Bison, Boundaries, and Brucellosis: Risk Perception and Political Ecology at Yellowstone

Abstract

A controversial management plan designed to reduce the risk of domestic cattle contracting the disease brucellosis calls for government officials to haze, capture, and kill wild bison that cross Yellowstone National Park's boundary with Montana. Perceptions of the brucellosis risk have been amplified by the actions of state and federal governmental institutions. These actions are shaped by the economic and political contexts in which these institutions operate. In the mid-1990s, when the conflict over bison management escalated, negotiations of agreements for the free trade of cattle placed substantial pressure on the state to maintain a federal designation of “brucellosis-free.” An analytic-deliberative approach to risk assessment might benefit bison management at Yellowstone. Because contemporary environmental issues frequently revolve around the management of risk, risk perception literature should be added to the “eclectic equipment” that comprises political ecology.