'^rx 1S50

STATE DOCUMENTS COLLECTION

DEC 2'_ 1991

MONTANA STATE LIBRARY.

1515 E. 6th AVE.
HELENA, MONTANA 59620

Yellowstone Bison:

Background and Issues

OCT IS 7997

MOV 2 8 199?

YELLOWSTONE BISON:

Background and Issues

A Cooperatively Prepared Narrative
of Bison Management History
and Management Issues

State of Montana
Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks

U.S. Department of Interior - National Park Service
Yellowstone National Park

U.S. Department of Agriculture - U.S. Forest Service
Gallatin National Forest

May 1990

CONTENTS

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION

Purpose and Need
Scope

Time Frame and Revision
Compliance Information

Chapter 2 LEGISLATION AND POLICY GUIDANCE

Memorandum of Understanding

Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks
State Legislation

National Park Service

Acts of Congress
Departmental Manual
NPS Management Policies (1988)
YNP Master Plan (1974)
YNP Statement for Management (1986)
YNP Resource Management Plan (1982)
Man and the Biosphere
U.S. Forest Service

Acts of Congress

Code of Federal Regulations

Forest Service Manual

Chapter 3 DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Regional Setting
General

Natural Resources
Climate and Weather

Chapter 4 BISON MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

Historical Management
Bison Emigration
Interim Management

Chapter 5 CURRENT RESEARCH AND POTENTIAL NEEDS

Current Research
Management Needs
Research Needs

Chapter 6 FUTURE PLANNING

Purpose and Need for a Long-range Management Plan 18

Issues and Concerns lg

Livestock and Property Protection 18

Resource Protection 19

Human Safety 19

Visitor Enjoyment and Expectations 20

Interpretation and Public Information 20

Agency Financial Impacts 20

States Participation 20

Other Federal Agency Participation 20

Public Participation 21

Selected Bibliography 22

Map of Bison Emigration Routes 12

Chapter One
Introduction

PURPOSE AND NEED

In recent years, bison have emigrated during the winter months from within the park to vacant range (for
bison) outside the park. This has occurred primarily from the Northern Range herd, and to a lesser
extent, the Mary Mountain herd to the west. Acquired knowledge of vacant range, the bison's natural
gregariousness, increased herd size, weather conditions, and human activity appear to be factors in their
movement.

The need to prepare a cooperative long-range management plan results from this periodic movement of
bison from within the park to outside the park where bison come into direct conflict with private property
owners and where the possibility exists for the transmission of the brucella organism (brucellosis) to
cattle. In addition to controlling these problems, the interim and long-range management plan will ensure
opportunities to view free-roaming bison and guarantee a self-perpetuating bison population in
Yellowstone National Park.

SCOPE

This is a descriptive document containing interim bison operation goals and management policies for the
Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks; the National Park Service; and the U.S. Forest Service.
Areas of concern and deficiencies that require analysis are addressed. Issues raised by the public and
other agencies during the public involvement process will be analyzed and culminate in a long-range
management plan.

This document will serve as a baseline report of interim bison operations that are being initiated by the
Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks; the National Park Service; and the U.S. Forest Service.
It is a compilation of existing operations that are currently providing direction for managing bison
emigration.

TIME FRAME AND REVISION

Management direction illustrated in this report is expected to be effective for a period of two years or
until the completion of the cooperative, long-range management plan.

COMPLIANCE INFORMATION

This report is a descriptive document and the final bison long-range management plan will follow
compliance of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the policies and guidelines of the three
cooperating agencies.

Chapter Two
Legislation and Policy Guidance

Memorandum of Understanding (November 1989) among Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and
Parks; Yellowstone National Park, the National Park Service; and Gallatin National Forest, the U.S.
Forest Service states the purpose is:

"to provide cooperative and mutual management of wildlife species that are common and shared
by the Park, State, and Forest. It is recognized that the Yellowstone ecosystem is an enormous
complexity of ecological communities and the diversity of management requirements and
procedures is equally complex. It is recognized and understood that each agency operates under
different legislative mandates and management objectives. However, when feasible, the Park,
State, and Forest shall coordinate research and monitoring activities, and share resulting data, and
shall coordinate and share management responsibilities and activities."

MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF FISH, WILDLIFE AND PARKS - STATE OF MONTANA
Legislation

Statement of Intent for House Bill No. 763 (1985) states:

"It is the intent of the legislature that the regulated hunting of wild buffalo allowed by
House Bill No. 763 be considered only one of many solutions available to the Department
and the National Park Service for controlling the migration of wild buffalo across the
boundaries of Yellowstone National Park. The legislature encourages further negotiations
and cooperation between the Department and the National Park Service to seek other
methods of controlling, as soon as possible, the migration of wild buffalo into Montana
from Yellowstone National Park."

"It is the intent of the legislature that the Department adopt rules flexible enough to
address each situation in which wild buffalo travel across the boundaries of Yellowstone
National Park into the State of Montana presenting the potential for infecting Montana
livestock with brucellosis and for inflicting private property damage to property owned
by the residents of the state. "

House Bill No. 763 enacted April 19, 1985 to "provide for special wild buffalo licenses and
for regulation of special wild buffalo licenses".

