Bison fans aim to seed West with new herds

On a recent day, state and federal veterinarians herded 40 bison through a cattle chute on the compound. Wild-eyed, the animals smashed against the chute's steel bars. They twisted and bucked until a veterinarian locked down a head brace to still their movements.

More veterinarians moved in, to draw blood and take skin samples.

Most of the 400-pound bison showed no sign of disease and were set loose. Six animals that tested positive for brucellosis were loaded onto a trailer bound for a nearby slaughter plant.

Three years into the project, the first batch of about 40 bison adults and calves are slated to be shipped out this winter. Once on the reservations, tribal leaders will take over management of the animals, which must be fenced off from livestock and other wildlife. After five years of additional brucellosis testing, the tribes can set loose those animals testing negative.

New homes on reservations?
Tribes interested in the herds have been following the program closely. Ervin Carlson, a member of the Blackfeet tribe and president of the InterTribal Bison Cooperative, said he expected several tribes to submit proposals to take animals from the quarantined Yellowstone bison.

"Buffalo have always been a part of us, for our culture and a lot of our spirituality," Carlson said. "I'd like to see them just like other wildlife. They'd be able to roam free just as other wildlife are able to do."

At least three states also have expressed interest in bison, according to Keith Aune with the American Bison Society, who has been serving as a liaison between agencies involved in the quarantine project and parties interested in bison.

Once the bison are placed, the bison will be designated as wildlife and fall under state regulation. If one migrates off the reservation, it will still be considered wildlife and can be hunted only under state regulations. The tribes will be encouraged to manage bison numbers through hunting.

A group of scientists hope the Corwin Springs project is just the beginning of a new chapter for bison restoration in North America. This spring, in a paper published in the journal Conservation Biology, 28 scientists and bison advocates argued the small, isolated herds now dotting the West could grow over the next century to occupy vast swaths of North America, including sites in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico.

Kent Redford with the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York said the group wants to "broaden the scope" of bison conservation and move past the troubles at Yellowstone, where more than 1,600 bison were killed last winter by government wildlife agents and hunters after the animals migrated outside the park.

"There's no reason you couldn't have many more bison across a much broader area than is currently available," Redford said. "We've got Alaska to Mexico to talk about."

More from msnbc.com Racist webcam? TheGrio's test says no View an interactive, HD panorama of N.Y.'s 30 Rock Kim Peek, a man who inspired more than ‘Rain Man’ Scoop: No Tiger cub on way for Rachel Uchitel Cosmic Log: Decades of future science Answer Desk: Gold may be riskier than it seems Send your holiday pictures to troops

MORE FROM ENVIRONMENT

Environment Section Front

Lasers, acid used in whaling clashes Farm town wants answers on birth defects U.S. expands efforts to regulate meds in water Acidic oceans: Warming's 'evil twin' Last of rare rhinos moved in bid to breed China blasts claim it 'hijacked' climate talks South Pole trekkers deal with temp swings Nostalgia burns bright for old Christmas lights EarthTalk Q&A: green business, salmon runs Once climate central, EU now on outside looking in Environment Section Front   Add Environment headlines to your news reader: