To Save the Wild Bison: Life on the Edge in Yellowstone

by Mary Ann Franke

Although the American bison was saved from near-extinction in the nineteenth century, today almost all herds are managed like livestock. The Yellowstone area is the only place in the United States where wild bison have been present since before the first Euro-Americans arrived. But these bison pose risks to property and people when they roam outside the park, including the possibility that they can spread the abortion-inducing disease brucellosis to cattle. Yet measures to constrain the population threaten their status as wild animals. Mary Ann Franke’s To Save the Wild Bison is the first book to examine the ecological and political aspects of the bison controversy and how it reflects changing attitudes toward wildlife. The debate has evoked strong emotions from all sides, including park officials, environmentalists, livestock growers, and American Indians. In describing political compromises among competing positions, Franke does not so much champion a cause as critique the process by which federal and state officials have made and carried out bison management policies. She shows that science, however valuable a tool, cannot by itself resolve what is ultimately a choice among conflicting values.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Conservation, History

350 pages, Hardcover

First published August 30, 2005

Reviews

[Julie H. Ernstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was intrigued after meeting a representative of the Buffalo Field Campaign while at Yellowstone last summer, and picked this book up shortly after my return home. It is an amazingly even-handed look at a complex flashbutton issue. I must say that Mary Ann Franke does a superb job of presenting a lot of information in quite digestible chunks, that she breaks the debates down into comprehensible bits and is especially gifted at establishing the interrelations between the discrete threads. Anyone interested in the history of our national parks, the environmental movement, wildlife management, cultural and/or natural resources and, of course, wilderness will benefit from reading To Save the Wild Bison: Life onthe Edge in Yellowstone. While not a super fast read, it is well worth the investment in time.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lamenting the fact that wild bison do not garner the attention and support held for wild species such as elk or even wolves, Mary Ann Frank traces the history of the Yellowstone National Park herd, the only wild bison descended from pre-European immigration days. Bison are revered by Indians and viewed by many life scientists as a restorer of biodiversity. However they have also been persecuted as harborers of disease, and today still face an uncertain future - - teetering between life in the wild and confinement to domesticated herds. (lj)

[Nancy Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-researched study of bison in Yellowstone - from their history in what is now the park, to historical figures' attitudes toward the bison, to current controversies and possible future solutions, this book challenges several bison myths, including why we killed them off in the first place (and who 'we' were); our reasons for bringing them back from the brink; and our current motivations and goals in bison management.

[Mikel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ms. Franke does a very thorough job, the focus is tight enough to give an in depth view of topic. There are parts of the book that may be a little too in depth for some readers. The chapters about the various groups negotiating over how to deal with brucellosis in the bison population feel long and drawn out.

There are many important details in the book but unless you have a particular interest in the topic it may be a little too academic.

[Clair McKenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the history in this book as a bison admirer and national park lover. It was a pretty technical read but very cool to learn the history of the preservation of bison over the last century and a half.

[Kira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mary Ann Franke worked very hard trying to make the political battle over bison management and brucellosis infection rates interesting. It still isn't nearly as interesting a topic as the animals themselves, but it's important and I enjoyed bits and pieces.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Important historical and political review of the management of the Yellowstone bison herd.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of good detail on the bison situation in Yellowstone, covering the 1800s through current day.