House Joint Resolution #32 (1989) states:

"the Senate and the House of Representatives of the State of Montana urging the National
Park Service, U.S. Forest Service and Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks
to take immediate action to seek and implement solutions for the long term management
of elk and bison in the Yellowstone Ecosystem."

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"Be it further resolved that the long-term solution be directed toward addressing the
regulation of elk and bison populations within Yellowstone National Park."

Powers and Duties (87-1-201) states the "Department shall supervise all the wildlife, fish, game and
nongame birds, waterfowl and the game and furbearing animals of the state".

Montana Fish and Game Commission Position Statement, March 1989 states: "the solution to elk and
bison management in the Yellowstone Ecosystem lies in a combination of the following actions":

"Addressing the regulation of elk and bison populations within the park."

"Initiating a cooperative county, state, federal and private effort to address long-term solutions
for the Northern Elk and bison herds both within and outside Yellowstone Park."

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE - DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR
Acts of Congress

The Act of March 1, 1872 (17 Stat.32, 16 U.S.C. Section 22) established Yellowstone National
Park, and states it is "dedicated and set apart as a public park or pleasuring ground for the benefit
and enjoyment of the people".

The Act of May 7, 1894 (28 Stat.73, 16 U.S.C. Section 26) established regulations prohibiting
"killing, wounding, or capturing at any time of any bird or wild animal, except dangerous
animals, when it is necessary to prevent them from destroying human life or inflicting an injury,
is prohibited within the limits of said park" and "for the protection of the animals and birds in
the park, from capture or destruction, or to prevent their being frightened or driven from the
park".

The Act of August 25, 1916 (PL 64-235, 39 Stat.535, 16 U.S.C. Sections 1,2,3, as
amended) established the National Park Service, and states its basic mission: "To
conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide
for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired
for the enjoyment of future generations."

The Act of January 24, 1923 (42 Stat. 1214, 16 U.S.C. Sec. 36) authorized that the Secretary
of Interior "may sell or otherwise dispose of the surplus buffalo of the Yellowstone National Park
herd".

The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 [NEPA](PL 91-190 42 U.S.C. 4321-4347 as
amended) requires consideration of the environmental effects of proposed federal actions. NEPA
procedures insure that environmental information is available to public officials and members of
the public before decisions are made and before actions are taken.

The Act of August 18, 1970, as amended in 1978 (PL 95-250, 16 U.S.C. Section la-1) states
"regulation of the various areas of the National Park System be consistent with and founded in
the purpose established ... to the common benefit of all the people of the United States, and that

the authorization of activities be construed and the protection, management, and administration
of these areas be conducted in light of the high public value and integrity of the National Park
System and not be exercised in derogation of the values and purposes for which these various
areas have been established, except as may have been or shall be directly and specifically
provided by Congress."

The Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (PL 93-205 87 Stat.884, 16 U.S.C. 1531
et.seq.) requires the park to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on management
actions that could affect listed threatened and endangered species. Management actions cannot
jeopardize the continued existence of threatened or endangered species.

Department of Interior, Departmental Manual 516 DM 1.2F

Requires the park to "provide, to the fullest extent practicable, timely information to the public to better
assist in understanding Departmental plans and programs affecting environmental quality and to facilitate
their involvement in the development of such plans and programs".

National Park Service Management Policies (1988)

Park Planning in a Regional Context (2:9)

"Recognizing that parks are integral parts of larger regional environments, the National Park
Service will work cooperatively with others to anticipate, avoid, and resolve potential conflicts,
to protect park resources, and to address mutual interests in the quality of life for community
residents, considering economic development as well as resource and environmental protection."

Biological Resource Management (4:5,6,7)

"The National Park Service will seek to perpetuate the native animal life as part of the natural
ecosystems of the park. Management emphasis will be on minimizing human impacts on natural
animal population dynamics."

"Natural processes will be relied on to control populations of native species to the greatest extent
possible. Unnatural concentrations of native species caused by human activities may be controlled
if the activities causing the concentrations cannot be controlled."

"Parks having native migratory species will ensure the preservation of their populations and their
habitats inside the park and will cooperate wherever possible with others to ensure the
preservation of their populations and habitats outside the park. Management action may include
participation in regional land use planning efforts and cooperation with states and native American
authorities in the setting of game harvest regulations for lands outside the park."

Yellowstone National Park Master Plan (1974)

"Ongoing and future wildlife management actions will be directed toward reducing or eliminating
disruptive human influences, relying, whenever possible, upon natural controls to regulate animal
numbers."

Yellowstone National Park Statement for Management (1986)

"Permit natural processes to function within the park ecosystem with minimum disturbance by
man's activities."

