Grizzly bears are returning to Washington State following a years-long discussion. The National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the relocation news last week, noting that they planned to establish a “founder population” comprised of 25 bears over the next five to 10 years, according to NBC News.

Once native to the North Cascades Mountain Range, thousands were killed for their fur and they haven’t been seen in what’s considered “one of the best-protected landscapes in the U.S.” since 1996. The plan calls for the release of three to seven bears in remote parts of the forest every year with an end population goal of 200 bears within the next 60 to 100 years.

Bears will be captured in late summer or early fall using a “culvert trap,” which “looks like an elongated steel drum with a trapdoor,” according to Jason Ransom, a wildlife biologist at North Cascades National Park. Once trapped, the bears will be anesthetized, examined by a veterinarian and outfitted with GPS collars so that biologists can keep tabs on them as they move into their new home range, which has been carefully selected to provide “high-quality habitat far, far away from everybody,” said Ransom.

While the relocation project is approved, it could take years for it to come to fruition considering how difficult it actually to trap, truck and move bears by helicopter from either British Columbia or northwestern Montana. 

“There’s a lot to be done before we could even come up with a timeline,” said Ransom. “For a project like this to be successful, it’s really important you get the planning right.”

Designating grizzly bears within this area as a “nonessential experimental population” under the Endangered Species Act allows for more legal leeway. For example, it will be legal to kill grizzlies if necessary to protect humans or livestock. Federal agencies will also be able to relocate or kill problem bears; however, those involved say lethal removal won’t be the first option when it comes to grizzly bear management. 

Regardless of the appeal of reestablishing a healthy grizzly bear population within the region, it will also likely take far longer than other species. According to Joe Scott, the international programs associate director at Conservation Northwest, female grizzlies must be at least five years old before they reproduce, rarely wandering out of their home range, with many cubs not living long enough to reach a reproductive age. 

“As long as it’s taken to get here, it’s just the start of this. The actual implementation is not a slam dunk,” said Scott.