

As many as 1,000 bison could be removed from Yellowstone National Park's herd this winter/Marcelle Shoop As many as 1,000 bison could be removed from Yellowstone National Park's herd this winter/Marcelle Shoop

Upwards of 1,000 Yellowstone National Park bison could meet their demise this winter, either through hunting in Montana or through shipment to slaughter houses or research facilities, in an effort to contain the size of the park's herd and to reduce the "potential for a mass migration of bison into Montana."

According to a page on the park's website, "(D)uring the winter of 2015, it is anticipated public and tribal treaty hunting in Montana will remove 300 to 400 bison, while another 500 to 600 bison could be shipped to meat processing or research facilities following capture at the Stephens Creek facility."

Beginning in mid-January and continuing through mid-February, crews could start shipping 50-100 bison a week, regardless of age, sex, or disease, out of the park. "Another 200 to 400 females (8 months to 5 years of age) could be shipped during the last two weeks of February and first week of March," the website said.

To help with the bison reduction, the Park Service has signed agreements with the InterTribal Buffalo Council and several American Indian Tribes to trailer bison from Yellowstone directly to meat processing facilities.

"The demand for bison for quarantine or research is minimal due to a lack of facilities, and the social capacity for public and treaty harvests near the park boundary is probably only about 300 to 400 bison each year due to the timing of migration, constricted area where bison are currently hunted, and the number of different management jurisdictions that authorize hunting of Yellowstone bison (4 tribes and the State of Montana)," the website said. "Thus, bison at times need to be removed from the population by other means, such as shipments to meat processing facilities, even though there is little political or social support for such actions.

"At the current population level, there could be a mass migration of many hundreds of bison out of the park this winter if there is deep snow pack at higher elevations. Also, without harvests or culls, we predict the population will increase to nearly 6,000 bison by the end of winter in 2016," the site added.

At the National Parks Conservation Association, Bart Melton, the senior program manager for the group's Yellowstone field office, was somewhat dismayed with the park's approach.

'I'm afraid the plan outlined on Yellowstone's website feels a little like the movie 'Groundhog Day'; we have been here before and we will likely be here again. However, there are some positive changes on the horizon that offer us a way out," he said in an email. "Most notably, the National Park Service and the State of Montana are close to beginning the development of a new Bison Conservation Plan to replace the now 14-year-old Interagency Bison Management Plan which drives current management practices. NPCA is hopeful that the new Bison Conservation Plan will adjust Yellowstone's population goal to decrease the number of bison unnecessarily slaughtered each year.

"Additionally, the National Park Service has indicated that it will likely release a proposal in 2015 on establishing a facility that will allow Yellowstone to provide disease-free bison to interested tribal and federal land managers. If done right, this proposal could serve to better protect Yellowstone's bison for future generations," he added.

"Finally, the State of Montana currently has a proposal out for public comment, which closes this Thursday, that could set aside up to 417,000 acres of new year-round habitat for Yellowstone bison when they migrate beyond park borders into Montana. Montana's proposal is a positive step, but NPCA believes there is room for some improvement. As frustrating as it is to see the potential for another year of Yellowstone bison being shipped to slaughter, NPCA remains hopeful that policy changes on the horizon might create a more positive future for this iconic species.'