"Maintain close and harmonious relations with neighboring communities, counties, and States and
work closely with other Federal agencies, private groups, organizations, and individuals to
provide a full understanding of park operations and purpose. "

Yellowstone National Park Resource Management Plans (1982)

Bison management practices designed "to both preserve the unique aesthetic and scientific values of its
bison herds and prevent any contacts with domestic cattle. "

Man and the Biosphere

Mission Statement (January, 1989) states; "The mission of the United States Man and the
Biosphere Program is to foster harmonious relationships between humans and the biosphere
through an international program of policy-relevant research which integrates social, physical and
biological sciences to address actual problems. These activities - broadly interpreted - include
catalytic conferences and meetings, education and training, and the establishment and use of
biosphere reserves as research and monitoring sites."

U.S. FOREST SERVICE - DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Acts of Congress

The Act of May 26, 1926 (P.L. 295) enables the U.S. Government to acquire certain private or
State lands for the purpose of providing the "... winter range and winter feed facilities
indispensable for the adequate and proper protection, preservation, and propagation of the elk,
antelope, and other game animals of the Yellowstone National Park and adjacent lands..."

Code of Federal Regulations

36 CFR 2.19.19 mandates the USDA Forest Service to manage fish and wildlife habitat "to
maintain viable populations of existing native and desired non-native vertebrate species" and the
Forest Service will "provide for and maintain diversity of plant and animal communities to meet
overall multiple-use objectives."

Forest Service Manual 2611.1 (1978)

Gallatin Forest Land and Resources Management Plan (Forest Plan, II-l, III-3) reiterates
Forest Service policy and specifies the Forest will provide for increasing big game populations
and will emphasize forage and cover needs on big game winter range.

Chapter Three
Description of the Environment

REGIONAL SETTING

Yellowstone is located in the northwest corner of Wyoming with small sections extending into south-
central Montana and east-central Idaho. Yellowstone is the strategic core of a vast, upland wilderness
and is surrounded by Federal land including Grand Teton National Park and Bridger-Teton National
Forest to the south; Shoshone National Forest to the east; Gallatin, Beaverhead, and Targhee National
Forests to the west; and Gallatin and Custer National Forests to the north. Small, privately-owned land
portions exist on the north and west boundaries of Yellowstone National Park. These wildlands,
encompassing Yellowstone and the adjacent forests, are called the Greater Yellowstone Area and comprise
what is the largest and most nearly intact ecosystem in the contiguous United States.

GENERAL

Yellowstone became the world's first national park in 1872. Since its establishment, the idea of
preserving natural environments in public trust has spread to many nations of the world. Yellowstone
is recognized internationally as a World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve for its biological,
geological, and cultural significance. Almost all of the park's 2.2 million acres have been recommended
for wilderness; only road corridors and existing developed areas are excluded.

Yellowstone is largely a forested volcanic plateau with an average elevation of 8,000 feet. The plateau
is surrounded by higher mountains except on the southwest where the Snake River High Plains lie about
1,000 feet lower. The plateau is studded with mountains reaching 11,000 feet and cut by river canyons
and valleys to as low as 5,300 feet. The Continental Divide traverses diagonally across the southwest
corner of the park. The park is drained by the Snake, Yellowstone, Madison, and Gallatin Rivers.

The Yellowstone River valley north of Yellowstone National Park is open and non-forested except for
a three-mile stretch in Yankee Jim Canyon (13-16 miles downstream from Gardiner, Montana). Within
the steep, rocky canyon there is a forest of Douglas-fir, limber pine, and Rocky Mountain juniper which
reaches the river banks, particularly on the south side. Northward, beyond Yankee Jim Canyon, the river
flows into the wide prairie, grassland community of Paradise Valley.

South or southwest facing slopes adjacent to the Yellowstone River are generally too dry to support tree
cover but do support grass and sagebrush communities. These lands have historically been used as winter
range for a large number of big game mammals, including bison. They are still used by mule deer,
bighorn sheep, and migrating elk.

Virtually all of the bottom-land along the Yellowstone River north of Yellowstone National Park to
Yankee Jim Canyon, as well as the open bottoms and basins of major tributaries, are in private
ownership. The more productive sites are used for livestock grazing or farming. The U.S. Highway 89
corridor has some residential development and a small community at Corwin Springs seven miles north
of Gardiner, Montana. These private lands are fenced and cross-fenced throughout the valley.

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NATURAL RESOURCES

Flora

Yellowstone National Park can be divided into three major vegetation zones: lodgepole pine, which covers
the largest area of the park; spruce/fir zone; and Douglas fir. Two minor zones are the alpine tundra at
elevations above 10,000 feet and the cold desert shrub in the northwest portion of the park near Gardiner,
Montana. The flora of the Yellowstone area is typical of the central Rocky Mountains and over 1,000
species of plants have been identified. Ross' bentgrass (Agrostis rossiae) is the only plant identified as
endemic only to Yellowstone. It occurs in thermal areas along the Firehole River.

Fauna

Yellowstone's highly varied vegetation supports a wide variety of plant-eating animals. Among them are
an array of large ungulates; bison, moose, mule deer, pronghorn, elk, and bighorn sheep. The rodent
population includes pocket gophers, mice, voles, marmots, squirrels, rabbits, muskrat, and beavers.
These plant-eaters support a predatory and scavenger complex such as mountain lion, black bear, coyote,
weasel, pine martin, otter and the threatened grizzly bear. Fish, both natural and introduced, are an
important component of the fauna. More than 280 species of birds have been recorded within the greater
Yellowstone area including endangered species; the bald eagle, peregrine falcon, and whooping crane.

