Yellowstone Buffalo Preservation Act - Fall

Advisor: Gary Weiskopf 

This workshop report evaluates the Yellowstone Buffalo Preservation Act (H.R. 3446) and proposes an implementation plan to address conflicts between wildlife conservation and livestock management in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem. The Yellowstone bison herd represents the last continuously wild population of American bison in the United States, having recovered from near extinction in the early twentieth century to more than 4,000 animals today. Seasonal migration patterns frequently lead bison to leave Yellowstone National Park during winter months in search of forage, bringing them into contact with cattle herds in Montana. This interaction raises concerns regarding brucellosis, a bacterial disease that can infect cattle and threaten the state’s brucellosis-free designation, which is essential for maintaining interstate cattle trade.

To address these competing concerns, the report proposes the Yellowstone Buffalo Interagency Preservation Plan, a coordinated management strategy involving federal and state agencies. Central to the plan is the creation of the Buffalo Interagency Strategic Oversight Network (BISON), a coordinating body responsible for managing the herd and overseeing implementation of the Act. Key strategies include expanding winter grazing areas outside park boundaries through land exchanges and conservation easements, monitoring migration patterns, separating bison and cattle populations spatially and temporally, and implementing vaccination programs to reduce disease transmission risks. The plan also calls for dismantling capture facilities used to remove bison and improving monitoring and enforcement of wildlife protections. The report concludes that coordinated interagency management and expanded habitat protection offer a viable pathway to preserve the ecological integrity of the Yellowstone bison population while addressing the economic concerns of the regional cattle industry.

Learn more about the MPA-ESP Workshop in Applied Earth Systems Management.