The wildlife that graze in northern Yellowstone Park is not damaging the range, according to a scientific study released Tuesday.
The National Academy of Sciences' report - "Ecological Dynamics on Yellowstone's Northern Range" - settles an 80-year-plus debate about that area of the park, Superintendent Suzanne Lewis says.
Since the park stopped killing elk in the 1960s, the herds have quadrupled from 5,000 to 20,000, the report states. It recommends more scientific study about management options, including the park's policy of natural regulation, in light of the pressures of human development outside Yellowstone's borders.
Praise for the report came from the Greater Yellowstone Coalition.
"The report lays out the challenge at hand: how to safeguard the bison, elk, pronghorn and wolves of Yellowstone's northern range in the face of increasing human pressure," GYC associate program director Hope Sieck said.
She notes the report's recommendations that "vision" and "goodwill" will be needed to ensure protection of America's largest elk herd, last remaining wild bison and wolves.
The report concludes with a note about the policy pressures.
"A future challenge for the (greater Yellowstone) area and other wildlands will be reconciling the laudable goals of preserving ecosystem processes with human interests and influences."
The report resulted from a Congressional order, made in response to the range controversy. It directed the Park Service to prepare the report in 1998.
The National Academy of Sciences reviewed all the science related to ungulate management and the grazers' effect on the range. The report can be read on the Internet at www.nps.gov/yell, or www. nationalacademies.org.
