500 attend listening session on bear restoration Most people attending a public meeting to comment the proposed restoration of grizzly bears in the North Cascades said the animal would not be welcome. About 500 people showed up Monday evening (Oct. 7) at the Okanogan County Fairgrounds Agriplex to express their opinions on a plan developed […]
National Park Service
Commissioners object to North Cascades grizzly proposal
Transplanting grizzly bears into the North Cascades would threaten the “local economy, customs and culture” of Okanogan County, county commissioners said in a letter to federal officials who are preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on a grizzly bear restoration plan.
The letter was written in …
Getting our goats
Olympic Peninsula mountain goats likely bound for North Cascades this summer By Ashley Ahearn Up to 350 mountain goats could be relocated to the North Cascades starting this summer as federal and state agencies work to eliminate the mountain goat population on the Olympic Peninsula. The National Park Service, in collaboration with the U.S. Forest […]
Proposal to return grizzlies to N. Cascades apparently on hold
A study of proposed reintroduction of grizzly bears in the North Cascades that was expected to be completed next year has apparently been put on hold, according to people involved in the project. A final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)….
Business briefs: May 4, 2016
Balance merges to form new architectural firm Methow Valley architect Tom Lenchek of Balance Associates announced that Balance will merge with Prentiss Wickline Architecture to form Prentiss + Balance + Wickline, which will have its headquarters in Seattle. The newly merged firm already has more than 40 projects underway. Lenchek is a partner in the new firm, which […]
Still time to comment on grizzly bear recovery process in North Cascades
A public open house on grizzly bear recovery in the North Cascades drew about 80 Methow Valley residents to learn more about the proposal. The March 3 open house held at the Winthrop Barn was the first of several information sessions that were held as a first step in the process of examining whether action should be taken to restore grizzlies to their historic habitat in the North Cascades.
Park Service will study restoration of grizzlies to North Cascades
The National Park Service has announced it will conduct a three-year study to develop an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that will used to help decide whether grizzly bears should be restored to the North Cascades ecosystem in Washington state. “This is the first stage of a multi-step process to help inform decisions about grizzly bear […]
North Cascades National Park announces closures
The last three miles of the Cascade River Road will be closed to all vehicle and foot traffic from Sept. 8 through late October, the North Cascades National Park Complex announced this week. According to the park’s release, “the road closure will begin at the Eldorado parking area near milepost 20 and will affect hikers […]
Small staff left to oversee shuttered USFS facilities
By Ann McCreary
With the arrival of hunting season this weekend, Methow Valley District Ranger Mike Liu said he would be patrolling national forest lands around the valley himself, unless the federal government has opened for business again.
