Summary of the Final Bison and Elk Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement: National Elk Refuge, Grand Teton National Park

The Jackson elk and bison herds comprise one of the largest concentrations of elk and bison in North America, with an estimated 13,000 elk and about 1,000 bison. The elk migrate across several jurisdictional boundaries in northwestern Wyoming, including the National Elk Refuge, which is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and Grand Teton National Park and John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway which are managed by the National Park Service (NPS). Ranges also extend into Yellowstone National Park, Bridger-Teton National Forest, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) resource areas, and state and private lands. The bison range largely within Grand Teton National Park and the National Elk Refuge, with some crossing into Bridger-Teton National Forest and onto state and private lands in the Jackson Hole area. Both species contribute significantly to the ecology of the southern greater Yellowstone ecosystem because of their large numbers, wide distribution, effects on vegetation, and their importance to the area's predators and scavengers. The Final Bison and Elk Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement identifies and evaluates six alternative approaches, including a preferred alternative, for managing bison and elk on the National Elk Refuge and in Grand Teton National Park and John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway for a 15-year period. The alternatives are a result of extensive public input and working closely with several cooperative agencies and partners. These agencies include -the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD), which manages resident wildlife species throughout most of the state -the U.S. Forest Service, which administers Bridger-Teton National Forest -the Bureau of Land Management, which administers BLM resource areas in Jackson Hole -the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which is in part responsible for preventing the introduction and spread of significant livestock diseases Extensive opportunities for input were also provided to local governmental agencies, tribal governments and organizations, and nongovernmental organizations, and private citizens.