kiɁlawnaɁ in the North Cascades are critically endangered due to habitat loss and historical overhunting. ONA is leading recovery efforts through habitat restoration and collaboration.
background
The North Cascade mountain range is characterized by rugged terrain mountains spanning both sides of the Canada-US border which once supported healthy transboundary grizzly bear populations.
In 2015, the ONA Chief’s Executive Council (CEC) passed a Tribal Council Resolution declaring kiɁlawnaɁ at risk and in immediate need of recovery throughout Syilx territory, including in the North Cascades. Furthermore, in 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recognized this population to be Critically Endangered due to its extreme demographic and genetic isolation. The main factors believed to be responsible for the extreme decline in date back to the mid-19th century when large numbers of grizzly bears were commercially trapped and killed due to fears over potential conflicts. Syilx Knowledge Keepers confirm that settlers historically overhunted grizzly bears to drive population numbers down and exploit bears for commercial markets. kiɁlawnaɁ populations in the North Cascades have only been further undermined due to ecosystems fragmentation, industrial, and commercial development, and increased environmental disturbances due to climate change, that have pushed grizzlies further and further out of their original range. Remnant grizzly bear populations on both sides of the Canada-US border have not recovered from these impacts.
The ONA continue to assess the quality and availability of bear habitat as part of the recovery actions to bring kiɁlawnaɁ back to the North Cascade mountain range ecosystem. These studies use traditional ecological knowledge and science in the assessment of human-bear relationships and to improve habitat conditions and connectivity.
Collaborative management processes help demonstrate Syilx presence and responsibility for the land and resources, and provide capacity to help position the ONA and its member communities as leaders in conservation management. We have partnered with other Nations and bands (Upper Similkameen Indian Band, S’ólh Téméxw Stewardship Alliance, Nlaka’pamux Nation Tribal Council, St’át’imc Nation and Simpcw First Nation), the Province, Conservation Northwest and the Coast to Cascades Initiative as part of the Southwest BC Grizzly Bear Stewardship Steering Committee and Indigenous Working Group. The ONA leads and participates in discussions with these groups to identify and address specific issues affecting population viability of the North Cascades grizzly bears.
In 2021, the ONA began developing the North Cascades kiɁlawnaɁ Stewardship Strategy. The Strategy will include long term objectives and provide a framework for implementing actions needed to restore habitat connectivity and ensure future viability of grizzly bears in the North Cascades. Understanding how humans and bears can coexist and share this landscape is foundational to the success of population recovery efforts. This process requires a deep understanding of relationships held by indigenous peoples to the land and how cultural values and knowledge systems can guide us in upholding our responsibilities to kiɁlawnaɁ. The priority actions and recommendations developed in the North Cascades kiɁlawnaɁ Stewardship Strategy are informed by indigenous knowledge, values and perspectives. The ONA is also applying scientific information we have gathered through updated GIS habitat models and field assessments conducted since 2018.
The ONA is also supportive of the ongoing grizzly bear recovery efforts conducted within the North Cascades Ecosystem in Washington State (which borders our work here in Canada), following the announcement of a new environmental impact statement (EIS) process for the North Cascades Ecosystem Grizzly Bear Restoration Plan. The ONA will continue to contribute towards discussions about the ecological and cultural considerations for bringing kiɁlawnaɁ back to their traditional lands on both sides of the border.
The ONA will work towards the following initiatives for grizzly bear population recovery within the North Cascades, and have currently taken up the following activities:
- Continue supporting the work of the Southwest BC Grizzly Bear Stewardship Steering Committee and Indigenous Working Group
- Finalizing and implementing the North Cascades Grizzly Bear Stewardship Strategy and developing restoration plans to improve habitat quality and connectivity for kiʔlawnaʔ. This will eventually lead to kiʔlawnaʔ reintroduction in the region.
- Developing a plan for education and outreach support needed to ensure kiʔlawnaʔ recovery and human-bear coexistence efforts are understood by both Nation members and the public
Main objectives
The overarching goal of the North Cascades kiɁlawnaɁ Stewardship Strategy is to recover and re-connect self-sustaining, viable grizzly populations across healthy ecosystems across the North Cascades mountain ranges.
To achieve this goal, the Okanagan Nation Alliance is working in close partnership with neighbouring Nations, the provincial government and Conservation Northwest’s Coast to Cascades Grizzly Bear Initiative to see that the following spheres of committed actions are met, ensuring all necessary elements of shared stewardship are achieved:
Communication, Engagement and Educational Outreach
- Communicate and engage with Indigenous communities, local non-indigenous communities and the broader public to grow support for grizzly bear re-establishment, develop coexistence strategies and minimize risks for human-bear conflicts
- Engage stakeholders and key interest groups in the North Cascades in the grizzly bear recovery and habitat restoration process so that they may support Stewardship in their management plans and operations
- Maintain communications with Tribal, Federal and State government agencies in the US in support of transboundary North Cascades grizzly bear enhancement efforts
Enhance Habitat Availability, Connectivity and Climate Resiliency
Work together with resource managers in partner Nations, provincial government, liscencees and stakeholder groups to increase the availability of high quality habitat and forage for ki?lawna? through habitat restoration and proactive resource management planning. We will collectively continue to plan for improvements to habitat security and quality by working with forest licensees, recreational users, hunters and other land users to reduce the density of roads in areas important for kiɁlawnaɁ. Habitat restoration and management decisions need to also be adaptive to the changes we are experiencing in climate conditions now and into the future, to ensure both ecological and human communities in the North Cascades are able to cope with the events and trends associated with climate disruptions.
Promote and Support Human-Bear Coexistence to Minimize Potential for Conflicts between Humans and Bears
Guided by indigenous cultural knowledge we will develop coexistence strategies which are also rooted in the learned experiences gained in other grizzly bear recovery programs. We will work with indigenous and local communities, governmental agencies, non-government organizations, stakeholder groups and the general public to develop and implement these strategies so that potential for human-bear conflicts are managed proactively and thereby reduced.
Population Enhancement
Increase the number of grizzly bears in the population through augmentation from other viable population(s). Ensure that population fragmentation is prevented in the future, so as to maintain genetic diversity among subpopulations.
Monitoring Conducted Within an Adaptive Framework
The North Cascades ki?lawna? Stewardship Strategy is a living document promoting habitat restoration and on the ground actions needed to achieve grizzly bear recovery and protection. To ensure plans and actions are effective in meeting the above objectives, ongoing monitoring of effects and outcomes are necessary within the cultural, ecological and social realms so that any necessary adaptations can be made to the strategy and plans. Monitoring programs are therefore fundamental to the long term success of returning a self-sustaining grizzly bear population back to the North Cascades. We must monitor habitat restoration effectiveness and landscape forage supply to guide future resource management and restoration decisions, especially in the face of uncertain trends from a changing climate. Grizzly bears and population demographics (including birth rates and cub survival) must be regularly monitored to assess success of habitat stewardship efforts and efficacy of human-bear coexistence strategies. Equally important, we must monitor human experiences and social responses within the recovery process at the community level to ensure coexistence objectives are successful and sustainable.
Questions about the North Cascades?
Contact: Cailyn Glasser, ONA Natural Resources Manager
T: 250-469-1595
E: cglasser@syilx.org