Montana governor allows bison to roam outside Yellowstone
Source: Associated Press
Montana governor allows bison to roam outside Yellowstone
By Matthew Brown?|?AP December 22 at 6:33 PM
BILLINGS, Mont. — Wild bison will be allowed to migrate out of Yellowstone National Park and stay in parts of Montana year-round under a Tuesday move by Gov. Steve Bullock that breaks a longstanding impasse in a wildlife conflict that’s dragged on for decades
The Democratic governor’s decision likely won’t end the periodic slaughters of some bison that roam outside Yellowstone in search of food at lower elevations. But it for the first time allows hundreds of the animals to linger year-round on an estimated 400 square miles north and west of the park.
The move has been eagerly sought by wildlife advocates — and steadfastly opposed by livestock interests. Ranchers around Yellowstone are wary of a disease carried by many bison and the increased competition the animals pose for limited grazing space.
Bullock said in a statement he will continue to pressure the National Park Service to reduce Yellowstone’s population of roughly 5,000 bison. Absent from Tuesday’s announcement was a population target of 3,500 bison that the governor previously proposed as a condition of expanding where bison can roam.
Still, the governor expressed confidence that the livestock industry would be protected, and referred to his decision as a “modest expansion” of conditions under which bison can remain outside the park.
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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/energy-environment/montana-governor-allows-bison-to-roam-outside-yellowstone/2015/12/22/98209348-a8f4-11e5-b596-113f59ee069a_story.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
are the only genetically pure herd in the US. It's a good thing this governor has finally made this decision, it's been a political football since at least 1989.
ETA: I love the song the lyrics in your sig line are from!
