Plan Offers 4 Options for Restoring Grizzlies to Washington

SEATTLE (AP) — Grizzly bears once roamed the rugged landscape of the North Cascades in Washington state, but few have been sighted in recent decades.

Federal officials want to restore the population and released a draft plan Thursday with four options, ranging from taking no action to varying efforts to capture bears from other locations and relocate them to the state.

Two of the alternatives envision a goal of about 200 bears within 60 to 100 years, while a third expedited option expects to restore 200 animals in 25 years.

The National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service did not pick a preferred alternative. Instead they're seeking input over the next several weeks on what steps they should take to restore grizzly bears to their natural range.