case, the decision seems to be being made by unkoalafied people living in cities thousands of miles away from the area in question. The Biden administration really needs to re-think this idea; if they don't, the people representing this area in Congress should do their best to claw it back.

Grizzlies, even fat ones, are best observed from a distance. Otherwise, pandamonium might result.

This seems appropriate.