Yellowstone Buffalo Preservation Act - Summer

This workshop report evaluates the Yellowstone Buffalo Preservation Act (H.R. 3446), proposed legislation intended to protect the last free-roaming herd of American bison in Yellowstone National Park while addressing conflicts with surrounding cattle ranching communities. The report explores the ecological, historical, and economic context of the Yellowstone bison population, whose numbers have recovered from near extinction in the early twentieth century to more than 4,000 animals today. Seasonal migration patterns frequently bring bison outside park boundaries into Montana, raising concerns among ranchers because bison can carry brucellosis, a disease that may infect cattle and threaten the state’s brucellosis-free status. The report analyzes the ecological drivers of migration, including population growth, winter severity, and historical travel corridors, and outlines the competing interests among wildlife conservationists, livestock producers, and government agencies.

The legislation proposes several mechanisms to manage these conflicts while protecting the ecological integrity of the bison population. Key provisions include expanding winter grazing areas outside the park through land acquisition and conservation easements, separating bison and cattle populations spatially and temporally, and implementing vaccination programs to reduce disease transmission risks. The report evaluates these strategies and proposes indicators for measuring the Act’s success, including changes in herd size, rates of brucellosis infection, and reductions in bison culling. The analysis concludes that the Yellowstone Buffalo Preservation Act offers a framework for reconciling wildlife conservation with agricultural interests, but its effectiveness will depend on addressing remaining scientific uncertainties related to disease transmission, migration behavior, and vaccine efficacy.

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