CLIMATE AND WEATHER

The average maximum temperatures during the summer months are in the 70(F) degree range. Readings
occasionally reach the 80(F) degree range at lower elevations, but it is rare for the temperature to reach
the 90(F) degree range. Summer nights are cool and temperatures may drop to the 30-40(F) degree
range. Fall temperatures average 5 to 20 degrees lower than summer temperatures.

Winters are cold with temperatures below freezing most of the time. Mid-afternoon January average
temperatures range from zero to the mid-20(F). Winter temperature lows are frequently well below zero
(F) and all park locations have recorded -40(F) degree range. Snowfall is normally heavy over the
mountains. Annual snowfall averages close to 150 inches in most of the park and less than 100 inches
at lower park elevations.

Annual precipitation varies from an average of 14 inches in the northern part of the park to around 38
inches in the southwestern corner.

Chapter Four
Bison Management Practices

HISTORICAL MANAGEMENT

Free-ranging bison have been an integral part of the Yellowstone environment since prehistoric times.
Early explorers first observed numerous bison in the area in the early 1800s, but by the time Yellowstone
National Park was established in 1872, bison herds outside the park were probably eliminated. Primarily
because of poaching, Yellowstone bison numbers declined until just after the turn of this century when
less than 50 bison were known to exist in Yellowstone National Park.

From 1902 to about 1915, strong protection from poaching allowed the native bison herd to gradually
increase. Augmentation with introduced plains bison (1902) further increased bison numbers.
Manipulative management influenced two of the three sub-populations from 1902 to the mid 1960s.

Prior to the 1930s, bison were actively managed at the Lamar Buffalo Ranch to increase herd size. There
was no intended focus of re-creating a wild, unmanipulated bison population in the park. During that
period, very little attention or management was given to the park's original surviving herd in Pelican
Valley. Policy began to shift in the 1930s to the preservation of bison in a more natural state with less
artificial manipulation. However, bison were periodically cropped until the late 1960s in certain areas.
Culling was based on carrying-capacity studies conducted from a range management perspective which
suggested a maximum population on the Northern Range. Bison were rounded up or hay-baited in the
Lamar Valley, and numbers were controlled by regular reductions. By 1966, less frequent reductions
occurred.

Since the 1930s, bison populations have fluctuated because of the controlled management activities. The
Northern Range bison total was over 1,000 in the 1930s and peaked at 1,477 indicated by aerial count
in January 1954. Subsequent reductions were conducted on all three herds and an aerial count in March
of 1967 indicated 397 bison for the entire park.

In 1966, the management policy changed to one of allowing natural regulation management (no active
manipulation) to occur to the maximum extent possible, and the entire park population of bison increased
to a peak of about 2,800 in 1988. The 1990 bison population is about 2,400 animals in three areas of
the park. There is some intermixing of these subpopulations. Long-term research efforts have been
underway for many years to better understand and evaluate natural regulatory mechanisms.

In 1968, in an effort to provide protection from brucella organism transmission to cattle outside the park
boundaries, the park proposed a boundary control program as an alternative to controlling bison infected
with the organism within the park. This was a program that attempted to prevent wandering bison from
leaving the park and was based on a minimal likelihood of large scale bison movements to boundary
areas. It relied on shooting bison that approached specified boundary areas. Park personnel shot three
bulls in 1974 and one cow and one bull in 1978. Approval to shoot bison was rescinded by the
Department of Interior in 1978.

In recent years, bison have emigrated during the winter months from within the park to vacant range (for
bison) outside the park. As early as the winter of 1975-76, numerous control measures to discourage

10

bison from leaving the park, primarily from the Northern Range, were attempted by the National Park
Service and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Hazing, herding, physical barriers,
and scare devices met with only limited success. Once the animals became accustomed to the control
measures, they no longer responded.

Increased numbers of bison have attempted to cross park boundaries in recent years. In 1984, Montana
Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks wardens removed 88 bison outside park boundaries. Since 1985,
688 of the bison emigrating across the boundaries into Montana have been removed by the State's
program. The number of bison harvested in this manner were:

In 1985, the Montana Legislature addressed the bison issue and passed a law adding wild bison to the
list of big game animals.

Considerable debate surrounded the legislation. A Statement of Intent accompanied the law stating
"Hunting should be considered only one of the many solutions available to Fish, Wildlife and Parks and
the National Park Service to control migrating bison. " The Statement further encouraged negotiations
and cooperation between the two agencies to seek other methods of controlling, as soon as possible, the
emigration of bison into Montana.

BISON EMIGRATION

The total Yellowstone bison population winters in three major areas of park: the Northern Range (Lamar
Valley) and Pelican Valley are the smallest herds, and Mary Mountain (Hayden Valley-Firehole River)
is the largest. A few bison from the Mary Mountain subpopulation occasionally winter in the
southwestern portion of the park at Bechler Meadows. Intermixing among the three subpopulations
occurs, to varying degrees, primarily during the summer season.

