Senator pushes plan to manage Grand Canyon bison

Source: Associated Press

Senator pushes plan to manage Grand Canyon bison
By FELICIA FONSECA, Associated Press | June 14, 2014 | Updated: June 14, 2014 2:51pm

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona Sen. John McCain is pushing an amendment in Congress that would allow anyone who kills bison at the Grand Canyon to keep the meat.

Hunting is prohibited at the national park, but land managers are trying to find ways to control hundreds of bison roaming the northern reaches of the Grand Canyon to preserve water resources, vegetation and fragile cliff dwellings. One of the options raised during a public comment period was lethal removal.

The National Park Service has the authority to kill animals that harm resources, using park staff or volunteer shooters. But the shooter cannot keep the meat. Instead, it is handed over to wildlife agencies, tribes or charities to distribute.

McCain's amendment — one of two he proposed this week as part of the Sportsmen's Act — would change that. The bison hunt in the northern part of the Kaibab National Forest is highly coveted, McCain said. Allowing hunters to take the full animal would be a service to the national park, he said.


Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/science/article/McCain-amendment-addresses-Grand-Canyon-bison-5552844.php