[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 35 (Tuesday, March 18, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E507-E508]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            PARK OVERGRAZED BY EXCESSIVE NUMBERS OF ANIMALS

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                             HON. RICK HILL

                               of montana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 18, 1997

  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, Yellowstone National Park faces an 
environmental crisis. For the past 30 years, the pseudoscience of 
natural regulation has guided park management. Scientists recently 
testified before the Parks Subcommittee that natural regulation is 
foolish, misguided, and not an appropriate nor a practical management 
philosophy for wildlife management. Robert Ross, a retired Soil 
Conservation Service officer for range conservation, has been a close 
observer of changing range conditions and wildlife use in Yellowstone 
National Park. His comments urging hands-on, appropriate management of 
habitat are well made and I commend them to my colleagues. I submit his 
recent article into the Record.

                   [From the Gazette, Mar. 16, 1997]

                       Controls on Habitat Urged


            park overgrazed by excessive numbers of animals

                          (By Robert L. Ross)

       ``A business that had been fascinating to me before 
     suddenly became distasteful. I wanted no more of it. I never 
     wanted to own again an animal I could not feed and shelter.''
       This remark was made by Granville Stuart, an early day 
     Montana rancher, legislator and statesman. The remark was 
     made in the spring of 1887 following a winter of severe cold 
     and deep snow--a winter much the same as 1996-97.
       One wonders if Yellowstone National Park officials have 
     nightmares over the thousands of starving elk and bison in 
     the park. Starving because there are five to six times more 
     elk and bison in the park than the winter forage will 
     support. Actually, park people are probably hoping for more 
     of the critters to starve. That would help solve some of 
     their overpopulation problems. However, it must be a terrible 
     way to die. Shooting is more humane.
       The park personnel try to cover their mismanagement by 
     saying elk and bison are ``naturally migrating animals.'' 
     Cattle, horses and sheep are also naturally migratory. 
     However, ranchers curtail their instinct to migrate by 
     building and maintaining fences to keep them in the confines 
     of the pastures and off their neighbor's land.
       Ranchers also: (1) control their numbers to the available 
     forage by selling excess animals for slaughter; (2) provide 
     for adequate feed in adverse weather conditions; (3) control 
     disease such as brucellosis, etc.; (4) encourage hunting on 
     their private lands to control wildlife numbers.
       In 1963-64 the Soil Conservation Service, at the park's 
     request, conducted a range site and condition inventory of 
     the Northern Winter Range. It was determined the range would 
     safely carry about 350 bison and 5,000 elk plus smaller 
     numbers of deer, moose, antelope and bighorn sheep. At this 
     suggested animal population, the Northern Winter Range could 
     be maintained in good condition.
       When the elk and bison population was reduced to the 
     available forage (in the 1950s

[[Page E508]]

     and 1960s), there was very little migration of animals 
     outside the park. Consequently there was very little threat 
     of them transmitting brucellosis to cattle and horses and 
     undulant fever to humans.
       Excess of elk and buffalo in Yellowstone National Park have 
     destroyed woody species such as willow, aspen, cottonwood, 
     alder, serviceberry, etc. along the streams and rivers. This 
     ecological change in vegetation has almost eliminated beaver, 
     deer, moose and many species of waterfowl in the park.
       Beaver ponds are critically important to the fishing 
     streams and riparian areas. Beavers, needing cover and 
     forage, are almost nonexistent. Streams no longer meander 
     through lush meadows with woody shrubs providing shade and 
     cover for fish, but are increasingly becoming one wide 
     shallow gravel bar after another. Destruction of the natural 
     woody species has caused the Lamar River, Gardiner River and 
     other streams to erode their banks and create sterile gravel 
     bars. This not only causes soil erosion but creates very poor 
     fishing habitat and is a sorry sight to look at.
       The animals rights groups and other so-called environmental 
     organizations such as Sierra Club, Wilderness Society, 
     Greater Yellowstone Coalition, etc. should focus their 
     attention on the land abuse being done to Yellowstone Park 
     resources. However, shouting about bison being shot brings 
     more money into their coffers from people who do not 
     understand the whole problem. If pressure were brought to 
     bear on Yellowstone National Park to take care of its own 
     problem, the situation could be solved.
       It is time for Yellowstone Park personnel to accept their 
     responsibility and face up to their problem of too many 
     animals and decimated rangeland resources.
       It is time they were honest with themselves and the public. 
     It is time Yellowstone Park becomes a good neighbor to 
     Montana, Wyoming and Idaho and stop jeopardizing the 
     brucellosis-free livestock industry. After many, many years 
     of mismanagement it is time for Yellowstone National Park to 
     start managing its 21 million acres of natural resources with 
     integrity and professionalism.

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