Bison - Symbol of Struggle
Bison becoming a symbol of struggle in the West
- from Park County (Montana) Visitor's guide 2000
Bison are also a sign of the struggle for the future of the New West.
Rancher, conservation groups, American Indian tribes and government agencies at state and federal levels are all tangled in a debate over what to do with bison wandering out of Yellowstone National Park during winter months.
At the heart of the problem is a bacterial disease some bison carry called brucellosis. The ranching industry spent millions of dollars over several decades to eliminate the disease from Montana cattle and obtained a brucellosis-free designation from the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Brucellosis can cause pregnant cattle to abort their calves. It is also responsible for undulant fever in humans.
Fears run high that bison wandering out of the park onto cattle feeding grounds could transmit brucellosis to Montana cattle herds, or at least the situation presents the impression of risk to cattle buyers weary of the disease. That could mean large financial costs to the cattle industry.
Federal and state agencies slaughtered hundreds of bison during winter of 1996-97 as a part of an interim bison management plan. That plan grew out of a lawsuit against the National Park Service by the state of Montana.
Critics of the plan point out there has never been a documented case of bison passing the disease to cattle in the west.
But the debate remains Government agencies, interest groups and citizens still disagree about what is the best solution.
Every winter season park bison attempt to leave Yellowstone's 2.2 million acres, but during early 1997 they headed for the boundaries in record numbers.
According to bison expert Mary Meagher, a harsh winter with thick crusted snow made it bison to forage for food within the park. Bison also tend to follow roads and snowmobile trails that eventually lead out of the park.
Park Service estimates show that nearly 1,200 bison died that winter, either as winter kill or as part of the slaughter by the state of Montana. The park herd numbered about 3,500 in autumn 1996.
The 1997-98 winter gave bison some relief. Few bison left the park, due to mild El Nino weather, and most of those that did were hazed back to Yellowstone rather than being shot.
Despite being faced with civil disobedience by protesters opposed to the state's policy, the Montana Department of Livestock trapped, tested and shipped to slaughter about 90 bison during the 1998-99 winter. The animals were captured at Duck Creek and Horse Butte west of the park.
But development of a long-term bison management plan has been continually delayed.
An environmental impact statement for a plan, which has been in the works for 11 years, is due out in June of 1999.
While a plan is awaited, people are still debating issues surrounding the problem. The number of bison deaths during 1996-97 caused some to criticize the Park Service and its land management.
These critics say the Park Service's hands-off management has caused animal populations to grow beyond Yellowstone's carrying capacity, and the park has become overgrazed. If the park managed ungulate herds more closely, they say, then Yellowstone could supply enough food in the winter.
Yellowstone Superintendent Mike Finley and others Park Service officials have disputed this allegation.
The ranching industry has stood firmly with the state of Montana, saying brucellosis must be contained.
Conservation groups and American Indian tribes speak against killing bison.
In May 1999, the national environmental group, National Wildlife Federation, offered to reimburse Yellowstone area ranchers for the cost of vaccinating their cattle against brucellosis.
However, ranchers and the state of Montana have been cool to the idea.
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