Chelan County Hosting Series Of Grizzly Bear Meetings

Now that the reintroduction of grizzly bears to the North Cascades is inevitable, local communities are taking measures to prepare for the potential impacts of their presence.

Next month, Chelan County will hold a series of public meetings regarding the reintroduction of grizzly bears.

Commissioner Kevin Overbay says the gatherings are an important first step in educating the County's leadership and its citizens about the animals.

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"This is actually our first step in the process, to actually talk about some of the methods and strategies of living with apex predators. We've done some mapping already and know about where their food sources will probably be, and they may be in and around the area - no different than when we have black bears in Leavenworth now. So like them, we're basically going to be pushing a 'bear wise' campaign going forward."

There will be a total of three meetings held to discuss the issue of returning grizzly bears to the region, and Overbay says a critical part of each will be the information provided by the visiting chairwoman of the Montana Conflict Reduction Consortium, Trina Jo Bradley.

"She is actually a rancher and advocate who lives on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains near Glacier National Park. Her family operates a cattle ranch there on Birch Creek. She saw a need for ranchers to have a voice in state and federal policies regarding apex predators like grizzly bears. So she's coming here to share some information about how they are living with grizzly bears in Montana - the good, the bad, and everything in between."

The meetings will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at the Beehive Grange Hall in Wenatchee; Wednesday, Sept. 18 at the Lake Chelan Community Center in Chelan; and Thursday, Sept. 19 at the Leavenworth Fire Hall in Leavenworth.

Chelan County PUD Commissioner Gary Arseneault will also take part in the Wenatchee meeting on Sept. 18.