The National Park Service (NPS) announced a decision regarding the future management of bison in Yellowstone National Park on Wednesday, July 24, 2024.
NPS said in a news release the decision is the "culmination of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and National Environmental Policy Act process that began in 2022."
The new plan "will allow the NPS to manage bison based on new scientific information and circumstances that have changed since the previous EIS, completed in 2000," according to the release.
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The final plan is the second alternative among three that were considered in revising Yellowstone's bison management plan.
According to the release, these are the specifics of the plan:
- Bison will be managed within a population range of about 3,500 and 6,000 after calving and average about 5,000, consistent with the 10-year average.
- The NPS will work with IBMP partners to control bison population numbers using:
- Bison Conservation Transfer Program (BCTP) to restore bison to Tribal lands.
- Tribal Food Transfer Program* (TFTP) to provide meat and hides to Tribes.
- Tribal and state harvests outside the park.
- The NPS will prioritize the BCTP and place bison in the BCTP when bison migrate to the park boundary and there is space in the facility.
- The NPS will establish a population assurance threshold of 5,200 bison. This action was not in the original IBMP.
- When the population reaches this threshold, the NPS will begin to manage for a declining bison population by relying primarily on Tribal and state harvests.
- If harvests do not reduce numbers, the NPS will remove additional bison through the TFTP.
- When the population is below 5,200, the NPS will only place bison in the BCTP and use the TFTP to remove brucellosis-positive bison that are identified when animals are selected for the BCTP.
- If the late-winter population nears 3,000 animals, the NPS will protect the population inside the park and encourage partners to reduce hunting outside the park.
NPS says public feedback played a key role in the decision, and more than 27,000 comments were received during the 2023 public comment period.
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The new bison management plan will be implemented immediately in Yellowstone National Park, according to the release.
More information and the full text of the decision are available at the National Park Service website.
