** 286 Pages - Softcover - Printed in Full Color ** YELLOWSTONE BISON (Illustrated) Conserving an American Icon in Modern Society This Illustrated Edition of "Yellowstone Bison" includes: The complete story of the Bison by the National Park Service (NPS) - Significant additional illustrations / images from the NPS archives - Comments and insights by Charlie Hicks Bison are a wildlife icon in America, and Yellowstone bison represent one of the greatest wildlife conservation stories in our nation’s history. If you, like me, are fascinated with the Bison and the amazing wonders Yellowstone National Park, then you will love this book! Yellowstone bison are noteworthy in modern times because, unlike most other conservation herds, this population has thousands of individuals that roam relatively freely over an expansive landscape. The authors of "Yellowstone Bison" provide a compelling history of the conservation of bison from the early 1900s to the management of bison in modern society. This book is based on the best available science, understanding the importance of bison in the American Indian culture, understanding brucellosis and the role bison play in the ecology of the Greater Yellowstone Area, and an understanding of the stakeholders and local community issues. The iconic bison deserves our best efforts to assure its place on the American landscape. I am grateful to the authors for clearly articulating the issues we face as we collectively determine the future of these animals. The authors have given us a chance to advance our discussions based on a common understanding of the science, culture, and politics surrounding bison. Though Bison were nearly eradicated across the Great Plains by the late 1800s, there were at least hundreds and perhaps thousands of bison in the Greater Yellowstone Area during the 1870s and 1880s. Around the time the park was established in 1872, an observer noted the lower Gardiner basin near the northern boundary “would be covered with bison”. Also, Superintendent Philetus Norris reported in 1880 approximately 200 bison spent the summer near Crevice, Hellroaring, and Slough creeks and winter in the Lamar Valley in northern Yellowstone. A second herd of about 100 bison spent summer in the high-elevation country between the Lamar Valley and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River and winter in either the Pelican Valley or the Lamar Valley. A third herd of about 300 bison spent summer on the Madison Plateau in west-central Yellowstone and winter outside the park to the west. Yellowstone National Park was established, in part, to protect against the wanton destruction of fish and game found within the park. A detachment of the First U.S. Cavalry was sent to the park in 1886, but poachers continued to kill bison and other wildlife because few remained elsewhere. It was not until Congress passed the Lacey Act in 1894 that soldiers had the authority to prosecute individuals for killing or transporting wildlife from the park. By then, bison in and adjacent to the northern region of Yellowstone had been extirpated, and only about 23 bison were left in the Pelican Valley of central Yellowstone by 1901 . This remnant, indigenous herd was the largest remaining wild population of plains bison south of Canada and was completely isolated from other populations. You will be very pleased by this complete work about the Yellowstone Bison , with the depth of book, and the love for the Bison in the Yellowstone Ecosystem. We strongly suggest you click that "Add to Cart" button now and get your copy!