Environmentalists trying to block hazing, quarantine of Yellowstone bison

An environmental law firm has sued to block the capture and hazing of bison on the north side of Yellowstone National Park, arguing that the animals need to be allowed to travel north toward the Paradise Valley. The Cottonwood Environmental Law Center is asking a federal judge to prevent the various state and federal agencies that manage bison from enforcing a bison tolerance boundary at Yankee Jim Canyon and to block the quarantine of any bison. The suit argues that the addition of new tribal bison hunters in concert with potential hazing operations creates a public safety problem. John Meyer, an attorney and the director of Cottonwood, said the lawsuit is about allowing bison to migrate past the northern tolerance boundary, which is set at the mouth of Yankee Jim Canyon. He thinks that could alleviate safety concerns at a congested bison hunting area near the park border, where dozens of hunters wait for bison to cross onto Forest Service land. “It’s a very dangerous situation,” Meyer said. “We think that situation can be remedied by allowing bison to go farther north.” Yellowstone’s bison population was estimated at 4,800 animals last year. A management plan calls for a population of about 3,000, and managers try to reduce the population each year through hunting and culls inside the park. Managers are trying to remove at least 600 bison this winter. Hunters have taken roughly 140, according to an estimate from FWP. Yellowstone officials have trapped 96 bison in the Stephens Creek Capture facility — some of which will be slaughtered and some of which will be held for a potential brucellosis quarantine program...more