Our Approach

Grizzly bears hold important roles in Indigenous cultures throughout California. Many California Tribes regard the grizzly bear as a relative, teacher, and healer. We are working with Tribes around the state to help revitalize traditional knowledge about bears and foster a broader public conversation about the cultural and spiritual significance of these animals.

Sharing the land with grizzlies brings both opportunities and challenges, particularly for communities near potential recovery areas. We are working at both the state and local levels to develop plans and partnerships that will enable Californians to benefit from living with grizzlies, while reducing any possible drawbacks and lowering the risks for both humans and bears.

We partnered with the California Grizzly Research Network, established at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2016, to produce a Feasibility Study for returning grizzly bears to California, released in spring 2025. Drawing from the best available research, including several new analyses, and peer-reviewed by an independent panel of leading scientists, it takes a deep dive into the California grizzly’s history, biology, ecology, and relationship with humans. The study focuses on the question: Could grizzly bears be recovered in California? The answer is almost certainly yes.

When we began our work, only 25 percent of Californians knew that grizzlies had been eliminated from this state. Today, we are informing Californians about the grizzly’s story, building enthusiastic advocates for the return of the grizzly, and mobilizing a coalition of partners to support what would be one of the greatest rewilding successes in American history.