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Montana stockgrower testifies on Yellowstone National Park bison oversightMontana Jim Hagenbarth, a rancher from Dillon, MT and member of the Montana Stockgrowers Association, testified on March 20 in Washington, D.C. He appeared before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on the National Parks, Forrest and Public Lands of the Natural Resources Committee. The hearing was in regards to the Yellowstone National Park Bison oversight. The management strategies of the Yellowstone bison herd were examined to address the issues facing their population and the spread of brucellosis to livestock. Hagenbarth is a current member of the Governor's Brucellosis Task Force in Idaho and has over 40 years of experience managing his family's ranching operations in Montana and Idaho. "These two states are in the Greater Yellowstone Area, which is directly impacted by brucellosis and it's regulation," says Hagenbarth "Currently Montana holds a brucellosis-free status, protecting this is a major concern to our cattle industry. It took 30 years of testing and $33 million for Montana to achieve this status." The Interagency Bison Management Plan, which was put into effect in December of 2000, has proven to be very effective, providing responsibilities are met. This plan dictates how bison are to be handled when they leave Yellowstone National Park and protects Montana's Class Free status. In addition, the plan prevents disease transmission to livestock by prohibiting bison and cattle from commingling and removing bison from lands that cattle will occupy. Other factors must be considered in bison management, including population control and remote vaccination, if brucellosis is to be contained and eventually eliminated from the bison herd in YNP. "The bison has become a symbol of the American West. How appropriate it would be to start with the YNP bison to find solutions that will stop this disease that is threatening to take all that we have worked for," said Hagenbarth. The Montana Stockgrowers Association believes that if the disease cannot be eradicated, livestock production from the Greater Yellowstone Area states will be discounted by those states and countries exported to, which will severely impact our industry. B 18 4/2/07 3 Star CO Date: 3/28/07
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