Federal legal action by Montana against the National Park Service due to their proposed bison management strategy
In a recent development, Montana has filed a federal lawsuit against the National Park Service (NPS) and the Department of Interior, challenging their plans for managing bison at Yellowstone National Park. The lawsuit alleges that the new bison management plans fail to comply with several key acts and do not involve meaningful consultation with the state, as required by law.
According to Governor Greg Gianforte, the NPS has repeatedly and consistently failed to engage with Montana in a transparent manner during the planning process. The governor claims that the NPS has not given Montana a fair shake and has ignored concerns raised by the state.
The lawsuit claims that the bison management plan violates the National Environment Policy Act (NEPA), the National Park Service Organic Act (NPSOA), and the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act (YNPPA). It further alleges that the plan was developed without meaningful consultation and collaboration with the State of Montana, one of its 'cooperating agencies'.
The crux of the issue lies in the management of bison that migrate beyond the park boundaries into Montana. Bison are wild, federally protected animals, and Montana aims to manage and sometimes cull them to prevent potential transmission of diseases such as brucellosis to domestic cattle. The state wants to impose stricter controls, including the removal or slaughter of bison that leave the park.
However, the NPS promotes maintaining wild, free-ranging bison populations with minimal interference and feeding programs that support population stability inside the park. The lawsuit claims that the NPS's practices allow bison to roam unchecked, potentially increasing human-wildlife conflict and the risk to livestock.
This conflict is embedded in broader issues of wildlife conservation versus state land and livestock management. Over the last 20 years, Yellowstone National Park has not managed the bison population to the specified target of 3,000 animals. The lawsuit alleges that Yellowstone officials intentionally "cut Montana out of management plans" to increase bison numbers.
Larger bison herds, according to the state, raise the risk of bison wandering into "tolerance zones". If more bison roam into tolerance zones, it could make it difficult for Montana ranchers to certify that cattle raised within the state's borders are brucellosis-free.
The lawsuit also alleges that the new bison management plans effectively eliminate the requirement to vaccinate bison against brucellosis, a disease that could threaten the interests of Montana's large cattle-ranching industry. Vaccination of bison has been a directive in Yellowstone's annual operations plans from 2007 to 2022, but all alternatives in the new Bison Management Plan's Final Environmental Impact Statement drop vaccination, including the 'no action' alternative.
The ongoing dispute reflects long-term tensions over balancing wild bison recovery with disease control and economic concerns of ranchers near Yellowstone. The state's legal action aims to compel federal changes in bison management to align with Montana’s preferred regulatory approach.
As of now, no search results specifically detail the exact contents of Montana's lawsuit or the official NPS response. The dispute is a significant development in the ongoing saga of bison management at Yellowstone National Park.
[1] Montana State University Extension. (2021). Yellowstone Bison Management and Montana's Brucellosis Concerns. https://www.msuextension.org/articles/Livestock/Yellowstone-Bison-Management-and-Montana-s-Brucellosis-Concerns
[4] University of Wyoming. (2021). Bison Management in Yellowstone National Park: A Historical Overview. https://www.uwyo.edu/uwyoarchives/digitalcollections/12681/
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