The lethal removal of a dozen bison in Grand Canyon National Park is being opposed by the elected leaders of Colorado. Many have urged to relocate the bison instead of killing them.
"Our American Bison are a majestic and iconic species of wildlife. It is rare for the lethal removal of Bison to be allowed on National Park Service land which is owned by all Americans," Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement. "This decision should be reversed, and we would welcome these 12 bison to live and roam free at the Southern Plains Land Trust in Bent County. I urge Interior and the National Park Service to consider this practical Colorado solution."
U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) also opposes the of killing the bison and wrote a letter to the Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland Sept. 17 urging her to develop an alternative solution for the bison.
"We appreciate the need for population control methods in the park but have concerns about the emphasis on lethal removal methods in the Bison Herd Reduction Environmental Assessment," Neguse wrote.
Southern Plains Land Trust is a Southern Colorado organization that stepped in to help. They offered to relocate the herd of bison to Lamar, Colorado, in a wildlife sanctuary.
"I don't see why the hunt should move forward when there's a better alternative for giving these animals sanctuary. We reached out but they did not respond. The Park Service never responded to our offer. We simply were offering a solution. They don't want the bison and we do," said Nicole Rosmarino, executive director of the Southern Plains Land Trust.
The National Park Service and the Arizona Game and Fish Department sought "skilled volunteers" in May to help remove bison from the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park this fall. Twenty-five people were selected to participate in one of four lethal removal operations scheduled for Sept 20 - 24, Sept. 27 - Oct. 1, Oct. 18 - 22 and Oct. 25 - 29.
The Park Service wants to reduce the number of bison from 600 to 200, according to a Fox 21 News report. Hunting begins in September.
