Grizzly bears? In your backyard? The California legislature says not right now.
Before the Gold Rush, it’s estimated that more than 10,000 California Grizzly bears lived across the state. By 1924, the bear, now emblazoned on our state flag, was extinct after a campaign of systematic hunting.
In February, a bill was introduced that would have tasked the California Department of Fish and Wildlife with creating a “roadmap” for how to bring grizzly bears back.
The Tejon Indian Tribe and the Yurok Tribe were sponsors of the proposal. Tiana Williams-Clausen is the director of the Yurok Tribe’s wildlife department, one of the sponsors of the proposal. She spoke about the importance of grizzly bears at a hearing in June.
" This loss lingers in our heart and in the attenuation of a millennia-old relationship," said Clausen.
Opposed to the bill were ranchers, hunting associations, and rural communities that were concerned about livestock losses, and inadequate resources to deal with human-wildlife conflict.
Grizzlies are a keystone species, meaning they play a critical role in the ecosystem's ability to self-regulate. But the return of similar apex predators, like the gray wolf, has not been universally popular.
Before the legislative session closed last week, lawmakers decided not to go forward with the proposal. Like the California Grizzly, it’s dead — at least for now.
