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NFC: Fw: Support Grizzly Bear Reintroduction to the Bitterroot Wilderness




DEN ALERT: 
SUPPORT GRIZZLY BEAR REINTRODUCTION TO THE BITTERROOT WILDERNESS

Endangered species opponents and anti-bear groups are mobilizing their 
grassroots to scuttle a new plan to reintroduce grizzly bears to a 
remote federal wilderness area of western Montana and central Idaho. 
We need you to let the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service know that you 
support restoration of this threatened species. 

A century ago, grizzly bears dominated the forests and mountains of 
the American West. Due to habitat loss and unregulated killing, today 
only a thousand bears survive in the lower 48 states.  Since the 
grizzly bear was listed as a ‘threatened' species in 1975, efforts 
to recover the bear have focused primarily on managing existing grizzly 
populations in Yellowstone National Park and northwestern Montana's 
Glacier National Park/Bob Marshall Wilderness complex.  Now that those 
populations seem to be doing well, attention has shifted to 
reintroducing bears to the 15-million-acre Bitterroot ecosystem in 
central Idaho, which contains four million acres of designated 
wilderness, low road densities, and ample food and habitat. 

After five years of study and evaluating public comments, the U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service has selected a unique proposal to restore 
the grizzly to the Bitterroot ecosystem. The proposal, called the 
Citizen Management Plan, calls for: (1) focusing reintroduction 
efforts in the Selway-Bitterroot wilderness, (2) establishing a 
15-member bear management committee consisting of state and federal 
officials, tribal representatives and local citizens and (3) increasing 
flexibility to manage bears that cause problems. The proposal could 
potentially increase bear numbers in the continental U.S. by a third, 
and begin to link bear populations in Yellowstone and northwestern 
Montana. The citizen plan was developed by a diverse coalition 
including conservation groups like Defenders of Wildlife and the 
National Wildlife Federation, the timber industry, and organized 
labor organizations.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Let the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service know that you support grizzly 
bear recovery through the Citizen Management Plan. Please take a 
minute and send an e-mail to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
supporting grizzly bear restoration through the Citizen Management 
Plan. YOUR COMMENTS MUST BE RECEIVED BY APRIL 24, 2000!

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB: 
If you have access to the web, simply click on the link below which 
will take you to the DEN Action Center web site:

 			 http://www.denaction.org 

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL: 
If you do not have web access, you can still respond to this alert. 
Simply, choose the "reply to sender" option on your email program. 
Be sure to include the original message in your reply. Then edit the 
message provided below or send it as is and press SEND. We will 
automatically add your name to the letter and send it to the correct 
e-mail address or fax number. You must include the whole letter in 
your response starting with "==START OF LETTER==" and ending with 
"==END OF LETTER==."  

We strongly encourage you to personalize your message by putting 
the message in your own words or adding personal thoughts. A 
personalized letter is viewed as more important than a computer-
generated one. However, hundreds of unedited letters will still 
have a large impact. Therefore, please reply even if you don't have 
time to personalize the letter.

==== START OF LETTER - ALERT 12 ==== DO NOT REMOVE THIS MARKER

Dear U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:

I strongly support the reintroduction of grizzlies to the Bitterroot 
ecosystem under the Citizen Management Plan (Alternative 1).  Restoration

of the grizzly bear to the Bitterroot ecosystem could expand grizzly 
bear numbers and range by nearly a third, significantly improving 
the status of this imperiled species. This proposal strikes an excellent 
balance between restoring grizzlies and respecting the needs of people
who will live near the bears.  Bears should thrive in this lightly-
populated area. Please consider the following points as you move forward 
with a final decision:

*         Bear Numbers Are Perilously Low in the Lower 48 - Although
grizzly 
populations in the Yellowstone and Glacier National Park areas seem 
to have increased during the last decade, overall numbers still hover 
around a thousand animals. Scientists agree that these numbers must 
be increased significantly before the species presence in the lower 
48 can be considered secure.  

*         The Bitterroot ecosystem contains excellent bear habitat - 
With nearly four million acres of designated wilderness and another 
several million acres of roadless country, this area has the kind of 
isolation that bears need. Moreover, a recent scientific report 
concludes that the area contains excellent bear foods, including 
huckleberries and whitebark pine.

*         Potential Conflicts With Industrial Activities Are Low - The 
existing situation on national forests lands surrounding designated 
wilderness areas appears very favorable for bears. Both oil and gas 
and mineral potential in this area is low, there are no public land 
grazing allotments in the vicinity of the reintroduction area, and 
current timber harvest activities are modest.  

*         The Citizen Management Plan Carefully Considers Potential
Conflicts 
With People - This proposal calls for moving or placing in captivity 
bears that routinely come into conflict with people. The intent of 
our plan is to restore grizzly bear populations to wilderness areas 
and lightly-populated areas, not to valley bottoms where people live. 

*         The Citizen Management Plan Provides Direct Bear Management 
Involvement for People Who Live near - Defenders of Wildlife worked 
collaboratively with the timber industry and organized labor to 
develop a grizzly reintroduction plan, which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service has now adopted. The centerpiece of this plan is creation 
of a citizen management committee that would be responsible for 
management of the Bitterroot population. While this committee has 
considerable authority, it must follow the same endangered species 
rules as federal agencies. It must use the best scientific information 
and its actions must lead to recovery.   

Because grizzly bears reproduce so slowly, it may take thirty years 
or more to establish a healthy population. I strongly urge the U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service to fully fund both the citizen management 
committee and the grizzly reintroduction as soon as possible. This 
is the most important grizzly bear conservation initiative that the 
service will undertake in this decade. 

Thank you for consideration of my comments.

Sincerely, 

(Your name and signature will automatically be added here)

==== END OF LETTER - ALERT 12 ==== DO NOT REMOVE THIS MARKER

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Defenders of Wildlife is a leading national conservation organization 
recognized as one of the nation's most progressive advocates for 
wildlife and its habitat and known for its effective leadership on 
saving endangered species such as brown bears and gray wolves, Defenders 
advocates new approaches to wildlife conservation that protect species 
before they become endangered. Founded in 1947, Defenders is a nonprofit 
501(c)(3)organization with nearly 400,000 members and supporters.

                       Defenders of Wildlife
                  1101 14th Street, NW, Suite 1400
                       Washington, DC 20005
       	             http://www.defenders.org
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