Interagency Bison Partners Release Annual Report

November 18, 2009
Interagency Partners Release Annual Report

Contacts:
Al Nash, Yellowstone National Park (307) 344-2010
Lyndsay Cole, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (970) 494-7410
Marna Daley, Gallatin National Forest (406) 587-6703
Steve Merritt, Montana Department of Livestock (406) 444-9431
Melissa Frost, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (406) 994-6931


The Interagency Bison Management Plan (IBMP) partners have released the Annual Report for the 2008-2009 operating season. The report is available online at http://www.IBMP.info.

The IBMP is a cooperative, multi-agency effort that guides bison and brucellosis risk management in and around Yellowstone National Park based on the best available science, research, monitoring, new information, and field operation experience. Under the IBMP, the agencies involved work cooperatively to conserve a wild, free ranging bison population while concurrently reducing the risk of brucellosis transmission from bison to cattle.

The Annual Report responds to a 2008 U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit, which recommended that the agencies improve their accountability, transparency, and management of bison.

Included in the report are narrative summaries that address the effects and effectiveness of management actions identified in the IBMP Adaptive Management Plan (2008). The report also summarizes progress on the surveillance plan for bison and improvements on vaccines, vaccine delivery systems, and disease testing for brucellosis in bison.

The report will be used to inform future management discussions related to adaptive management for 2009-2010 and beyond.

The five cooperating agencies of the IBMP are the National Park Service, USDA Forest Service, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Montana Department of Livestock, and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

More information about the Interagency Bison Management Plan can be found at http://www.IBMP.info.