During winter months, the Yellowstone and Madison River valleys form natural topographic routes for
bison emigration, and plowed/groomed roadways provide energy efficient and easy corridors for travel
to areas outside of the park.

The National Park Service does not have jurisdiction over the entire ecosystem that bison attempt to
utilize. In recent years, significant numbers of bison have moved out of the park onto U.S. Forest
Service and private lands. With this movement outside of the park, there has been an accompanying
concern in Montana of the possible transmission of the brucella organism (brucellosis) from bison to
cattle. Brucella abortus is a bacterial organism that can cause cattle to abort their young. Other concerns
include damage to private property.

Bison have crossed the west, south, and east boundaries, but the major emigration has been to the north
on the Northern Range and to a lesser extent to the west. During the severe winter of 1975-76,
approximately 80 bison moved down along the Yellowstone River toward the northern boundary and in
subsequent winters movement has become more frequent. In the winters of 1985-86 and 1986-87, about

Winter

1985/86

1986/87

1987/88

1988/89

Number Removed in Montana

57
6
36
569

Bison Emigration Routes

250 bison foraged in the boundary area near Gardiner, Montana, at least part of the winter. The
movement peaked in the park during the winter of 1988-89 with most of the known 900 bison in the
Northern Range herd either coming out of the park or foraging near the boundary at Gardiner.

Late winter migration movements of bison cow and calf herds in small numbers have occurred on the
west boundary near West Yellowstone since the winter of 1981-82.

Acquired knowledge of vacant range, bison's natural gregariousness, increased herd size, weather
conditions, and human activity all appear to be factors in their emigration movement. The acquired
knowledge of travel corridors that most of the remaining northern bison herd now possess, compounds
the difficulty of retaining bison within the park. Incidental to the possibility of brucella transmission,
bison with acquired knowledge of vacant range and the emigration urge, continue to move out of the park
and onto private and public lands where they can cause property damage.

The bison movement to "bison vacant" lands outside the park will probably continue. The acquired
knowledge of travel corridors has been entrenched in the remaining bison of the winter movement. As
long as the park has bison and the factors triggering emigration, the bison probably will attempt to move
outside the park where they are in conflict with other management strategies on both private and public
lands.

INTERIM MANAGEMENT

An interim plan has been developed by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks (DFWP), the
National Park Service (NPS), and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to facilitate cooperative management
of the Northern Yellowstone bison herd while a long-term management plan and National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) compliance documents are being prepared.

The NEPA process will address alternative methods of dealing with the joint management of bison to
arrive at a more permanent solution for their management and long term research. Additional information
from the Ad Hoc Technical Committee on Brucellosis in the Greater Yellowstone Area will aid in making
final decisions.

Interim bison management and then the long-range management plan will direct the three agencies
activities toward accomplishing mutually agreed upon objectives. These objectives are:

Reduce the potential for the transmission of brucellosis from bison to cattle in the area
surrounding the park.

Reduce the potential for human conflicts and property damage caused by bison outside the park.

Ensure opportunities to view free-ranging bison in Yellowstone National Park.

Maintain a self-sustaining population of bison in Yellowstone National Park.

Under the interim management of bison, particularly the Northern Range herd, natural bison reproduction
and population dynamics will be permitted to occur in the park. Since 1985, Montana Department of
Fish, Wildlife and Parks has used warden-supervised individuals to remove bison that enter Montana and
are considered a threat to livestock and private property interests. This process will be used, as deemed

13

necessary, in the interim.

A core number of 200 bison in the northern herd is established to prompt a change in management
strategies. Two hundred animals is a number that allows the northern herd to maintain its viability and
provide an opportunity for visitors in Yellowstone to see wild bison on the Northern Range in a natural
setting.

Prior to reaching the Northern Range core number of 200, and in other areas that bison leave the park
and enter Montana, the three agencies have agreed that:

A. Initial monitoring will consist of daily ground patrols to report bison locations and
movements.

B. As bison approach the boundary, increased monitoring will be implemented and could
include aerial flights.

C. Attempts to prevent bison from leaving the park will be limited to those instances when
it is anticipated that that action would be successful in retaining bison in the park.

D. Bison reduction will commence as necessary when bison leave the park and pose a threat
to livestock or other private property.

E. The State of Montana will supervise and conduct the reduction outside the park. Park
rangers will assist if requested.

If the Northern Range core number is reached, the three agencies have agreed that:

A. The primary concern of the interim management plan will remain the protection of
domestic livestock from the potential transmission of the brucella organism from bison.
Special efforts, however, will be employed to protect the portion of the northern herd that
remain outside the park.

B. Special efforts will include, but not be limited to: aggressively attempting to herd bison
back into the park that pose an immediate threat to cattle; selective shooting - only bison
that pose an immediate threat to livestock (see Livestock and Property section pp 18-19)
will be shot; the establishment of Emergency Management Zones - special adjustments
regarding private and public lands; tolerating bison on more remote public lands away
from cattle and attempts may be made to herd the bison into these areas.

