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Public Comment Period Extended On Grand Canyon Bison Plan

Susan Montoya Bryan, AP

The National Park Service has extended the length of a public comment period on a plan to reduce the number of bison found near the Grand Canyon's North Rim through lethal and nonlethal means.

The comment period is now scheduled to run through June 14.

The goal is to bring down the number of bison from 400 to 600 to fewer than 200 through lethal culling by trained volunteers and capturing and removing them.

If the herd is not reduced, the Park Service says it could grow to nearly 800 bison in the next three years and to as large as 1,200 to 1,500 within 10 years.

Officials say the bison are trampling vegetation, grazing in pristine meadows and polluting water sources within Grand Canyon National Park.

 

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