Official: North Cascades Grizzly Bear Recovery Work Halted

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — A North Cascades National Park official says work to restore grizzly bears to the North Cascades Ecosystem has been stopped by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's office.

North Cascades National Park Superintendent Karen Taylor-Goodrich last week told the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee that her staff had been asked to halt work on its environmental review.

She says the order also stalls discussions with Canadian wildlife managers who oversee a similar grizzly recovery process in British Columbia.

Taylor-Goodrich says the process is in its third year and staff was currently evaluating about 127,000 public comments.

A park spokeswoman in Washington state referred questions to the Interior Tuesday.

Zinke spokeswoman Heather Swift told The Associated Press Tuesday that Zinke did not direct a stop work order on the environmental impact statement but she didn't provide details.