It is good to know that Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is planning to implement a study that will determine where and how Bison will roam the state in the future.............I hope that science will prevail and that this is not a ruse for ranchers to manipulate results that will state that the threat of brucelliosis to cattle means no further wild Bison herds allowed anywhere but in National Parks and Indian reservation lands............We have discussed many times that there is no proven occurrence of this disease jumping from Bison to cattle.............We do see Brucelliosis jumping from wild elk populations to domestic livestock..........You will never hear anyone in the Rocky Mtn States calling for restrictions on Elk herds because hunters would go ballistic..............So why the Bison "hate"????? Because Ranchers are afraid that more Bison means less public lands to graze cattle at bargain basement federal subsidized rates...........HYPOCRISY AT PLAY ALWAYS IN OUR COWBOY STATES WHEN ANYTHING REGARDING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS UNDER DISCUSSION...........TAKE THE MONEY FROM THE FEDS BUT HATE THE FEDS FOR ALLOWING ALL WILDLIFE TO FLOURISH AT ECOSYSTEM SERVICES POPULATION LEVELS

FWP to consider free-ranging bison in management study

greatfallstribune.com

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks announced Friday plans to move forward with study of a long-term conservation plan for bison that will evaluate a range of alternatives from establishing free-ranging bison that could be hunted to doing nothing.

Meetings in eight cities will be conducted to gather comments beginning May 14 in Missoula and ending May 24 in Bozeman. In between, meetings will be conducted in Kalispell, Glasgow, Billings. Helena, Miles City and Great Falls.

The meetings are the first step in crafting a long-term bison conservation and management plan by FWP, said Arnie Dood, a Bozeman-based FWP native species biologist and bison specialist.
Dood promises a transparent process and says the state has no preconceived idea of what direction to take.

"The real issue is, 'Where are we going to go with bison in Montana?'" Dood said. "The question being, 'Is there a place to manage bison as wildlife in Montana?' That's what this process is intended to do."

Eight public meetings, all from 6-9 p.m, are scheduled:
-- May 14, Missoula, Holiday Inn Downtown.
-- May 15, Kalispell, Red Lion Hotel.
-- May 16, Glasgow, Cottonwood Inn.
-- May 17, Helena, Montana Wild Center.
-- May 21, Billings, Holiday Inn Grand.
-- May 22, Miles City, BLM conference room.
-- May 23, Great Falls, Townhouse Inn, 1411 10th Ave. S.
-- May 24, Bozeman, Holiday Inn on Baxter.
See Saturday's Tribune for more information.