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Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Analysis

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The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) is one of the largest virtually intact temperate-zone ecosystems on Earth with 34,375 square miles of wildlife, vegetation, rivers, lakes, hydrothermal features, and geological wonders (National Park Service (NPS), n.d.). (See Figure 1). Yellowstone National Park (YNP) is the heart of the GYE. The park was created in 1872 and encompasses approximately 3,500 square miles of habitat protection and sanctuary in portions of Idaho (ID), Montana (MT), and Wyoming (WY) with the largest concentration of wildlife in the lower 48 states. Among these species of wildlife are bison (Bison bison). YNP is the only location in the United States (U.S.) where bison have continually roamed since the prehistoric era. …show more content…

The NPS (n.d.) considers the protection and recovery of the bison in YNP as one of the greatest triumphs in the history of American conservation. Bison were nearly exterminated in the nineteenth century, calling for species preservation in the 1880’s (Lavigne, 2002). In 1901, a recorded low of 23 bison roamed YNP, to a high of almost 5,000 bison in 2005 (Treanor, et al., 2010). Today, the bison populations throughout YNP are the center of conflicts and controversy among the public and management agencies. They are under strict management guidelines that prevent them from roaming free outside of the park. The four main reasons they are restricted to YNP: competition with livestock for grasslands, concerns for human safety, potential property damage, and most significantly the potential transmission of brucellosis (Brucella abortus) to area livestock. Bison, as well as, elk (Cervus elaphus) are infected with the livestock disease, brucellosis. Brucellosis is an extremely contagious bacterial disease that can cause abortions in livestock and wildlife, as well as, other substantial complications (White, et al., 2011). These complication make brucellosis management in bison and elk throughout the GYE one of the most complex and contentious wildlife management issues in North America (Colligan,

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