At almost 10,000 square miles, Washington’s North Cascades ecosystem is one of the largest truly wild landscapes left in the contiguous United States. I’m fortunate to have spent quite a bit of time in this remarkable place; I spent a year living in the remote North Cascades National Park, and have backpacked extensively in the park and surrounding National Forest wilderness areas. I can say from firsthand experience that the North Cascades are a truly special mountain range, home to spectacular peaks, glacier-carved valleys, and a wealth of plant and animal species.

These mountains are among the relatively few places south of the Canadian border where you can find wild predators like gray wolves, wolverines, and American fishers. There’s one large mammal missing from the ecosystem, though: grizzly bears. That may soon change–which is the subject of my most recent article, published in the newest issue of Trails Magazine.

While researching for this piece I was struck by the impressive coalition of people who have come together in a decades-long effort to restore grizzlies to the North Cascades. Folks I interviewed included Snoqualmie Tribe representative Jaime Martin, esteemed bear biologist Christopher Servheen, and residents from the Methow Valley and Lake Chelan areas who are working to bring back the North Cascades’ largest omnivore. One theme that emerged from these conversations was that the North Cascades are among the few ecosystems on the continent that don’t now have confirmed grizzlies, but where there’s still enough wild land to support a healthy population of these animals.

Another theme was a sense of moral responsibility to restore an animal that was eradicated from Washington (and most of the western US) by hunting in the 20th century. The last confirmed grizzly sighting in the North Cascades was in 1996, but prior to that the bears co-existed with local Indigenous peoples there for many thousands of years. Euro-American colonists saw grizzlies and all large predators as nuisances to be shot on sight, and a targeted campaign of extermination ensued. By the time grizzlies were protected under the Endangered Species Act, they had already been virtually eliminated from Washington.

Looking out at the vast expanses of forested mountains in North Cascades National Park, Mount Baker Wilderness, Alpine Lakes Wilderness, and other parts of this ecosystem, it’s easy to picture grizzlies thriving here again. And now, the Park Service and US Fish and Wildlife Service have a plan to bring them back, establishing an initial population of 25 bears brought from British Columbia or Montana.

You can read more about this remarkable effort in my story in Trails. The publication is well worth checking out anyway: it’s an all-print magazine specifically for people who enjoy the backcountry, full of well-researched articles and beautiful photographs. Get the new issue here.