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Agencies to let more bison outside YellowstoneBILLINGS, Mont. (AP)--State and federal officials have drafted an agreement to allow more bison to roam outside Yellowstone National Park without being captured and slaughtered to protect cattle against disease. The proposal was spurred by a recent Government Accountability Office investigation that sharply criticized the periodic slaughter of Yellowstone's bison. It comes as state livestock officials push to carve out portions of Idaho, Wyoming and Montana to create a special management zone for brucellosis. That's a disease carried by bison and feared by ranchers because it causes cattle to abort their calves. Last year, more than 1,600 bison leaving the park were killed to guard against the disease's spread. "What we're working toward is increased tolerance for bison, but we're still focusing on (brucellosis) risk management," said Al Nash with Yellowstone National Park. The proposal under consideration would allow an unlimited number of bison to stay during winter in an area west of Yellowstone known as Horse Butte. Those animals would not have to be tested for brucellosis. Some bison already have been allowed onto Horse Butte in recent years. The new proposal would formalize that practice and lift a 100 bison cap for the area. A smaller number of bison--25 initially and possibly 100 in subsequent years--would be allowed to roam north of the park through the privately-held Royal Teton Ranch. Those animals would be tested for brucellosis and equipped with radio collars to track their location. The areas on the west and north sides of Yellowstone no longer have active cattle operations. That lowers the chance of a disease transmission, livestock and wildlife officials said. Still, the move to expand where bison can go is being resisted by livestock groups. Some ranchers and the Montana Stockgrowers Association see it as a slippery slope toward loosening rules that to date have prevented a bison-to-cattle transmission. The Stockgrowers filed a lawsuit in May to stop the Montana Department of Livestock from allowing bison to linger outside the park. That could block the latest proposal if the litigation prevails. And with brucellosis now eliminated everywhere in the country except around Yellowstone, livestock officials outside the region also remain wary. "It is a de facto expansion of Yellowstone National Park and doing nothing to address the disease," said Texas state veterinarian Bob Hillman. "If the disease moved to another state, we're perpetuating and spreading brucellosis, which we've spent a lot of money on to eradicate." Texas regained its brucellosis-free status in February following a lengthy testing and vaccination program. Montana lost its status this year after two infections in cattle herds. Both of those transmissions were linked by livestock officials to Yellowstone-area elk, which also carry brucellosis. Final adoption of the proposal to let bison roam more freely is expected next month in Helena, when five federal and state agencies wrap up a series of meetings they've held on the issue over the last several months. 11/17/08 Date: 11/12/08 Advertisement
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