Statements
on Bison Winter Range and Land Use Near Yellowstone National
Park - Taken from Final Environmental Impact Statement and
Bison Management Plan for the State of Montana and Yellowstone
National Park
This document summarizes each statement made about bison
winter range, land conservation and acquisition agreements
on public and private lands adjacent to Yellowstone National
Park.
Since completion of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement,
the federal Departments of the Interior and Agriculture
and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation teamed in February
and again in August 1999 to purchase lands and conservation
easements totaling 6,131 acres between the Reese Creek boundary
and Yankee Jim Canyon.
The purchased lands would be under the jurisdiction of the
Gallatin National Forest and available for use by wildlife.
It is expected that bison would be able to use the acquired
lands for winter range when a cattle lease currently in
operation on part of this property expires in 2002.
Bison Management Plan for the State of Montana and Yellowstone
National Park Volume I FEIS August 2000 page xvii
(Word Document, 9 pages)
Land
Use Maps from the Federal Environmental Impact Statement
(All PDF's)
Gardiner
Allotments - Public Grazing Allotments in Gardiner Basin
- Yellowstone's Northern Range (Gallatin National
Forest, Gardiner Ranger District) (Map
PDF, 1.7MB)
* The Park cattle grazing allotment is closed. The Gallatin
Naitonal Forest spent $1.8 million to broker a Conservation
Easement on Devil's Slide with the Church Universal &
Triumphant. The Church is now grazing cattle on parts of
the closed Park Allotment near Devil's Slide.
Gardiner Permittees - List of 14 permittees
allowed to graze livestock on public lands Name and Type
of allotment run, Public acreage grazed, Total Public/Private
acreage grazed, Status, Permit Expiration Date, Number of
AUMs allowed to graze, and Date allotment can be grazed.
(Gallatin National Forest, Gardiner Ranger District) (PDF,
176KB)
* An AUM is a cow/calf pair, steer, horse, grazed on a monthly
basis.
Hebgen Allotments II - Public Grazing Allotments in Madison
Valley - Yellowstone's Western Range (Gallatin National
Forest, Hebgen Lake Ranger District)
* This map shows cattle and horse grazing allotments.
** The Horse Butte cattle grazing allotment is closed. Horse
Butte Peninsula is traditional range for Yellowstone's wild
bison herd who migrate along the Madison River during winter
to find forage, and calve in the spring time.
Hebgen Allotments - Public Grazing Allotments in
Gallatin River drainage - Yellowstone's Western
Range (Gallatin National Forest, Hebgen Lake Ranger District)
(Map 1 PDF,
252KB) (Map
2 PDF, 192KB)
RTR - Royal Teton Ranch Land Conservation Agreement
(Map PDF, 1.7MB)
* $13,056,503.83 in taxpayer funds were appropriated by
Congress from the Land, Water and Conservation Fund to conserve
habitat for native wildlife in the Gardiner Basin, along
the Yellowstone River.
In 1999, the US Department of Interior and Gallatin
National Forest reached an agreement with the Church Universal
and Triumphant to:
* Purchase and acquire 5,262 acres of Church lands in Cutler
Meadows, North Dry Creek, Bassett Creek and Royal Teton
Ranch lands between Yankee Jim Canyon and Cinnabar Mountain,
and near Yellowstone National Park.
* Place a wildlife habitat conservation easement on 1,508
acres near Devil's Slide.
* Exchange 1,000 acres of public lands for 1,012 acres of
Church lands to consolidate ownership in Mol Heron, Aldridge
Lake and along the Yellowstone River.
Montana
Fish Wildlife & Parks Wildlife Report (PDF-
488kb)
* 1997 Report by Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks on "Wildlife
Habitat
and Wildlife Use on and Near the Royal Teton Ranch".
Funding RTR Purchase (120kb)
* Summary of taxpayer funds spent by the US Department of
Interior
and US Forest Service to acquire the Royal Teton Ranch lands
and
place a conservation easement on Devil's Slide in Yellowstone.
