Northern Ag Network Note: Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the page for more information about the Yellowstone-area Bison Management Plan/EIS and where it can be viewed. Also information about how to submit comments is also included below
by Matthew Brown, Billings Gazette
State and federal officials on Friday offered an array of options to overhaul a 15-year-old agreement that's led to the slaughter of thousands of bison at Yellowstone National Park, with possibilities ranging from letting the population spill freely into Montana to even more aggressive culling efforts.
The release of the six draft bison management alternatives comes almost a year after the U.S. Department of Interior and the state of Montana announced they would reconsider the 2000 agreement.
It also coincides with the end of yet another slaughter season, in which at least 507 migrating bison were killed to guard against transmissions of disease to livestock. The animals were transferred to American Indian tribes that use the carcasses for food and cultural purposes.
Park spokesman Al Nash said with the onset of spring conditions, there are few bison remaining north of the park where this winter's capture operations and much of the hunting occurred.
About 4,900 bison were counted in the park last summer, the most recent tally available.
One proposal under consideration would minimize human intervention and let the herds grow to an estimated 7,500 animals, the maximum number the park could sustain. Another would step up population control efforts and drive down their numbers below 3,000.
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Additional Information: Updating the Interagency Bison Management Plan (IBMP)
The State of Montana and National Park Service (NPS) are jointly preparing a Yellowstone-area Bison Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (plan/EIS). The purpose of the plan/EIS is to conserve a wild and migratory population of Yellowstone-area bison, while minimizing the risk of brucellosis transmission between these wild bison and livestock to the extent practicable. This planning process will result in a new, long-term decision about how to manage bison in Yellowstone National Park and on adjacent lands outside of the park in Montana. Learn more
Opportunity for Public Comment
The comment period is March 16, 2015 – June 15, 2015. Public scoping meetings will be held in Bozeman, Gardiner, and West Yellowstone, Montana. For details about these events, visit the National Park Service Planning, Environment & Public Comment (NPS PEPC)
Public comments will be accepted at the public scoping meetings and via the following methods:
Online:
Comment online at NPS Planning, Environment & Public Comment
Written, on Paper:
Mail or hand-deliver written comments to:
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone Bison Management Plan EIS
PO Box 168
Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190
Deadline
The comment deadline is June 15, 2015.
Please note that comments cannot be accepted by fax or email; comments can be submitted only in the ways specified above. Bulk comments in any format (hard copy or electronic) submitted on behalf of others will not be accepted. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Source: Billings Gazette and FWP Wildlife
