The National Park Service wants to reduce the size of a bison herd on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park to fewer than 200 animals/NPS

A bison herd on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park that has grown to as many as 600 individuals should be culled to fewer than 200, the National Park Service states in an environmental assessment that looks at management strategies for the herd. Without a working plan to control the herd's population, it could grow to 1,500 animals within 10 years, the EA said.

The management plan, drafted in collaboration with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the InterTribal Buffalo Council, is open for public comment through June 7.

The herd descended from animals brought to northern Arizona in 1906. In the 1990s, the bison, which the Arizona Game and Fish Department has managed in the House Rock Wildlife Area on the Kaibab National Forest since 1929, began venturing onto the North Rim of the park. Most of the bison herd now spends a majority of its time inside the park.

Biologists estimate that since the early 1990s, the herd has grown from approximately 100 bison to between 400 and 600 bison that currently roam the Kaibab Plateau. Estimates also show that this herd could grow to nearly 800 in the next three years and as large as 1,500 animals within 10 years if management actions are not taken.

Given the current bison distribution, abundance, and density, and the expected growth of this herd, the NPS is concerned about increased impacts on park resources, such as water, vegetation, soils, and archaeological sites, and on values such as visitor experience and wilderness character.

The purpose of the actions evaluated in this EA are to quickly reduce bison population density, and protect Grand Canyon National Park resources and values from the impacts of a steadily growing bison population.

Through the preferred alternative, the NPS, working with cooperating agencies and partners, would reduce the bison herd to fewer than 200 animals using lethal culling with skilled volunteers and nonlethal capture and removal. Considering the size of the bison population, the proposed herd reduction could be achievable over three to five years and is consistent with recommendations for a herd size that would reduce or prevent impacts on park resources.

The Park Service plans three open house meetings during the comment period:

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

DoubleTree by Hilton

1175 West Route 66

Flagstaff, AZ 86001

6 to 8 p.m. MST (Arizona)

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Ben Avery Facility–Activities Center

4044 W. Black Canyon Blvd

Phoenix, AZ 85086

5 to 7 p.m. MST (Arizona)

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Holiday Inn Express and Hotel

217 South 100 East

Kanab, UT 84747

6 to 8 p.m. MDT (Utah); 5 to 7 p.m. MST (Arizona)

The Park Service also plans to hold an informational web-based meeting on Tuesday, May 30, from 5 to 6 p.m. MST (Arizona). Registration for the web-based meeting and more information about the open house can be found at this website.

Interested parties can submit comments either electronically on the PEPC website (the preferred method of receiving comments); via U.S. Postal Service at Grand Canyon National Park, P.O. Box 129, Attn: Bison Management Plan EA, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023; or at one of the in-person public meetings. Public comments will not be accepted during the web-based meeting; participants will be directed to the PEPC website to enter comments.