WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 1997 --The heads of three federal agencies today proposed a plan to protect bison migrating from Yellowstone National Park.

The proposal calls for significantly increased efforts to stop bison from leaving the park and expanding their range for the first time into the adjacent Gallatin National Forest in Montana. The proposal was made by heads of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the U.S. Department of Interior's National Park Service (NPS), in a letter sent to the governor of Montana today.

"The park service will deal with this emergency situation by sharply increasing efforts along the northern and western portions of Yellowstone, where bison have a tendency to migrate," said Roger Kennedy, NPS Director.

NPS efforts will include 24-hour patrols to keep bison migration from Yellowstone to a minimum and contain those animals that do stray to a section of Gallatin National Forest.

"This proposal preserves Montana's brucellosis class-free status, and maintains the integrity of the national brucellosis eradication program, which is near completion following 62 years of cooperative effort. Nationwide, only 32 cattle and bison herds remain under quarantine for brucellosis." said Terry Medley, APHIS administrator.

Brucellosis causes cattle and bison to abort and lowers milk production. Humans can contract the disease, also known as undulant fever, by handling infected animals or drinking unpasteurized milk.

"This proposal is designed to reduce the number of animals leaving Yellowstone," said Roger Kennedy, NPS director. "This year's increased bison migration out of Yellowstone has been caused by extreme snow and ice levels that have covered the animals' food source."

"We are confident that solutions can be found and are committed to working with the National Park Service, State of Montana, and APHIS to find a solution to this problem," said Mike Dombeck, Forest Service chief. "And Gallatin National Forest at Horse Butte will be a part of the solution to the problem."

All agencies will work with the Governor, local residents, and tribal governments to find solutions to this issue and will continue to monitor the situation and make recommended changes as needed.

"We have worked diligently to pull together all our federal agencies. We hope the Governor will respond favorably and join us in solving this problem," said Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt.

NOTE: USDA news releases, program announcements, and media advisories are available on the Internet. Access the APHIS HOME Page by pointing your Web browser to http://www.aphis.usda.gov and clicking on "APHIS Press Releases." Also, anyone with an e-mail address can sign up to receive APHIS press releases automatically. Send an e-mail message to "majordomo@info.aphis.usda.gov" and leave the subject blank. In the message, type:

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