Interagency Bison Management Plan Lacks Public Accountability

PRLog (Press Release) - Aug 13, 2008 -
(Bozeman, Mont.) – State and Federal government agencies partnered in the Interagency Bison Management Plan (IBMP) met last week in response to federal mandates from the Government Accountability Office calling for the partners "to enhance the agencies’ collaboration and accountability to the public." The meeting, which took place August 6th and 7th at the Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Regional Headquarters, fell short of these goals as individuals from the public were not allowed to ask questions of the agencies.

The GAO issued a report in March of this year implicating that agency partners "lack accountability among themselves and to the public," that the plan "lacks clearly defined, measurable objectives," and recommending that the agencies consider rewriting or replacing the IBMP. The agencies refused to consider this option, however, as facilitator Scott Bischke opened the meeting on Wednesday afternoon by stating that replacing the IBMP would not be discussed.

The IBMP continues to operate on annual expenditures of over $2 million dollars per year since 2002, despite the fact that it "lacks clearly defined, measurable objectives," and these objectives have not been met because "critical underlying differences among agency mandates, management philosophies, and political interests have not been resolved," according to the GAO report. The IBMP's stated goal of "maintaining a free-ranging bison herd" has not been met, as the agencies enacted the slaughter of 1,276 bison that migrated near Yellowstone National Park's boundaries this past winter. "These agencies have so little common ground that the IBMP was doomed from the beginning," says Buffalo Allies of Bozeman member Jim Macdonald. "The Montana Department of Livestock is treating wildlife as they would domesticated cattle while the National Park Service operates behind closed doors to prod these iconic, proud beasts through an elaborate guillotine that shrouds the public from viewing the slaughter of the very animals they visit Yellowstone to see."

“There are no solutions for wild Montana bison within the confines of the existing Interagency Bison Capture and Slaughter Plan. Replacing the plan and securing access to habitat in Montana is the only thing the agencies should have discussed,” said Glenn Hockett, Volunteer President of the Gallatin Wildlife Association and member of the Buffalo Allies of Bozeman.

In exploring alternatives for allowing bison to occupy public lands outside of the Yellowstone Park boundary, Buffalo Field Campaign and Horse Butte Neighbors of Buffalo also spoke at the IBMP meeting to express the concerns of citizens on the west side of the Park, where bison are hazed from public and private lands that have no cattle at any time of the year and thus have no possibility of brucellosis transmission from bison.

Buffalo Allies of Bozeman will be hosting a community potluck in Cooper Park on Sunday, August 31, at 7 PM. The grassroots organization encourages new members to join, and meets every Wednesday at 7 PM at Montana State University’s Strand Union Building. For more information, please visit: http://www.buffaloallies.org.

Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/10104517/1