So now that I've got my sweet buckaroo hat squarely on my head (yes I'm still wearing it as I write this!), time to talk about a presentation in Sundre my family and I attended last night about reintroducing Bison to Banff National Park.
The Eleanor Luxton Foundation has launched the initiative "Bison Belong" which is in support of reintroducing Plains Bison to Banff National Park. The proposed plan is to bring approximately 100 disease free bison from the herd that already exists in Elk Island National Park. The bison would be free roaming over approximately 3000 km2 of habitat in Banff National Park, within which 600 km2 is considered optimum bison habitat with 100 km2 of winter range. There are no plans to build fence around the entire perimeter of the bison's range, however there will be the 600 km2 core bison zone, with a surrounding zone entitled "contain area" and a further surrounding zone entitled "control area". If the bison roam further out of this zone they will fall under the "Stray Animals Act". Beyond these measures, there will be a few fences put up in key places to keep the bison contained. These fences would be low and high off the ground (for other ungulates and predators to jump over or go under). Plans are to add on to the existing Stud Creek horse fence at Ya Ha Tinda in order to keep the Bison out of the Ya Ha Tinda as per request by the government of Alberta. Historically First Nations hunted bison, and because the bison do not have a large number of predominant natural predators, it is proposed that the local First Nations groups surrounding Banff National Park will be permitted a small annual cull of the bison herd to keep numbers in check. 
As with any big change there are many opinions and concerns surrounding the reintroduction of bison to Banff National Park. Bison are very dangerous and unpredictable animals. Between 1978 and 1992 five times as many people were killed or injured by bison as by bears in Yellowstone National Park (21 by bears, 56 by bison). Granted, there are more bison than bears in Yellowstone National Park, however bison are listed as the second most dangerous animal in North America behind the Alaskan Brown Bear, having killed more people than the Grizzly Bear in third place. Although they look cumbersome they can run up to 56 km/h and cover long distances. This poses a major concern for public safety with the large number of uneducated tourists that frequent the Banff area. Tourists all too often are uninformed or choose to ignore the warnings telling them about the dangers of approaching wildlife and this could pose a major threat to the safety of many of Banff Park's visitors as well as residents. Recreation on foot, bike, horseback, etc. will all be at risk with the reintroduction of bison. Many horses have never seen a bison, making an already bad situation of coming upon a herd of bison worse with a spooked horse under you. The effect bison will have on the other ungulates such as the elk (who have been declining drastically in numbers due to over predation) is not completely known. It is predicted that reintroducing bison will only cause there to be a slight rise in the already larger than ideal population of prey species, particularly wolves, however this is not for sure. Bison are naturally nomadic animals, and therefore keeping them contained will be an ongoing problem. If a herd of bison want to go somewhere they will go, and no river, valley, or fence will stop them. This is not only a concern for the public but also for land owners and farmers and ranchers in the surrounding area where the bison are likely to wonder into. A major concern for the agriculture sector extending away from Banff Park's boundary is the damage to crops and livestock should they come onto private land. Finally, the transmission of anthrax, brucellosis and tuberculosis from domestic cattle to the bison population and back is of concern for supporters of the initiative, producers, and the public.
On the other side of the barbed wire fence is the fact that the bison were historically a part of the ecosystem in Banff National Park and according to park policy things are to be as close to natural state as possible. Bison are also good for churning up the ground after a prescribed burn. The reintroduction of bison to the park would be a large tourist attraction generating more revenue for Banff and surrounding area as well as Alberta as a whole. An increase in herd numbers could in the future potentially allow for a hunting season on bison.
I'm still undecided for sure on the issue. Change is always difficult, and this change could go terribly wrong. Sure it would be neat to see bison roaming wild like they historically did, but is the danger it poses to the public, the ecosystem, and the surrounding agriculture producers worth it? What's your take on the situation?
Source Cited: http://www.bisonbelong.ca/en/
Source Cited: http://www.bisonbelong.ca/en/
