Environmental groups expressed both praise and criticism over the plan, which seeks to establish a viable grizzly bear population in a region where the animals have not thrived for more than 50 years. The bears will be released in groups of five or fewer, beginning in 2002.
Grizzly bear stands in the Bitterroot Mountains.
In accordance with that special designation, a unique 15 member citizen management committee will be established in order to insure that the grizzly bear reintroduction effort does not override the needs of the public, FWS officials said. Local citizens and employees from various federal and state agencies will be represented on the committee, as will members of the region's Nez Perce Indian tribe. The NWF, a non-governmental environmental group, was instrumental in forging a diverse coalition of groups to support the reintroduction effort. The NWF also brought the Intermountain Forest Association into the coalition, another industry group representing timber companies and sawmills in the northern Rockies. I think we've captured the radical center here, and it's that centrist approach that's going to work.