National Park Service seeking to reduce Grand Canyon bison herd

GRAND CANYON, Arizona – The National Park Service will be working with cooperating agencies and partners to reduce the size of the bison herd on the north rim of Grand Canyon National Park. The herd is approximately 400 to 600 animals and will be reduced over the next three to five years to fewer than 200 by lethal culling using skilled volunteers and non-lethal capture and transfer to cooperating agencies and tribes.

The NPS prepared an Initial Bison Herd Reduction Environmental Assessment that evaluated management actions that would reduce the herd. NPS Intermountain Regional Director Sue Masica signed a Finding of No Significant Impact, authorizing the park to proceed with the selected action, which is designed to quickly reduce bison population density.

Given the current distribution, abundance, density and expected growth of the herd, NPS officials said.

NPS biologists estimate that the herd has grown from approximately 100 bison, brought to the House Rock Wildlife Area in the early 1900s. Though the bison roam the Kaibab Plateau, they spend most of their time on the north rim of the park. Biologists predict that the herd could grow to nearly 800 in the next three years and be as large as 1,200 to 1,500 animals within 10 years without further management actions to control the size of the herd.

An announcement of opportunities and a process for tribal members and members of the public to participate in volunteer culling will be made once operational guidelines for herd reduction are in place.

The EA, FONSI and other reference documents can be found on the NPS Planning Environment and Public Comment website.

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