C. If special efforts are unsuccessful in reducing the risk of contact between cattle and bison,
then bison under the jurisdiction of the State of Montana will continue to be removed. '

Personnel from the three cooperating agencies will be exclusively responsible for implementation and
performance of all interim management actions. Volunteers or the public will not be permitted to
participate in any interim bison management activities.

Yellowstone National Park, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and
Parks will maintain daily communications until all bison have returned to the park.

14

Chapter Five

Current Research and Potential Needs

CURRENT RESEARCH

Much of the basic life history of bison is known from studies by Dr. Mary Meagher, 27 years as park
research biologist (bison), and others. Such references are listed in the Selected Bibliography and not
discussed in detail here. One of Dr. Meagher's major focuses is on population dynamics of the park's
free-ranging bison on the three ecologically diverse winter ranges. Emphasis is on understanding the
extent to which natural regulatory factors operate on these populations. Indications are that during the
last decade park bison on the Northern Range have become increasingly unstable geographically, and
bison have exited the park. Although the initial movement was triggered by an exceptionally severe
winter, subsequent activity did not necessarily correlate with winter severity. Major factors appear to
be: ecological carrying capacity in the context of population increase; an energy efficient travel route via
the plowed roads; acquired knowledge of "bison vacant" areas; and the gregariousness of bison. Recent
studies suggest that the latter two factors predominate and would frustrate any attempts to change the
movements by reducing the numbers appreciably or by attempting to contain the animals. Data collection
continues on bison numbers, distribution, population structure, and habitat relationships.

A combination of factors including the drought of 1988, underscored by the 1988 fires, and the 1988-89
winter bison reduction, predominately on the northern herd, resulted in large population changes. These
changes will provide greater insight into the bison niche and behavior patterns as the impacts are studied.
Long-term population data are being analyzed in relation to environmental influences.

Population modeling may be a valuable tool in attempting to understand the function and impact of the
brucella organism on bison numbers. A modeling effort involving brucella in elk and bison of the
Yellowstone area is underway but has not been completed. As the impacts of the brucella organism are
discovered and better understood, the information will be incorporated into the working model. An
additional Yellowstone bison population modeling initiative, relative to environmental influences, is
currently being discussed using the facilities and modelers at the University of Wyoming.

To a large degree, the potential for transmission of the brucella organism to livestock outside the park
is fueling the need to address the bison movement out of the park. Much has been learned about the
organism, and additional inquiries are underway. The Ad Hoc Technical Committee on Brucellosis in
the Greater Yellowstone Area is composed of technical experts from the tri-state region (Montana, Idaho,
and Wyoming), USDA, and representatives of Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks.

The expressed purpose of the committee is to learn more about the relationship between the brucella
organism and bison, elk, and livestock and to evaluate means to eradicate or control the organism to
acceptable levels. A major topic of inquiry has been whether the organism has always been a part of the
bison ecology (native) or introduced into the United States via domestic stock (exotic) and then
transmitted to bison and elk. If the organism is an exotic, die park can attempt to eradicate it as an
undesirable component to the native ecosystem; but, only ]f the method of removal has minimum
ecological disruption to bison and other resources of the park.

15

Additional inquires have included the investigation of a field vaccination delivery system for bison and
elk and a successful vaccination agent to inoculate wildlife. Currently, no such agent is available for
Yellowstone area bison (Strain 19 has been proven unsuccessful in the laboratory by Texas A&M research
work). The Texas group has done considerable documentation of transmission between cattle and bison
in controlled conditions. Dr. E.T. Thome has investigated incidence, transmission, and field vaccination
involving elk.

A second group recently met in Washington D.C. to discuss the implications of the brucella organism in
bison, elk, and livestock, and possible solutions. The group was composed of staff from the National
Park Service (Department of Interior) and Animal, Plant, and Health Inspection Service (APHIS-
Department of Agriculture) and experts on the subject. The committee's report is expected in the spring
of 1990.

An independent researcher, Dr. Jay F. Kirkpatrick of Eastern Montana College, is investigating
pregnancy rate in Yellowstone bison through analysis of urine and fecal chemicals. Fetal loss will be
compared in the Mary Mountain and Northern Range herds. Differences in reproductive success may
allow for deductions as to the causes of fetal losses. This research is of interest not only because of
potential findings but also because it is a non-intrusive research technique with no disturbance to wildlife.
Dr. Glen DelGiudice, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Minneapolis, is using winter urine
analysis to document changes in bison physiology and body condition.

Other researchers, such as Dr. Linda Wallace of Oklahoma and Dr. Sam McNaughton and his Ph.D.
student Doug Frank, are studying ungulate foraging relationships in areas where bison and elk grazing
overlap.

Dr. Meagher has collected blood for genetic analysis as well as a representative sampling of bison
jawbones for aging studies.

