美国国家公共电台 NPR Ranchers Sour On Trump Administration Over Proposal To Bring Back Grizzly Bears

 

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Grizzly¹ bears may be on their way back to rural Washington state. The Trump² administration is thinking about reintroducing the predators³ just south of the Canadian border and about 100 miles north of Seattle. And rural farmers and ranchers are gearing up for a fight. During a reporting trip there, NPR's Kirk Siegler discovered the looming⁴ battle is about a lot more than grizzly bears.

KIRK SIEGLER, BYLINE⁵: This is a story about reintroducing a grizzly bear to a state where they were eradicated⁶ years ago, but it's also about something a lot bigger. Listen to these two polar opposite views of grizzlies⁷ to understand why.

JOE SCOTT: Sheer inspiration and wonder - that's what grizzly bears do for people.

SIEGLER: This is environmentalist Joe Scott who lives in Bellingham, Wash., north of Seattle. Next is Jim Detro, who lives on the more rural, east side of the Cascade⁸ Mountains.

JIM DETRO: I can run out on my back porch and scream and scare the hell out of a black bear. You're not going to do that with a grizzly bear.

SIEGLER: They'll hunt you down, he says. Now, playing out in these two vastly different views of the same bear is the country's urban-rural divide, or at least a version of it. First, let's start in Jim Detro's home town, remote Okanogan, Wash. He's a county commissioner⁹ here. And in his office, there are stuffed cougars¹⁰, bighorn sheep and deer he's hunted mounted on the walls. In a shoebox he keeps in his desk drawer, there's also a giant mold of a bear claw.

DETRO: There we go, but that's a plaster Paris cast of the Tongue Creek¹¹ grizzler (ph).

SIEGLER: The Tongue Creek grizzly, an infamous¹² griz (ph) that he says terrorized this area in 1958.

DETRO: They hunted that bear, and nobody ever got him, and he was just on a rampage through here killing¹³ livestock¹⁴ and eventually left.

SIEGLER: Now, Detro is worried that if the feds reintroduce the bears, there will be more economic havoc¹⁵ in this river-cut valley with its cattle but also its lucrative¹⁶ fruit orchards¹⁷ and tourism and vacation home industries. He says grizzly reintroduction to Washington state is being pushed by deep-pocketed environmentalists on the other side of the Cascades¹⁸ in Seattle.

DETRO: They have this grandiose¹⁹ idea that there's this vast wilderness²⁰ out there that's part of theirs because it's public land that they can go to, but we that live here don't have a right to live here.

SIEGLER: Detro says people in cities like to cut checks for feel-good environmental causes, but they're not the ones who actually live out here off the land and have to deal with the consequences.

DETRO: Well, a friend of mine that's a rancher coined a phrase asphalite. You know what that is? That's a person that is born and raised on concrete and asphalt, has no common sense whatsoever²¹ and gets up every single morning and drinks the green Kool-Aid.

SIEGLER: It can feel like two parallel universes when you travel from rural Okanogan County over the mountains to the more well-heeled Seattle area. It's a place famous for its liberal activism and Patagonia-clad population that flocks to the Cascades to backcountry ski or hike.

SCOTT: People in urban areas do spend a lot of time in places where the bears will be.

SIEGLER: Joe Scott, the environmentalist we heard from earlier, is showing me the edge of what would be the grizzly bear recovery zone in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

SCOTT: Yeah, that gives you a little preview into what's in the backcountry. You can see steep mountains and heavy snows in the background.

SIEGLER: Scott takes offense²² to the argument that people who live in more urban places are somehow disconnected from these wild areas. He's skied, camped and bushwhacked his way through these rugged²³ mountains, and he says there's plenty of room for a couple hundred grizzlies.

SCOTT: Grizzly bears are not man-eaters (laughter).

SIEGLER: Scott says grizzlies avoid humans unless we give them a reason to be a nuisance, like when we leave trash out. And in states to the east of here that have grizzlies, like around Yellowstone or Glacier²⁴ Parks, problem bears tend to get dealt with swiftly.

SCOTT: You know, we hear a lot from people that this is just another federal intrusion to push an urban agenda. Well, first of all, the federal government is following the law.

SIEGLER: Federal law says a species at the brink²⁵ of extinction²⁶ must be protected. Now, the environmentalists got to go to the invite-only announcement by President Trump's interior secretary, Ryan Zinke, that the grizzly plan was being restarted.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED AUDIENCE: (Clapping).

RYAN ZINKE: I played for the Ducks.

SIEGLER: Over on the other side of the urban-rural divide on the eastern slopes of the Cascades, people told me they weren't invited and felt blindsided. They thought this Obama-era plan was dead.

CRAIG VERASJKA: What the hell do we do? You know, we thought we had somebody on our side, and now Zinke pulls this on us. We're not happy.

SIEGLER: This is Craig Verasjka, a rancher and enthusiastic Trump supporter. He grew up with Jim Detro, the county commissioner who showed me that bear claw print earlier. We're out in one of his pastures where his cows spent the winter.

