The California legislature is considering a resolution that would declare 2024 the "Year of the California Grizzly Bear" to mark the 100-year anniversary of the last known credible sighting of a grizzly bear in the state.  

We need you to help urge the California legislature to commemorate the centennial of the extirpation of California's official state animal and pass Senate Resolution (SR) 75 - sign the petition now!

California was once home to more grizzlies than anywhere else in the continental United States, and the bears lived and thrived across nearly all of the state. Grizzly bears played key roles maintaining the integrity and function of California's ecosystems.

California Native American tribes revered the bear and nurtured a symbiotic relationship with them for thousands of years, as many continue to do today despite the bear’s physical absence.

Following the Gold Rush of 1849, a frenzy of state-sponsored hunting, trapping, and poisoning decimated California's grizzly population. In a symbolic gesture, the California Legislature in 1911 passed a bill to place the grizzly bear on the state flag. Nonetheless, by the 1920s – a decade later – the once-abundant California grizzly had disappeared from the wild.

This resolution is a first step in recognizing that past and righting this historic injustice. It offers an opportunity for the state to redefine its relationship to the bear and dispel the historic irony of celebrating the grizzly as the state symbol while effecting its demise.

SR 75 honors the California grizzly’s legacy so that Californians can pay respect and learn about the grizzly’s invaluable importance to the state and its ecosystems, while offering an opportunity to envision the California grizzly bear's future.

Act now and tell the California legislature to honor the California grizzly and declare 2024 the "Year of the California Grizzly." To sign the petition, click here.

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