News Release

Additional public meetings scheduled on options for restoring grizzly bears to the North Cascades 

Date: October 13, 2023

The National Park Service and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service have announced two additional meetings for the public to provide comment on the recently released draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that evaluates options for restoring grizzly bears to the North Cascades ecosystem in Washington, where the animals once roamed. The public is also invited to provide comment on the proposed rule from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service that would provide local communities with additional management tools under section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act.

Comments can be submitted at any time during the public comment period, open now through November 13, but the in-person meetings will provide the opportunity to submit comments verbally.  

The newly announced dates in Darrington and Winthrop are in addition to the previously noticed informational virtual meeting and in-person meetings in Omak and Newhalem. 
 
Informational virtual public meeting:  
October 17 – Microsoft Teams Live – 7-8:30 pm   
 
In-person public meetings:  
October 30 – Okanogan, WA - Okanogan County Fairgrounds (Agriplex and Annex) 5:30-8:30 pm  
November 1 – Newhalem, WA - Currier Hall 5:30-8:30 pm 
November 2 – Darrington, WA - Darrington High School Auditorium 5:30-8:30 pm
November 3 – Winthrop, WA - Winthrop Barn Auditorium 5:30-8:30 pm 
  
The public can review the draft EIS, submit comments, and find additional information, including access information for the virtual meeting, at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/NCEGrizzly   
 
Hard copy comments on the draft EIS can be submitted by U.S. mail or hand-delivery to:  
Office of the Superintendent 
Grizzly Restoration EIS   
810 State Route 20,  
Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284  
 
To view the proposed 10(j) rule from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and submit comments, visit regulations.gov. It is also available to view in the Federal Register. 

Hard copy comments on the proposed 10(j) rule can be submitted by U.S. mail or hand-delivery to:   
Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-R1-ES-2023-0074   
Division of Policy, Performance, and Management Programs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service  
MS: PRB/3W   
5275 Leesburg Pike   
Falls Church, VA 22041–3803.  

See Frequently Asked Questions about the draft EIS
See Frequently Asked Questions about the proposed 10(j) rule