Vassil

Ranchers in Montana's Gardiner Basin have long feared that wild bison roaming in Yellowstone National Park will transmit brucellosis -- a disease that can cause pregnant cows to abort -- to their domestic cattle. That overblown concern historically led to extreme actions by the government agencies that manage Yellowstone bison. When bison left the park each winter, they were often captured and slaughtered or chased back into the park. But recent science shows that the risk of cattle catching the disease from bison is almost nil.

"It's absurd to spend tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars just to scare bison off their seasonal habitat," says Whitney Leonard, a wildlife advocate for NRDC in Montana. NRDC and other stakeholders have worked to ensure that bison managers consider up-to-date science when making decisions. Responding to these efforts, federal and state government agencies recently adapted their policy to allow bison to roam more freely outside Yellowstone. Leonard explains that the expanded grazing area allows the Yellowstone herd greater access to food at a critical time of year.

Ranching interests feeling threatened by the more permissive rules have sued the state of Montana to reverse its recent policy changes. NRDC has intervened in the suit to make sure wild bison can continue to roam outside the park.