BRINGING BACK THE GRIZ
There's discussion about bringing the grizzly bear back to California. The symbol of the state and star of the California flag has been thought to be extinct here since it was last seen in 1924 in the area pictured here, Kings Canyon.
Kings Canyon is a rugged area of granite peaks, canyons, river gorge, pine and giant sequoia.
It is a great park, often overlooked by those visiting the giant trees of Sequoia or the heart throbbing beauty of Yosemite. According to the San Francisco Chronicle it is here where the Center for Biological Diversity seeks to return grizzlies to their former stomping ground. Peter Fimrite writes the Center has petitioned the US Fish and Wildlife Service to populate Kings Canyon with the iconic beast.
Civilization has barely made a dent in Kings Canyon but opponents of the idea say it would be like bringing back the T-Rex. Grizzly bears now roam in Alaska, Montana, Wyoming, Washington and Idaho.
LOCAL BEARS
Here on the Central Coast we have black bears, though some of them are brown. And some are something else-
Bears, chairs and other shapes often emerge where an old tree has fallen.
SUMMER SCENES
SEEING A LOT
In rooting through a file for the shots from Kings Canyon I found these.
In March of 2011 we met a Frenchman who belonged to this well traveled Defender. A fascinating gent, he had been on the road for years, circumnavigating the planet. He literally traveled with everything he needed.
You can seen on the map he's covered a lot of this globe.
This was his route in 2005 and 2006. By 2011 he was working his way up and through the American west. Ponder this, as you plan your next road trip.
See you down the trail.
The road trip to end all road trips. But he'd better not plan on camping out in King's Canyon!
ReplyDeleteNice Land Rover, aluminum body, but underpowered engine.
ReplyDeleteRe-introducing the grizz to California. Geez, a toughie. If it was successful, you'd have the grizzly of Montana, Idaho, etc. A real big one is 800 pounds, four times the largest black bear. They eat a bunch, they are used to winter, hibernation, etc. What is there for them to eat....enough deer (hard to catch), any elk? Rivers where salmon spawn, where they won't eat fly anglers? (Acutally, not a bad idea, fewer of them, etc...).
I dunno, sounds like one of those ideas that sound good on the surface, but the unintended consequences....
In the areas where they live, grizzly deal with canyons, but don't live in them. A 150 pound deer can distance it's self from a bear on a 60% slope. They need open country, miles and miles, no people, no farms, no rances. Otherwise they come into conflict, and lose, everytime.
The bears roam, they move. They won't stay within a confined space, they'll go out to whatever is on the boundry, towns, shopping malls, etc.
You just got too many people there.
I wonder if this fellow encountered any grizzlies on his travels.
ReplyDeleteGrizzlies back in the Sierra, jeez. Nice idea in theory, but glad I don't backpack anymore. Black bear in Olympic National Forest were enough for me.
ReplyDelete