Friends of the Eel River Supports Restoring the California Grizzly

Re: SB 1305 (Richardson) – California Grizzly Restoration Act: Support

Dear Senator Becker,

Friends of the Eel River writes in Support of SB 1305 (Richardson), which would take the first step in a multi-phase process to address the historic loss of California grizzly bears and begin their restoration to the state.

For thousands of years, California grizzlies coexisted with the ancestors of contemporary California Native American tribes, forming longstanding ecological and cultural relationships. In 1848, on the eve of the Gold Rush, California supported an estimated 10,000 grizzly bears—likely more than any U.S. state except Alaska. By 1924, the grizzly was extinct in California, erasing a keystone species that shaped ecosystems across the state.

The extirpation of grizzly bears from California marks the most significant species loss in the state’s history. Once present in nearly every ecosystem, grizzlies were eliminated within a single human lifetime, removing a keystone species whose ecological roles were critical natural processes such as seed dispersal, soil enrichment, nutrient cycling, vegetation management, and balancing the food web.

These functions support biodiversity and contribute to long-term ecosystem stability. Their absence contributed to ecological imbalance, reduced resilience, and the simplification of ecosystems across California’s diverse ecoregions. The loss of grizzlies also severed enduring relationships between the species and many California Native American tribes, for whom the grizzly remains a vital and honored relative.

Senate Bill 1305 would direct the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to develop and publish a reintroduction roadmap by June 30, 2028. The roadmap must include scientific assessments of habitat suitability and population viability, consultation with California Native American Tribes, engagement with local communities, and recommended procedures to minimize risk of human-wildlife conflict. For these reasons Friends of the Eel River supports SB 1305.

Sincerely,