Industry leaders worried that if grizzlies wandered into the national forests, the government would shut down logging. But timber industry leaders soon sensed that if they fought the grizzly's return, they would eventually lose. In December 1993, they began meeting with local conservationists, in search of a deal. The result is known as the Roots plan. The plan calls for the Interior Department to turn over management of the grizzlies to a 15-member committee made up mostly of citizens selected by the governors of Idaho and Montana.
Some environmentalists find that a frightening prospect.
The Alliance has proposed an alternative that would set aside a much larger area, including national forest land. The plan calls for full protection of the bears' habitat. To make up for the resulting loss of logging jobs, it would create new jobs demolishing existing logging roads in the national forests. The grizzly scientists say that before any bears are released in the wilderness, experts need to make sure the area is big enough and offers enough food to support a large, healthy population. Most of all, backers of the Alliance plan want the grizzlies' fate to be controlled by federal experts.