Montana Governor Approves Bison Territory Expansion Outside Yellowstone Park

Montana Governor Steve Bullock has decided to allow Bison to live in and roam through parts of Montana outside of Yellowstone National Park — breaking a deadlock in an impasse that has lasted for decades. Bison may still be killed periodically when roaming outside Yellowstone in search of food, but the governor’s decision allows them to linger year-round on an area north and west of the park that is estimated to encompass about 400 square miles. Conservationists have been supporting the move for a long time, while on the other hand, ranchers remain deeply opposed. The ranchers near Yellowstone say they are concerned that diseased bison may infect their cattle. They’re also worried about the bison grazing too much and not leaving enough for their own livestock to graze. The democratic governor is expected to put pressure on the National Park Service to help lower the bison population from about 5,000 to a target of 3,500 animals...more