Achievement

We extended our training program to allow groups of Trainees to develop and pursue an interdisciplinary research project. The bison herd at Badlands National Park persists as a healthy, viable population exclusively through human management. As the park service culls the population, the researchers collect a multitude of data. This dataset has never been statistically analyzed or mathematically modeled. We intend to estimate biologically relevant parameters such as mortality and fecundity rates and use these parameters in a population model. This model will allow us to test different management scenarios and make recommendations about the most efficient culling strategies. The team completed enough research to form the basis for two papers, which are being written now.