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Opinion: Should grizzly bears be re-introduced to western Colorado?
Talk about a tourist attraction!
That proposal to re-introduce long-gone grizzlies back
into the Colorado wild —
into the Colorado wild —
what an inspiration that is!
Just think of it. First we get the moose introduced
successfully to Grand Mesa,
successfully to Grand Mesa,
now this really keen idea comes along. After all, at
one time we had grizzlies
one time we had grizzlies
in western Colorado.
Back in June, an environmental group called
The Center for Biological
The Center for Biological
Diversity told the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
to do just that to help
to do just that to help
recover this threatened species. Their complaint
is that F&W is too
is that F&W is too
fragmented in how it operates, currently
focusing only on easy areas
focusing only on easy areas
like Yellowstone, the Tetons and Alaska.
After all, these noble creatures at one time
made their homes in
made their homes in
Arizona, New Mexico, around the Grand
Canyon, in the Sierra
Canyon, in the Sierra
Nevada of California (the grizzly is on
California’s state flag,
California’s state flag,
by the way), parts of Utah and, yes,
Colorado.
Colorado.
Just like moose, or the one-time
endangered grey wolf, grizzlies
endangered grey wolf, grizzlies
could slowly regain some of their
past habitat and become an asset.
past habitat and become an asset.
Think about what a huge tourist boom
would result if Aspen,
would result if Aspen,
Vail and Telluride had small enclaves
of grizzly bears. Shoot,
of grizzly bears. Shoot,
we wouldn’t need a national park if
we could put a few grizzlies
we could put a few grizzlies
in Colorado National Monument,
would we? At one time we had
would we? At one time we had
bison there, too.What a photo op
to be out hiking and suddenly
to be out hiking and suddenly
see a mama grizzly with a couple
of cute cubs. Talk about a
of cute cubs. Talk about a
great “selfie” moment. And for
goodness sakes, Colorado has
goodness sakes, Colorado has
plenty of wilderness, national
forests and conservation areas
forests and conservation areas
to support a few bears.
F&W concedes it needs to
look at its 1993 protection plan
look at its 1993 protection plan
again, since it’s out of date. It
confirms that at least 50,000
confirms that at least 50,000
grizzlies roamed the West in the
early 1800s. People in those
early 1800s. People in those
days systematically took over the
territory and, one by one,
territory and, one by one,
got rid of most of them.
Now we have about 16,000 in
British Columbia. Alaska is
British Columbia. Alaska is
home to about 30,000. In the
rest of the U.S., which was
rest of the U.S., which was
once one-half their habitat,
there are only about 1,500 left,
there are only about 1,500 left,
with 800 in Montana
and 600 in the Yellowstone area.
Noah Greenwald is director of
the Center for Biological
the Center for Biological
Diversity’s endangered species
program.
program.
He admitted there might be some
opposition to the plan, but
opposition to the plan, but
said that overall there seems to
be lots more reverence
be lots more reverence
surrounding the bear.
“They’re just such an iconic
animal,” he said.
animal,” he said.
Unfortunately for Colorado’s
habitat, the last confirmed sighting
habitat, the last confirmed sighting
was in the San Juan Mountains
out of Pagosa Springs on Sept.
out of Pagosa Springs on Sept.
23, 1979. A female grizzly tangled
with a bow hunter, mauled
with a bow hunter, mauled
him a bit, and died when he stabbed
her with one of his arrows.
her with one of his arrows.
The best sighting recently was from
Aspen in 2007, when a
Aspen in 2007, when a
photo of a grizzly and two cubs was
circulating; It was taken,
circulating; It was taken,
so the story goes, by a woman
working as a nanny for one of
working as a nanny for one of
the many wealthy Aspenites. She
reported she took a bus
reported she took a bus
ride to the Maroon Bells-Snowmass
Wilderness stop to go
Wilderness stop to go
on a short hike. When she saw the
bears she snapped a
bears she snapped a
photo, thinking “How cool is this!”
It dawned on her to get out of there
pronto, given that the
pronto, given that the
advice from all the grizzly experts
is to “stay at least 100
is to “stay at least 100
yards from grizzly bears”.
By the way, the species name
for grizzly bears is “Ursus
for grizzly bears is “Ursus
arctos horribillis.” If you think
having a few of these big
having a few of these big
critters around for tourist promotion
(and helping an
(and helping an
endangered species) would be
cool, contact the
cool, contact the
Colorado Grizzly Coalition.
It’s in Boulder.
It’s in Boulder.
At one time Hotchkiss thought
grizzlies were pretty keen.
grizzlies were pretty keen.
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