A wildlife committee will meet in Jackson on Wednesday to discuss taking more aggressive steps to eradicate the disease brucellosis in elk and bison in the greater Yellowstone area.

The U.S. departments of Interior and Agriculture have been drafting a memorandum of understanding to eradicate the disease in elk and bison herds in the Yellowstone region, according to Wyoming livestock officials.

The new memorandum could mark a significant shift in policy and open the door for more aggressive test-and-slaughter programs for elk and bison, according to conservationists, who are alarmed by the agreement. Livestock managers have praised the memo as an opportunity to eliminate the last reservoir of disease in the nation.

The memorandum will be discussed when the Greater Yellowstone Interagency Brucellosis Committee meets from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday at Snow King Resort. Public comment will be taken at the end of the meeting.

In addition, two subcommittees focused on science and education will meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Snow King Resort.

Since 1967, the Interior Department’s National Park Service has taken a hands-off approach when dealing with wildlife and relied on natural regulation. The Park Service wrote policies shying away from heavy-handed, test-and-slaughter programs. The new memorandum could give the goal of eradicating the disease more weight in future management decisions, according to livestock officials.

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Source: Jackson Hole Zone
May 24, 2005

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