The heads of three federal agencies today proposed a plan to protect bison migrating from Yellowstone National Park. The proposal calls for significantly increased efforts to stop bison from leaving the park and expanding their range for the first time into the adjacent Gallatin National Forest in Montana. NPS efforts will include 24-hour patrols to keep bison migration from Yellowstone to a minimum and contain those animals that do stray to a section of Gallatin National Forest. This proposal preserves Montana's brucellosis class-free status, and maintain the integrity of the national brucellosis eradication program, which is near completion following 62 years of cooperative effort.
Brucellosis causes cattle and bison to abort and lowers milk production.
Humans can contract the disease, also known as undulant fever, by handling infected animals or drinking unpasteurized milk. And Gallatin National Forest at Horse Butte will be a part of the solution to the problem. All agencies will work with the Governor, local residents, and tribal governments to find solutions to this issue and will continue to monitor the situation and make recommended changes as needed. We have worked diligently to pull together all our federal agencies.