New bison-management plan fails to impress The plan, which could be set up as early as this winter, would put down fencing in the Royal Teton Ranch, located directly north of the Park in Paradise Valley, allowing 25 Yellowstone National Park bison to head to grazing land within the Gallatin National Forest – after the bison tested negative for brucellosis. This seems like a drop in the bucket; after all, last winter National Park Service officials killed 1,600 bison who failed to recognize the arbitrary boundaries set by humans. So, if this plan had been in place last winter, only 1,575 bison would have been killed. The absurdity of the situation is magnified when you tally the costs of this project. Right now the minimum estimated cost of allowing this grazing for the next 30 years is more than $3.6 million: $1.87 million upfront to the owners of Royal Teton Ranch, $76,500 annually for the next 19 years, and $300,000 to build fencing to guide the bison on the straight and narrow to the holy Gallatin National Forest grazing land. Add in the cost of testing the bison for brucellosis before they’re allowed out of Yellowstone National Park, and you’ve got the makings of what some might call a boondoggle. That had better be some damn fine grazing land....