MANAGEMENT NEEDS

The National Park Service through Yellowstone National Park has a requirement to manage wildlife
populations by natural regulation to the maximum extent possible, allowing the forces of nature to
manifest themselves in shaping and directing the size, structure, and evolution of populations. In large
national parks or areas where the land mass is ecologically dedicated, this natural system works, and has
done so for thousands of years before the advent of modern human interference and direction. A specific
example of the natural components shaping and driving population dynamics is found in Yellowstone's
Pelican Valley where bison numbers increase and decrease (they decreased by over 50% during the
1988/1989 winter-kill) and nature plays out her hand without the interference or intervention of
technological (modern) man. Yellowstone has a need to comply with this continuing National Park
Service policy.

The National Park Service has long recognized that because the park (and the migrating animals that
inhabit the park) is not an ecologically complete unit, the policy of natural regulation can not work to the
extent it does in Pelican Valley. The National Park Service recognizes that where animal populations are
shared, as they are in migratory herds, compatible stewardship needs to be worked out among the park,
adjacent land owners, and game managers. Management of the northern bison herd is just such an
instance.

16

A somewhat parallel brucellosis issue occurs in Alberta and Northwest Territories, Canada, in the Wood
Buffalo National Park (WBNP). The bison there have not only the brucella organism but also have
tuberculosis. These bison are hybrids of two subspecies, the native wood bison and introduced plains
bison, and their existence threatens a disease free and seperate wood bison population. Canada is
proceeding with a public involvement program to discuss and consider alternatives. The Yellowstone
bison management effort may be influenced by decisions that arise from that process. Although there are
more differences than similarities between the two situations, something may be learned and applied to
bison management here.

A greater Yellowstone area information system should be constructed to better understand the conflicts
involved in managing bison. The park's Geographic Information System (GIS) could, as a minimum,
incorporate the themes of grazing allotments (location and times), land ownership, and areas of conflict.
This schemata would be available for management use to the various agencies in the Greater Yellowstone
Area responsible for bison management and public information.

There are counterproductive actions to regional management of the bison that need to be addressed
through a more complete public information program. A case in point are the winter backyard
feedground situations which encourage not only elk but bison to utilize them, altering natural social
patterns, increasing the presence of disease organisms, and increasing land impacts. A well thought out
joint public information program can alleviate much of these situations.

RESEARCH NEEDS

Future needed research includes increasing our understanding of bison ecology. Considerable research
has been accomplished, but considerable population data remains to be analyzed and published. This is
currently underway. Investigations into brucella vaccines suitable for free-ranging bison and acceptable
delivery systems need further exploration. A vaccine delivery system compatible with the National Park
Service's policy of least disturbance to bison populations and other species is an essential consideration.

Computer modeling holds promise for mathematical insight into bison population dynamics. Models are
useful for gaining insights but do not represent absolutes in the natural ecological world. As a tool, they
are dependent on our limited level of understanding. Additional information may have to be collected
and examined to refine the model as much as possible.

An open mind must be maintained in regard to yet unidentified research needs.

17

Chapter Six

Future Planning

PURPOSE AND NEED FOR A LONG-RANGE MANAGEMENT PLAN

State and Federal agencies, each having separate and defined mandates, often come into conflict in
attempting to resolve mutual problems. For instance, the State of Montana (Legislature and Department
of Livestock) want bison eliminated, as necessary, to minimize the brucellosis threat, while the Montana
Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department is charged with managing the bison as a big game animal. The
Animal, Plant, and Health Inspection Service (APHIS) U.S. Department of Agriculture is charged with
the management and possible elimination of disease such as brucellosis, while the National Park Service
is mandated to protect native species with little or no interference from modern man. It is recognized
that the Yellowstone ecosystem is an enormous complex of ecological communities, and that the diversity
of management requirements and procedures presents a difficult challenge. Conflict resolution,
alternatives, and compromises must be discussed if the problem is to be addressed and solved.

The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Forest
Service have agreed to develop plans for coordinated management of individual species such as bison,
elk, pronghorn, mountain goats, mule deer, bighorn sheep, etc.

The primary purpose of the bison long-range management plan is to evaluate methods of controlling bison
problems and to select the one or combination of alternatives that best meet the conflicting agency
mandates. Specific objectives are to reduce the possibility of brucella organism transmission to cattle and
reduce the potential for human conflicts and property damage caused by bison outside the park while
ensuring opportunities to view free-ranging bison and maintain a self-sustaining population of bison in
Yellowstone National Park. Alternative management actions, both inside and outside the park, will be
developed that address the social, economic, biological, and environmental impacts of bison emigration.

ISSUES AND CONCERNS
Livestock and Property Protection

Numbers of domestic cattle between the park boundary and Yankee Jim Canyon, a distance of 12-14 miles
north of the park, fluctuate according to the time of year. Livestock owners move cattle onto summer
grazing leases and buy and sell stock seasonally.

Emigrating bison are not easily deterred by normal wire fences. Damage to fences occurred in the 1988-
89 movement. Property owners in Montana are concerned about fence destruction, property damage, and
potential transmission of Brucella abortus to cattle. Brucella abortus, the causative organism of a
contagious disease called brucellosis, can cause domestic cattle to abort their calves. Increased costs to
producers result from the loss of production, loss of markets, and costs of prevention including
vaccinations.

