Environmental group wants Grizzlies back in NM

An environmental group wants to see Grizzly bears back on the landscape. The Center for Biological Diversity filed a petition Thursday, asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to update their 1993 Grizzly Bear recovery plan. The Center for Biological Diversity says there are thousands of acres in the West where Grizzlies would thrive and more land means more Grizzlies and a better chance for their long-term survival. Yet, some groups aren’t so sure reintroduction is a good idea. Grizzlies were put on the Endangered Species list in 1975. The Feds came up with a recovery plan for them more than 20 years ago. Now, the Center for Biological Diversity wants to see that plan updated and they’ve pointed out 110,000 square miles of habitat where they say Grizzlies would thrive. It includes the Gila in New Mexico and Arizona. Experts with the group say Grizzlies are an important part of the ecosystem. “As a top predator, they regulate deer and elk populations which keep those herds healthy. It also, in turn, benefits species that deer and elk forage on,” says Greenwald. Yet, some aren’t so sure about the Grizzly’s return. “It’s ridiculous, in our opinion and it’s such a waste of time but, at the same time, it’s extremely dangerous,” says New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association’s Cathy Cowen. Cowen says introducing the large predator to the land is not only dangerous for livestock, it’s also dangerous for people. “How are people going to go to the Gila National Forest to camp and hunt and recreate when there’s a fear of Grizzly Bears there?” asked Cowen...more

Who is this Cathy Cowen?  Of course its Caren Cowan.