Should Grizzlies be Reintroduced to the North Cascades?

[2naSalit]

1. So I see a problem...

I know that we all think of these bears as being mountain creatures but that is not the case. Our two bear types in the lower 48 states are black bears and grizzly bears, one evolved in the forests and mountains and the other is basically a grassland/steppe inhabitant.

Black bear (Ursus americanus) is a forest animal, this is evident in it's agility in climbing trees and the claws on the front paws are designed for such. They are ubiquitous in some areas but are as dangerous as grizzly bears though some think they are less of a threat. Their ability to climb trees to avoid threats may be why they are not seen as aggressive as other bear species.

Grizzly bear (Ursus horibilis) is basically a grassland/steppe creature evidenced by it's body characteristics, such as long claws and large shoulder muscles making the distinctive hump on the upper back, adapted to digging and moving large objects like rocks and trees. Though they have much longer claws on their front paws, they can climb trees as well as a black black bear. The aggressive nature of this species probably developed by the lack of places to hide from threats.

So if they are reintroduced to a mountainous area, will there be critical habitat assigned to allow for them to migrate out of the mountains? That's what is happening here in Montana, the bears are spreading out into the flatlands and some folks are getting upset.