Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Bison Management

[perma]

Alternative 1: The NPS would continue management of bison pursuant to the existing Interagency Bison Management Plan (IBMP), approved in 2000. This would maintain a population range of bison similar to the last two decades (3,500 to 5,000 bison after calving), continue hunt-trap coordination to balance population regulation in the park by using culling and hunting opportunities outside the park, increase the number of brucellosis-free bison relocated to Tribal lands via the Bison Conservation Transfer Program (BCTP), and work with the State of Montana to manage the already low risk of brucellosis spreading from bison to cattle.

Alternative 2: Bison would be managed within a population range of about 3,500 to 6,000 animals after calving with an emphasis on using the BCTP to restore bison to Tribal lands and Tribal treaty hunting outside the park to regulate numbers.

Alternative 3: The NPS would rely on natural selection, bison dispersal, and public and Tribal harvests in Montana as the primary tools to regulate numbers, which would likely range from 3,500 to 7,000 or more animals after calving.

See the article.

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

Is there an option for bring back the glory days of bison? Pre 1800's level of bison?

 

[seeth07]

I'm all for the option that removes cattle grazing leases from federal lands and instead allows bison and other wild animals to take advantage of the lack of cattle on those lands.

 

[SAJ-99]

Sportspeople need to lawyer up? The effect of elections is the winner get to sue over stuff they don't like and use public funds.

Montana sues Yellowstone National Park over bison management plan

Federal and state agencies are at odds over management of the park’s bison.

montanafreepress.org

 

[Big Fin]

I struggle to see what FWP has to gain by entering into a lawsuit on this issue. If anything, FWP should be more concerned about elk-to-cattle transmission of brucellosis, as if that gets out of hand, the legislature will try to make elk "livestock managed by DOL," the same as they did with bison.

Montana's involvement in the YNP bison issue is with good interest, but we have historically had our collective heads up our ass when it comes to thinking bison are the brucellosis threat. It's been proven that bison and public land cattle grazing are a low-risk compatible activity. Yet, the interests involved feel like they must make it a crisis to capitalize on.

I've never understood the livestock industry treating bison as such a boogey man. If there was evidence to show transmission from bison, I could understand it.

The biggest elephant in the room where the Feds/Congress are screwing this up is the stupidity of the punitive Brucellosis penalties imposed on ag producers who have a strike, even if not from bison. I've had CPA clients get quarantined and it is ridiculously punitive on those. They try to accommodate wildlife, in this case elk, and they end up getting hammered financially. If the Feds aren't willing to change the stupid rules related to brucellosis quarantine, this issue will never have a workable long-term solution.

Solving the problem of bison and disease is doable. Folks know where the solutions exist. Yet, when people entrench themselves in certain positions, they refuse to consider the possible solutions.

 

[SAJ-99]

If the Feds aren't willing to change the stupid rules related to brucellosis quarantine, this issue will never have a workable long-term solution.

Solving the problem of bison and disease is doable. Folks know where the solutions exist. Yet, when people entrench themselves in certain positions, they refuse to consider the possible solutions.

Absolutely. The statement below is a prime example (avoiding the Gianforte admins "must vaccinate bison, but not ok to vaccinate people" paradox, but it is obvious). I suspect the NPS took that out of the plan because bison aren't the problem, elk are. Even if you vaccinate every bison, it doesn't eliminate the proven vector of transmission, so what's the point? This is a continuation of a larger problem of just making the federal government the enemy, so sue 'em. Let some singular judge be the determining factor as to what is the best way forward? This country is spiraling due to an inability to compromise on logical solutions.

“After 24 years, the defendants have not only failed to initiate a remote-vaccination program, but now state they have no intention of conducting any bison vaccination, remote or other,” the lawsuit claims. “Vaccination of bison is reflected in every annual operations plans from 2007-2022. Despite bison vaccination being a clear directive in existing management, each alternative in the Bison Management Plan’s Final Environmental Impact Statement drops vaccination, including the ‘no action’ alternative.”

 

[bigsky2]

It’s pretty disappointing to see FWP being a plaintiff in this. I hope the decision to get involved was made by the previous director and not the current one. It’s very likely it was their boss though.

 

[BuzzH]

It’s pretty disappointing to see FWP being a plaintiff in this. I hope the decision to get involved was made by the previous director and not the current one. It’s very likely it was their boss though.

Maybe disappointing but predictable.

As to elk and brucellosis, I routinely get those kits from WY GF and IIRC MT FWP to collect and submit blood samples from elk.

They may as well quit sending them because I'm not going to submit samples to be used against elk and hunting.

 

[TheJason]

It’s pretty disappointing to see FWP being a plaintiff in this.

I’m guessing it’s marching orders from the top.

 

[TheTone]

Great use of Montanans tax and license dollars.

Bison deserve way better treatment across all their historic range

 

[TheJason]

In the 51-page court filing, the state alleges the NPS developed the plan over a “break-neck” 1.5-year period without “meaningful consultation and collaboration” with the state and describes the plan as “NEPA deficient”

 

[Rie Bread]

Bring back bison
Bring back the spirit of the land

 

[Forkyfinder]

The narrative around bison and keeping them off the landscape has everything to do with fence/feed and nothing to do with disease.... jmho

 

[BuzzH]

Well, coming from an agency that hasn't made a change to season structure in over 50 years....1.5 years probably seems pretty break neck.