Deciding that there are too many bison on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, officials there have decided to cull the population from an estimated 400-600 animals down to fewer than 200.
The plan announced this week calls for the herd reduction to be accomplished over a three-to-five year stretch. The reduction will be made by "utilizing skilled volunteers and non-lethal capture and transfer to cooperating agencies and tribes," the Park Service announced.
Grand Canyon staff had prepared an Initial Bison Herd Reduction Environmental Assessment, which evaluated management actions that would reduce the herd. NPS Intermountain Regional Director Sue Masica signed a Finding of No Significant Impact authorizing the park to proceed with the selected action, which is designed to quickly reduce bison population density.
Given the current distribution, abundance, density, and the expected growth of this herd, the Park Service said it was concerned about increased impacts on park resources such as water, vegetation, soils, archaeological sites, and values such as visitor experience and wilderness character.
Park Service biologists estimate that the herd has grown from approximately 100 bison, brought to the House Rock Wildlife Area in the early 1900s, to between 400 to 600 bison. Though the bison roam the Kaibab Plateau, they spend most of their time on the North Rim, according to the agency. Biologists predict that the herd could grow to nearly 800 in the next three years and be as large as 1,200-1,500 animals within 10 years without further management actions to control the size of the herd.
Multiple agencies are involved with bison management on the Kaibab Plateau and this EA was prepared in collaboration with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the InterTribal Buffalo Council. Partner organization goals and objectives for bison management were considered in development of the EA and the park and partner organizations are now actively developing specific operational guidelines for herd reduction. An announcement of opportunities and a process for tribal members and members of the public to participate in volunteer culling will be made once operational guidelines for herd reduction are in place.
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