Comment from Kellam, Marcia
Marcia KellamSupportIndividual
Summary: The commenter argues that the Yellowstone bison are facing severe threats from government slaughter, habitat destruction due to human land use, and climate change. They advocate for the listing by highlighting the loss of migration corridors and the need to protect the species' wild genome from livestock management.
• Government slaughter has decimated the genetically distinct Central herd and the number of bison in the subpopulation remains dangerously low.<br/><br/>• Human land use has destroyed more than 85% of Yellowstone bison’s range and habitat while the government prohibits and excludes the migratory species from millions of acres of National public trust lands in the bioregion.<br/><br/>• Human developments have destroyed all 14 long distance migration corridors for Yellowstone bison to escape catastrophic events, and an inhospitable environment created by the government. <br/><br/>• Livestock control and veterinary management threaten Yellowstone bison’s wild genome – forged by their ancestors over thousands of years in a wild environment.<br/><br/>• Yellowstone bison may not be able to adapt body size in time to match the rapid change in climate and rising temperatures forecast over the next century. <br/><br/>The U.S. Fish & Wildlife’s determination is based “solely upon the best scientific and commercial data available,” a broad term that includes publications, reports, traditional ecological knowledge, empirical evidence, ecological and biological science, books, peer-reviewed research, common sense observations, and questions.