by Gordon Congdon
What is missing in this picture?
Fisher Creek Basin, North Cascades National Park photo by Gordon Congdon.
Clues:
- This animal is an omnivore that can eat up to 100 different plant species found in the North Cascades. In the fall this animal may eat up to 200,000 huckleberries per day.
- This animal has the second lowest reproductive rate of mammals found in North America. Offspring stay with the mother for up to 4 years.
- This animal migrated to North America across the Bering land bridge at least 50,000 years ago. Humans did not make it to North America until about 30,000 years later.
- This animal once ranged from Alaska to Mexico and from the Pacific Ocean to the Mississippi River, but in the lower 48 is now only found in 2% of its original range and has been listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act since 1975.
- This is the only mammal that has been eradicated in the North Cascades of Washington.
Answer:
The grizzly bear. The last grizzly bear known to have been killed in the North Cascades of Washington was shot near Fisher Creek in 1967. A year later, in 1968, Fisher Creek was included in the newly designated North Cascades National Park.
Want to learn more about how we can safely share the North Cascades with black bears and grizzly bears?
The Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center, as part of their Environmental Film Series, will be hosting the following presentation online on November 4 at 7:00 PM. For details about how to join this event click here. This event is free but registration is required.
Grizzly sow and cubs in Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Chris Servheen.
Black Bear and Grizzly Bear Conservation in the North Cascades
Join Dr. Chris Servheen for a presentation and film about bears! He will speak to worldwide efforts to conserve bears and then focus on black bear and grizzly bear conservation in the North Cascades. Bears are beloved around the world, and while they’re large wild animals, people have successfully learned to live alongside them. Here in North Central Washington, we are used to living with black bears and generations of inhabitants lived with grizzly bears too. Dr. Servheen has worked with communities to conserve black bears and grizzly bears for more than 35 years and will share what he has learned about these magnificent animals. The presentation is designed for all age groups.
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