NPR

Ranchers Sour On Trump Administration Over Proposal To Bring Back Grizzly Bears

Some rural leaders in Washington state say they felt blindsided by a surprise decision to restart a grizzly reintroduction plan.

Rancher Craig Verasjka enthusiastically voted for Donald Trump and his support for the president's interior secretary, Ryan Zinke, had been unwavering. Finally, he recalled thinking after the election, when making land management decisions the federal government might give a friendlier ear to rural Americans who rely on public lands to make a living.

That honeymoon appeared to end abruptly this Spring, however, when Secretary Zinke paid a surprise visit to North Cascades National Park, announcing he was restarting a stalled Obama-era plan to reintroduce grizzly bears.

"What the hell do we do? We thought we had

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