Bison might roam

This is it, the last wild herd.

Tentative bison deal would allow some animals to roam

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - For the first time in more than a decade, bison would be allowed to freely migrate outside Yellowstone National Park, under a tentative deal between Montana wildlife officials and the Church Universal and Triumphant.

The long-anticipated deal still lacks a crucial element, a pricetag.

It would let bison move through the church-owned Royal Teton Ranch during winter, to reach about two-thousand acres of Gallatin National Forest land.

...Under terms of the deal, a small number of the animals would be allowed to range well outside the park's northern boundary in areas free of cattle. Initially, 25 bison that test negative for brucellosis would be allowed passage. In coming years, that could grow to 100 bison if the program proves successful.

Bison that wander outside Yellowstone's northern boundary in excess of those numbers would still be subject to slaughter...

Since 1998, the federal government has paid $13 million for conservation easements on the ranch, but has never resolved the issue of grazing rights.

The issue is considered key to preventing contact between livestock and bison, which can carry the disease brucellosis. If the disease spreads to livestock, it can cause pregnant cows to abort their calves and have financial consequences for the cattle industry.

In recent years, bison coming out of the park have been routinely rounded up and sent to slaughter to prevent the disease's spread (and many say the disease has never been passed from bison to cow in the wild). That has prompted outrage from members of Congress and environmental groups who want more protection for the nation's largest herd of wild bison, also known as buffalo.