State and federal officials are seeking public input as they look to improve and expand bison habitat near the Interior community of Delta Junction.
A few hundred plains bison live on the Delta Junction Bison Range, descendents of transplants brought from Montana in 1928.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game allows people to hunt them, unlike Wood bison, which are native to Alaska and are federally protected.
State lawmakers established the Delta Junction Bison Range about 50 years ago to sustain the populations, but also to reduce damage to local crops from roving bison.
State and federal wildlife managers are looking to take a few actions to improve the range, like clearing about a thousand acres of forest within the range to create new fields for the bison to graze. The plan also includes maintenance for that expanded area, which could include things like tilling, planting, implementing prescribed burns and using herbicides on the land. They’re also considering drilling new wells to provide water for the bison.
Wildlife managers have invited residents to share their thoughts and observations to help shape the environmental review. The deadline to submit comments is July 15. More information is available on the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s website.