In August 2014 Whistler passed a resolution in support of the recovery of the threatened Grizzly Bear populations in southwest BC, since then the community Councils of Squamish, Pemberton, Lillooet, and the Board of the Squamish Lillooet Regional District, have all passed similar resolutions. This unanimous support for recovery throughout the entire Sea-to-Sky corridor, indicates the strong value both residents and visitors associate with maintaining the iconic grizzly bear in our backcountry.
The Squamish Nation has joined neighbouring First Nations by declared a resolution calling for the protection and recovery of Stl'lhalem (grizzly bear) in their territory, highlighting that: "Stl'lhalem (grizzly bear) has been an integral and critical part of Squamish Nation culture since time immemorial - its presence in Squamish Nation territory is an indicator of the health of the Squamish Nation land and people".
In April 2015, the Forest Practices Board (FPB), BC's independent watchdog for sound forest practices, released a special report on Access Management and Resource Roads. The report lays bare the extent and severity of the issues with resource roads, which create fracture lines through habitat and reduce the ability of wildlife (not just grizzly bears) to move around and remain safe. The report also highlights actions which would help reduce or eliminate the challenges resulting from resource roads, many of which COASTtoCASCADES point to as actions that would reduce the vulnerability of the threatened grizzly bear units in BC.
Photo: Matthew Felston
Here it is...the next instalment of "A Night with Grizzlies' and this time we are in North Vancouver. Please join COASTtoCASCADES and guest speakers and spend an evening with the grizzly bears of southwest British Columbia at North Vancouver's Centennial Theatre on Tuesday May 12th.
Grizzly Bear near Manning Park on the BC side of the North Cascades. (Photo: BC Ministry of Environment)
Members of the public are invited to open houses on options for grizzly bear restoration in North Cascades ecosystem. Public comment period open through March 26, 2015.
The following is from a press release issued by the US Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Park Service on February 15th, 2015.
Photo Credit: Jeremy Williams
In a letter to PWA the BCWF highlighted: "A return to a healthy population of Grizzly Bears will also be a strong measure to indicate the health of that particular ecosystem. We believe that the reintroduction needs to be supported by habitat and population objectives for grizzly bears and other wildlife in the area".