Comment Period Open for Yellowstone Bison Quarantine Plan

The National Park Service is seeking public comment on a quarantine to help identify brucellosis-free bison in Yellowstone National Park.

"The purposes for a quarantine would be to establish new conservation of cultural herds of plains bison," Yellowstone's Sandy Snell-Dobert said. "Basically the quarantine would hold bison so that they can be tested for brucellosis."

Snell-Dobert said those testing positive for brucellosis would be slaughtered. Those testing negative could be used on tribal lands in order to build standing herds.

She added that the enviornmental assessment analyzes three alternatives to evaluate a quarantine program designed specifically for Yellowstone bison "at one or more new quarantine facilities, which could be located within Yellowstone National Park, on tribal lands, or elsewhere."

Alternative 1 is no action. Bison operations would continue as they currently are with no quarantine of bison. Alternative 2 includes conducting a quarantine program within Yellowstone National Park. Alternative 3 includes conducting a quarantine program on the Fort Peck Reservation and is the NPS preferred alternative.

"Comments should be submitted by Feb. 15," Snell-Dobert said. "There's lots of information available on the Planning, Environment and Public Comment website at www.parkplanning.nps.gov/BisonQuarantine."