Grand Canyon seeks public comment on bison

The National Park Service is seeking public comment on a plan to manage a bison herd on the north side of Grand Canyon National Park.

The bison, which are not considered native to the park, are hard on native vegetation, water sources and archaeology sites. The size of the herd has increased as the agency looked for a long-term solution to the problem.

Options for reducing the size of the herd include capturing and removing the animals, culling the herd with sharpshooters and fencing off areas that have been damaged by the herd. The park is likely to use a combination of all three approaches. The park would also like to develop a long-range plan to keep the size of the herd in check.

“My initial thought is that it’s a good first step,” said Kevin Dahl, of the National Parks Conservation Association. Many environmental groups would like to see the herd removed from the park in the long term, however, he said.

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“It’s an invasive species causing problems. They’re beautiful, they’re magnificent, they’re scenic, they’re out of place, and they're causing horrible damage to our national park.”

During a previous public-comment period conducted by the agency, opinions ranged widely over the herd, once managed in the nearby House Rock Valley by the Arizona Game and Fish Department. The comments were part of a review that took place under the National Environmental Policy Act.

The new 30-day public-comment period is an attempt to streamline the Environmental Policy Act process.

Additional information on the comment period is available at www.parkplanning.nps.gov/grca_bison. Comments may also be sent to the Superintendent, Grand Canyon National Park, P.O. Box 129, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023.