Human-Wildlife Conflict Plan: Bison in Yellowstone National Park
Category: Community Engagement Poster
Author(s): Elizabeth Hazard
Presenter(s): Elizabeth Hazard
Mentors(s): Veronica Yovovich
The American bison (Bison bison) are an iconic wildlife species on the American landscape. They are symbols of the West and of conservation movements and agencies like the National Park Service. The area of Yellowstone National Park has been home to the bison since prehistoric times and became their last refuge when they were hunted to near extinction. However, the reality of the Yellowstone bison is much more conflicted than their romanticized legacy. For park visitors bison are an exciting and iconic aspect of the park, for park management they are an important part of an ecosystem and a wild animal with the potential to harm visitors, and for local ranchers they are the carriers of a disease that is detrimental to their cattle. The conflict between humans and bison is not just a conflict between wildlife and people, but also a dispute between different groups of people with different ideas for management approaches. This project aims to create a conflict management plan, exploring three distinct strategies for reducing conflict: financial/economic tools, physical/practice tools, and social/educational tools.