Union County passes preemptive resolution of opposition to all potential grizzly bear reintroductions
By Garrett Christensen on Thursday, September 4th, 2025 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
UNION COUNTY – During a regular commission meeting on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, the Union County Board of Commissioners officially passed resolution 2025-18, In the Matter of a Resolution Opposing Grizzly Bear Reintroduction to the Northeast Region of Oregon, Specifically Union County. As the title suggests, this resolution marks the county’s official opposition to any potential reintroduction of grizzly bears into the region.
To clarify, as of the time of writing, the state of Oregon does not actually have an official plan to reintroduce grizzly bears in the state. However, both Washington and Idaho were included in the 1993 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Plan (itself due for a renewal soon) as potential habitats for reintroduced grizzlies, with Washington seeing federal approval for reintroduced grizzlies in 2024.
These factors coincide with concerns of oversaturation of predator species in Oregon’s ecosystems, the current health of species such as mule deer, and fears of further damage to livestock producers, among other concerns. As such, county leadership sought to draft a preemptive stance on the potential issue. The full resolution is as follows:
“WHEREAS, the 1993 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Plan identified ecosystems including areas in Idaho and Washington suitable for grizzlies; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Park Service approved a plan in April 2024 to reintroduce grizzly bears to the North Cascades of Washington; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to release a draft of a new reintroduction plan later this year; and
WHEREAS, there is no Grizzly Management Plan currently in place by the State, and Oregon is not identified in the 1993 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services reintroduction area plan; and
WHEREAS, The State of Oregon has no viable funds within its budget to manage grizzly bears and offer means of compensation to livestock producers for loss of livestock and land use; and
WHEREAS, grizzly bear reintroduction would have immediate effect on the livestock community who is already facing economic damages from an earlier reintroduction of the apex predator the gray wolf; and
WHEREAS, Union County is reliant on economic growth and employment of residents provided by recreation opportunities including hunting and fishing; and
WHEREAS, reintroduction of grizzly bear would obstruct the management of all wildlife in our County which consists of a declining mule deer population, unachieved management objective of elk, and current saturation of competing predators and limited prey; and
WHEREAS, reintroduction of the grizzly would restrict the current and future plans for critical timber harvest that the County is reliant on for jobs and economic growth; and
WHEREAS, this is a matter of public safety concern.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED THAT THE UNION COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS is opposed to any grizzly bear reintroduction within the State of Oregon and specifically Union County.“
Again to clarify, this declaration was NOT made in response to an active effort by the state of Oregon or federal agencies to reintroduce grizzlies in Oregon, but rather is a preemptive measure in case reintroduction is later formally considered.
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(A stock image was used for this article)