VERASJKA: They think because I stop with the trailer, they think I'm going to come feed them (laughter) you know?

SIEGLER: And once the snow melts up high, he'll move these cows up into the lush Cascades where they'll graze for the summer near where the grizzlies would be reintroduced. He thinks they'll kill his cows or at the very least keep them stressed and moving, not breeding. Now, Verasjka is so frustrated²⁷ because he says Secretary Zinke had pledged to better listen to rural voices like his when it comes to public lands decisions.

VERASJKA: I mean, the guy flies to the northwest in a 48-hour period and makes a decision like that, to my knowledge, not consulting a person like myself who spent a lifetime here.

SIEGLER: A Zinke spokeswoman declined an interview request by NPR. But the secretary has said he, quote, "supports the great bear" and in particular its cultural significance to area tribes. And here's where that urban-rural divide issue and how it relates to the grizzly bear debate gets complicated. It's clear not everyone in a city or everyone in a rural area fits neatly²⁸ on one side of this divide or the other.

LORRIE SUE NELSON: In my language, we say (speaking Salish).

SIEGLER: Before I left rural Okanogan, I met Lorrie Sue Nelson. She's speaking in her native Salish here. Nelson is a descendant of the Colville Tribes of central Washington. They consider the grizzly sacred and want to see it brought back.

NELSON: They have the right to be here before any other species because they were indigenous²⁹ to this area since the beginning of time.

SIEGLER: A final decision on grizzly reintroduction is expected by the end of the year. Kirk Siegler, NPR News, Okanogan, Wash.

1 grizzly   

adj.略为灰色的，呈灰色的；n.灰色大熊

参考例句：

• This grizzly liked people.这只灰熊却喜欢人。
• Grizzly bears are not generally social creatures.一般说来，灰熊不是社交型动物。

2 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

3 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 eradicated   

画着根的

参考例句：

• Polio has been virtually eradicated in Brazil. 在巴西脊髓灰质炎实际上已经根除。
• The disease has been eradicated from the world. 这种疾病已在全世界得到根除。

7 grizzlies   

北美洲灰熊( grizzly的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Suns beat the Memphis Grizzlies 127-113 earlier Tuesday night. 在周二晚上早些时候，太阳以127：113击败孟菲斯灰熊。
• Whatever you do, do not blink.They're like grizzlies. 无论你做什么，别眨眼。他们跟熊有点相象。

8 cascade   

n.小瀑布，喷流；层叠；vi.成瀑布落下

参考例句：

• She watched the magnificent waterfall cascade down the mountainside.她看着壮观的瀑布从山坡上倾泻而下。
• Her hair fell over her shoulders in a cascade of curls.她的卷发像瀑布一样垂在肩上。

9 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

10 cougars   

n.美洲狮( cougar的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cougars can kill animals eight times their size. 美洲狮可以杀死八倍于自身体积的动物。 来自互联网

11 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

12 infamous   

adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的

参考例句：

• He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.他因反对女性主义而声名狼藉。
• I was shocked by her infamous behaviour.她的无耻行径令我震惊。

13 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

14 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

15 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

16 lucrative   

adj.赚钱的，可获利的

参考例句：

• He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
• It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。

17 orchards   

（通常指围起来的）果园( orchard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They turned the hills into orchards and plains into granaries. 他们把山坡变成了果园，把平地变成了粮仓。
• Some of the new planted apple orchards have also begun to bear. 有些新开的苹果园也开始结苹果了。

18 cascades   

倾泻( cascade的名词复数 )； 小瀑布（尤指一连串瀑布中的一支）； 瀑布状物； 倾泻（或涌出）的东西

参考例句：

• The river fell in a series of cascades down towards the lake. 河形成阶梯状瀑布泻入湖中。
• Turning into the sun, he began the long, winding drive through the Cascades. 现在他朝着太阳驶去，开始了穿越喀斯喀特山脉的漫长而曲折的路程。 来自英汉文学 - 廊桥遗梦

19 grandiose   

adj.宏伟的，宏大的，堂皇的，铺张的

参考例句：

• His grandiose manner impressed those who met him for the first time.他那种夸大的举止给第一次遇见他的人留下了深刻的印象。
• As the fog vanished,a grandiose landscape unfolded before the tourists.雾气散去之后，一幅壮丽的景观展现在游客面前。

20 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

21 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

22 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

23 rugged   

adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的

参考例句：

• Football players must be rugged.足球运动员必须健壮。
• The Rocky Mountains have rugged mountains and roads.落基山脉有崇山峻岭和崎岖不平的道路。

24 glacier   

n.冰川，冰河

参考例句：

• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。
• The upper surface of glacier is riven by crevasses.冰川的上表面已裂成冰隙。

25 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

26 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

27 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

28 neatly   

adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地

参考例句：

• Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
• The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。

29 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。