Yellowstone Releasing Bison From Stephens Creek Facility

A phased release of bison from fenced pastures back into Yellowstone National Park is underway. Nearly 700 bison have been held in fenced pastures at the Stephens Creek Bison Capture Facility this winter; some have been there since the end of January. Park managers have determined there is now sufficient new forage at low elevation areas around Mammoth Hot Springs to hold bison inside the park’s northern boundary if they are released in small groups.

On Saturday, 28 bison and 22 new calves were released. Sunday, another 27 bison with 14 new calves were released. Both groups moved south into the park when released. Monday morning, 65 more bison with 31 new calves were released back into the park. Additional groups of similar size will be released on a daily basis, depending on weather conditions and the activity of bison previously released. All bison which have been held at Stephens Creek will be released back into the park. For safety reasons, the area around the Stephens Creek facility is closed to the public when capturing, holding, and releasing bison.

No bison have been shipped to slaughter during the winter of 2010-2011.

The National Park Service operates the Stephens Creek Bison Capture Facility northwest of Gardiner, Montana, under the Interagency Bison Management Plan. Since 2000, Yellowstone has cooperated with its state, federal, and tribal partners under the IBMP to conserve a viable, wild bison population while protecting Montana’s brucellosis-free status. More information on the IBMP can be found at http://ibmp.info/.