In a move seen as a way to both bolster the stocks of Yellowstone National Park bison and to support cultural practices of the Assiniboine and Sioux tribes in northeastern Montana, park officials are proposing to use the Fort Peck Reservation for a bison quarantine program.

Under the program, brucellosis-free herds of Yellowstone bison could be raised in areas outside the park, and the herds could be used by the two tribes for their "cultural and spiritual significance, (and) to benefit the tribes economically..."

The plan is outlined in an environmental assessment prepared to analyze the Use of Quarantine to Identify Brucellosis-free Yellowstone Bison for Relocation Elsewhere. That document is open for public comment through Febraury 15.

Under the EA's preferred alternative, anytime the summer bison herds in Yellowstone reach at least 3,000 animals, during the following winter a number of individuals could be transported to the Fort Peck Reservation, with a goal of keeping the park's bison population around 3,000.

"The intent would be to reduce the number of bison shipped to meat processing facilities by placing some test-negative bison into quarantine and test-positive or untested bison into terminal pastures. If the population guideline for Yellowstone bison is increased in the future through adaptive adjustment of the (Interagency Bison Management Plan) or the development of a new bison management plan, then the timing and extent of culling and placing some bison into quarantine and terminal pastures could be adjusted to reflect this higher level," reads a section of the EA.

"Captures of migratory bison would be implemented as nonselectively as possible based on brucellosis status, with biologists hazing or enticing animals from some groups moving past the capture facility. Bison testing negative for brucellosis exposure could be sent to quarantine, while bison testing positive could be sent to terminal pastures and meat processing or research facilities."

The two tribes currently have bison herds numbering roughly 200 individuals, according to the EA.

"The tribes are allowing wild bison numbers to increase, mainly using a hands-off policy for management, until the cultural/conservation herd numbers about 300 bison. Thereafter, the tribes plan to cull the herd approximately annually to a 60 percent female and 40 percent male ratio," the document said. "Culling would be conducted by Tribal Fish and Game staff, with the meat distributed to tribal programs for seniors, diabetics, Head Start centers, school lunch programs, homeless shelters, and cultural and traditional ceremonies."

Details of the proposal can be found at this site, and comments can be left there, too.