Grizzlies vanished from the state by the 1920s
A coalition of Native American tribes and environmental groups is pushing California lawmakers to study whether grizzly bears can be returned to the state after an absence of roughly a century, setting up a debate over whether the state that features the animal on its flag can safely accommodate a large predator in a landscape reshaped by population growth and development.
A bill introduced in the state Senate would direct the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to produce a study evaluating the feasibility of bringing grizzly bears back. The proposal would require the department to create a “roadmap that evaluates whether, and under what conditions, reintroduction of the grizzly bear is feasible and advisable,” according to the legislation.
The idea draws opposition from rural lawmakers and communities who point to the state’s existing wildlife conflicts. “Rural areas, they say, are already overwhelmed with conflicts with mountain lions and growing black bear and wolf populations,” CalMatters reported. Republican Assemblymember Heather Hadwick told the Assembly wildlife committee last month that she does not believe the state is ready for a grizzly bear.
The grizzly bear has been absent from California since the 1920s, when the species was extirpated from the state. The animal remains a symbol on the state flag and seal.