You referenced Auburn (pop. 83K), Monroe (19K), and Mukilteo (21K) in your post.
We get it, the concept of bears in the natural world completely terrifies you
A comparison of Anchorage to the Seattle metro area is just silly. My first posts on this subject remain my primary concern.
The bears didn't disappear beacuse of habitat loss 150 years ago. Commercical hunting trapping aside, people who lived in that lush habitiat 150 years ago killed them because they didn't mix well. And now encounters between bears and humans, and their livestock; the livelihood for a large number of people in E WA in an area that hasn't seen Grizz in 150 years, will not go well for the bears.
A good recent article
After decades of debate, grizzlies will be reintroduced to the North Cascades
www.scientificamerican.com
Even W WA tribes argree though some of their concerns won't stand up to scientific scrutiny.
“The bear is definitely a big part of our culture here in Indian country, as all the animals are,” said Yanity, a former chair of the Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians. “But as time has moved on, things have changed.” Specifically, he worried the bears would endanger some of their food and economic resources. “We face declining salmon,” he said. (Research in the government’s plan shows that the bears aren’t expected to endanger the fish population.) Lenon, a member of the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribal Council, echoed Yanity’s concern about the salmon and said his people would hunt the bears if they were reintroduced. He then stated a belief seemingly shared by many in the room: “These people,” he said, referring to the federal officials in attendance, “don’t give two cents about any of your human lives. Because I’ve told them already, you’re going get people killed in the North Cascades.”
That map can’t be right, bear sighting sure but grizzly bears in Mukilteo and Auburn? No way.
Hold on a second…so you’re saying that local TV News might manipulate their presentation to make it more dramatic? Say it ain’t so!
Reported sightings are not verified sightings. Don’t believe everything that’s implied on TV!
Grizzly bear near Auburn.
Somebody's Turkey dinner was laced.
Fake News??? I have to admit that sightings this early so close to Puget Sound are incredulous but in July 2024 there was one confirmed bear south of I-90 documented by a graduate student. There might not be a way until it is killed (again, not good for the bear, and odds are high it will be) to determine if it is a "stocker".
And finally this
Brian, with the in-coming Admin. I wouldn't worry about seeing much of any wildlife.
No matter where you stand politically, E WA ID, Montana, & WY Congressional representatives will be all over this
