This area is commonly called the greater  Yellowstone area or ecosystem and is home to numerous species of  wildlife, including the largest concentration of free-roaming bison in the  United States. In July 1990, the National Park Service,  Forest Service, and Montana’s Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks  formed an interagency team to examine various alternatives for the long- term management of the Yellowstone bison herd. Later, the interagency  team was expanded to include USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection  Service and the Montana Department of Livestock. “maintain a wild, free-ranging population of bison and address the risk of brucellosis  transmission to protect the economic interest and viability of the livestock industry in  Montana.”
Although managing the risk of brucellosis transmission from bison to  cattle is at the heart of the IBMP, the plan does not seek to eliminate  brucellosis in bison. Bison  attempting to leave the park are herded back to the park. In order to  progress to step two, cattle can no longer graze in the winter on certain  private lands north of Yellowstone National Park and west of the  Yellowstone River. Step two, which the partner agencies expected to  reach by the winter of 2002/2003, would use the same management  methods on bison attempting to leave the park as in step one, with one  exception—a limited number of bison, up to a maximum of 100, that test  negative for brucellosis exposure would be allowed to roam in specific  areas outside the park. The overall purpose of the  conservation project was to preserve critical wildlife migration and winter  range habitat for a variety of species, protect geothermal resources, and  improve recreational access. The one remaining step to achieve  the condition of cattle no longer grazing in this area is for the partner  agencies to acquire livestock grazing rights on the remaining private RTR  lands. Until cattle no longer graze on these lands, no bison will be allowed  to roam beyond the park’s northern border, and the agencies will not be  able to proceed further under the IBMP. Although unsuccessful, Interior attempted to acquire livestock grazing  rights on the remaining RTR lands in August 1999. More recently, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks has re- engaged Church officials in discussions regarding a lease arrangement for  Church-owned livestock grazing rights on the private RTR lands. Federal Land and Easement Acquisitions Sought to Provide Critical Habitat for Many Species, But Bison Access to These Lands Remains Limited

The lands and conservation easement acquired by the federal government  through the RTR land conservation project sought to provide critical  habitat for a variety of wildlife species including bighorn sheep, antelope,  elk, mule deer, bison, grizzly bear, and Yellowstone cutthroat trout;  however, the value of this acquisition for the Yellowstone bison herd is  minimal because bison access to these lands remains limited. Through the RTR land conservation project, the federal government  acquired from the Church a total of 5,263 acres of land and a 1,508-acre  conservation easement using $13 million in Land and Water Conservation  Fund appropriations. The letter stated that  “the funds for phase two should only be allocated by the agencies when  the records of decision for the ‘Environmental Impact Statement for the  Interagency Bison Management Plan for the State of Montana and  Yellowstone National Park’ are signed and implemented.” The letter also  stated that the Forest Service and Interior were to continue to consult with  and gain the written approval of the governor of Montana regarding the  terms of the conservation easement. Under the easement, numerous  development activities, including the construction of commercial facilities  and road, are prohibited. As previously noted, under the IBMP, until cattle no longer graze on  private RTR lands north of the park and west of the Yellowstone River, no  bison are allowed to migrate onto these private lands and the partner  agencies are responsible for assuring that the bison remain within the park  boundary.
Why GAO Did This Study

Yellowstone National Park, in northwest Wyoming, is home to a herd of about 3,600 free-roaming bison. Some of these bison routinely attempt to migrate from the park in the winter. Livestock owners and public officials in states bordering the park have concerns about the bison leaving the park because many are infected with brucellosis--a contagious bacterial disease that some fear could be transmitted to cattle, thus potentially threatening the economic health of the states' livestock industry. Other interested groups believe that the bison should be allowed to roam freely both within and outside the park. In an effort to address these concerns, five federal and Montana state agencies agreed to an Interagency Bison Management Plan (IBMP) in December 2000 that includes three main steps to "maintain a wild, free-ranging population of bison and address the risk of brucellosis transmission to protect the economic interest and viability of the livestock industry in Montana." This testimony discusses GAO's preliminary observations on the progress that has been made in implementing the IBMP and the extent to which bison have access to lands and an easement acquired for $13 million in federal funds. It is based on GAO's visit to the greater Yellowstone area, interviews with federal and state officials and other interested stakeholders, and review of related documents.

What GAO Found

More than 6 years after approving the IBMP, the five federal and state partnering agencies--the federal Department of the Interior's National Park Service and Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and Forest Service, and the state of Montana's Departments of Livestock and of Fish, Wildlife and Parks--remain in step one of the three-step plan primarily because cattle continue to graze on certain private lands. A key condition for the partner agencies to progress further under the plan requires that cattle no longer graze in the winter on certain private lands north of Yellowstone National Park and west of the Yellowstone River to minimize the risk of brucellosis transmission from bison to cattle; the agencies anticipated meeting this condition by the winter of 2002/2003. Until this condition is met, bison will not be allowed to roam beyond the park's northern border in this area. While a prior attempt to acquire grazing rights on these private lands was unsuccessful, Montana's Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks is currently negotiating with the private land owner to acquire grazing rights on these lands. Yellowstone bison have limited access to the lands and conservation easement that federal agencies acquired north of the park. In 1998 and 1999, as part of a larger conservation effort to provide habitat for a variety of wildlife species, protect geothermal resources, and improve recreational access, federal agencies spent nearly $13 million to acquire 5,263 acres and a conservation easement on 1,508 acres of private lands north of the park's border--lands towards which bison frequently attempt to migrate in the winter. The conservation easement prohibits development, such as the construction of commercial facilities and roads, on the private land; cattle grazing rights were retained by the land owner. The Yellowstone bison's access to these lands will remain limited until cattle no longer graze on the easement and certain other private lands in the area.