Management of the Kaibab Plateau bison herd in Grand Canyon National Park: 2018–2019 operations report
Terwilliger ML, Hartway CR, Schoenecker KA, Holm G, Zeigenfuss LC, Swan M, Salganek D, Buttke D, Musto DT. 2020. Management of the Kaibab Plateau bison herd in Grand Canyon National Park: 2018–2019 operations report. Natural Resource Report. NPS/GRCA/NRR—2020/2167. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado. https://doi.org/10.36967/nrr-2278108
The House Rock bison herd on the Kaibab Plateau, hereafter the “Kaibab Plateau bison herd”, is descended from a private bison herd which was introduced into Arizona in 1905. It is spatially distinct from the small, present-day herd at House Rock Wildlife Area (HRWA). The State of Arizona recognizes and designates bison within Arizona as wildlife under state law. The herd was managed in the HRWA of the Kaibab National Forest (KNF) by the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) from 1926–2009 at a population target of approximately 100 individuals. Since 2010, the herd has primarily resided on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park (GRCA). By 2014 the Kaibab Plateau population was estimated at 400–600 bison and projected to grow as large as 1,500 animals in the next ten years if management actions were not taken. On September 1, 2017, the National Park Service (NPS) Intermountain Regional Director signed a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Initial Bison Herd Reduction Environmental Assessment (EA) at GRCA. AZGFD, US Forest Service (FS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the InterTribal Buffalo Council (ITBC) were Cooperators in the preparation of the EA. The EA authorized the NPS plan to reduce the bison herd to fewer than 200 animals within five years. Allowable methods of herd reduction include lethal removal with skilled volunteers and non-lethal capture with live transport of bison to willing recipients, including tribes and governmental/non-governmental organizations. AZGFD-managed harvests outside of park boundaries will also contribute to the reduction. In summer-fall 2018, NPS contractors designed and constructed a corral for capturing live bison in the Little Park Meadow just south of the park’s North Rim entrance. NPS Roads crew also constructed a gravel-covered access road to the new corral. Due to impending winter weather and initiation of bison migration to lower pastures, NPS was not able to perform a pilot bison corralling event in 2018. At a September 2019 pilot bison capture event, the NPS captured 51 live bison, 31 of which were transferred to the Inter-Tribal Buffalo Council (ITBC) under a signed agreement. The ITBC transported and transferred the bison to the Quapaw Tribe in Oklahoma. NPS implemented a pathogen sampling protocol developed by a wildlife veterinarian with the NPS Biological Resources Division and oversaw testing and documentation necessary to move live bison across state lines. GRCA initiated research with USGS partners to GPS/VHF collar and release bison during corral trapping. The team collared 14 bison and plans to collar another 11 in 2020. Objectives of the research are to evaluate seasonal herd movements, develop a robust and repeatable bison population estimation method, determine potential effects of bison on vegetation, and develop a resource selection model.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Terwilliger, Miranda; Hartway, Cynthia; Schoenecker, Kate; Holm, Gregory; Zeigenfuss, Linda; Swan, Megan; Salganek, D. Skye; Buttke, Danielle; Musto, Dana
- Date of Issue
- 2020-08
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- DOI
- 10.36967/nrr-2278108
- Units
- GRCA , NRSS
- Keywords
- aerial surveys, Arizona, bison, bison management, buffalo, DOI, double observer surveys, effects monitoring, genetics, GPS collars, Grand Canyon, health, introgression, Kaibab Plateau, live captures, North Rim, plains bison, population estimation, population monitoring, tracking, ungulates, wildlife diseases