Yellowstone National Park’s new bison plan allows the herd to grow by about 1,000 more than it’s been in the past decade. The ten year average size of the herd has been around 5,000 animals.
Park biologists say park land can handle even more bison. But it’s limited by the amount of winter habitat outside the park in the state of Montana.
The state’s governor has threatened to constrict how far bison can roam there and potentially a lawsuit.
Meanwhile, the manager of a bison herd on the Wind River Indian Reservation hopes the park will grow its herd, so he can grow his tribe’s, too.
Jason Baldes manages about 120 bison for the Eastern Shoshone tribe. The cupholders in his side by side vehicle are filled with clumps of bison hair.
“All these buffalo are losing their winter coat right now, so they are all sloughing off,” he said on a windy day in early June as he pointed to about a dozen male bison munching on grass.
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