Tests indicate some Yellowstone bison are infected with the brucella organism. 54% of the bison killed
outside the park in 1989 tested positive (were exposed to the organism in the past) for the brucella

18

organism. Elk on the Northern Range also carry the brucella organism but at a much lower prevalence
(6,158 elk tested in the 1960s indicated 1.7% were positive).

A U.S. Department of Agriculture funded study conducted in 1988 at Texas A&M University showed
conclusively that under controlled conditions, the disease transmits as readily from bison to cattle as it
does among cattle.

Most cattle in the area are inoculated. The standard procedure is to vaccinate heifers at about four to five
months of age. Vaccination effectiveness may vary but is approximately 67 percent. Many Montana
cattle producers vaccinate their livestock in order to ship interstate to other producers and/or buyers in
states that will not accept non-vaccinated stock. Montana requires all imported cattle to be certified
vaccinated.

The areas adjacent to the park have been brucellosis-free for many years and recent testing for the
brucella organism in adjacent area cattle have continued to be negative.

The greatest potential for transmission comes if bison cows give birth to their calves outside the park on
common range with cattle (studies show brucella organism can remain viable for as little as 5 hours in
direct sunlight to as much as 100 days in untreated manure). Not all bison have a high likelihood of
transmitting the brucella organism. Usually only cow bison have transmission potential, and transmission
is usually by ingestion; if an infected cow gives birth or aborts where domestic cattle graze, transmission
may occur directly by contact with the newborn calf or indirectly through contaminated feed, the dead
fetus, or birthing tissues. Remote possibilities of transmission may exist if an infected bull bison sheds
the brucella organism in urine and semen. The opportunity of bison and domestic cows coming into
sexual contact with one another is equally remote, as bison and cattle do not behaviorally seek to mix.
Potential for contamination of domestic livestock increases with the increased movement of bison into
Montana. Between 1952, when Montana began an accelerated program to eliminate the brucella organism
from its cattle, and 1984, when Montana was declared brucellosis-free, the State and its livestock
producers spent a reported $30 million on eradicating the disease.

Resource Protection

As is the case with any ungulate population, there is a limit to the number of animals that can be carried
in a given area. No resource damage, such as over-grazing or increased sedimentation to streams and
resultant problems with water quality, has been documented in Yellowstone National Park. There has
been little documented resource deterioration resulting from bison movement outside the park into
Montana.

Yellowstone National Park is designated a World Heritage Site and Biological Reserve and is obligated
to protect resources and natural processes within the park.

Human Safety

Bison are wild animals and have a quick response to a perceived encroachment from humans. A number
of serious injuries have occurred to persons in Yellowstone National Park, especially within the last
decade, when bison were approached too closely.

19

Although no incidents have occurred outside the park, concerns for human safety do exist with the greater
numbers of bison leaving the park. The greatest potential for human/bison conflict exists near gateway
communities or rural residences located in emigration corridors.

Public Enjoyment and Expectations

The animals and ecology of Yellowstone have long been a special attraction to visitors of Yellowstone
National Park. Management objectives will strive to maintain a self-perpetuating population of bison and
ensure opportunities to view free-ranging bison in Yellowstone National Park.

The State of Montana has, to this point, made no attempt to provide bison viewing opportunities in the
state.

Interpretation and Public Information

Considerable interpretation and public information is provided to visitors of Yellowstone Park. Outside
the park, Montana's public information effort has dealt primarily with informing the public why the
reduction is taking place and publication of rules and regulations specific to the bison control effort.
Additional efforts are underway to inform individuals of the specifics of the control effort and what will
be expected of them should they have the opportunity to participate. The intent of this effort is to ensure
the taking of bison in the most humane and efficient manner possible.

Agency Financial Impacts

The Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks has spent approximately 2,000 hours in the field assisting
participants and providing the logistics of administering Montana's 1988-89 bison control program. No
estimates of administrative time have been made but hundreds of hours were spent.

STATE'S PARTICIPATION

Montana is responsible for controlling wandering bison that are determined to be a problem outside the
park in Montana. Because the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks has the responsibility
for managing the game species of the State, the State will remain involved in managing bison in Montana
and cooperating with the two federal agencies in the development of the long-term management plan to
control bison.

OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES' PARTICIPATION

The National Park Service has responsibility for the bison of Yellowstone when inside the park. Any
control actions inside the park would be the responsibility of the National Park Service.

Because bison occasionally move onto national forest lands in Montana, the U.S. Forest Service, and
more specifically the Gallatin National Forest, are involved in habitat management.

20

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The need to prepare a cooperative long-range management plan for bison is essential. It is the intention
of the three agencies to involve the public in decisions that are made specific to management of the bison
of Yellowstone. Anyone interested in being involved is encouraged to participate. Scoping meetings will
be held to assist in the development of alternative strategies. A preliminary draft plan will be produced
that will be published for public review. Comments received on the draft will be incorporated into a final
draft plan which will also be provided to the public for their review. A final plan that will guide the
management of bison in and outside of Yellowstone in the future will be completed by the winter season
of 1991-92.

21

Selected Bibliography

Selected bibliography includes references of works in areas other than Yellowstone as well as specifically
to the Yellowstone area.

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22

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