Brucellosis is a bacterial disease caused by Brucella abortus. Infections cause female ungulates to abort their calves and produce "undulant fever" in humans. Efforts to eliminate brucellosis in livestock began in 1934 and for a brief time in early 2008, cattle in all 50 states were considered free of the disease. Before the disease was controlled in livestock, however, it spread to bison and elk in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, the last place where brucellosis remains endemic in the United States. To address the challenges of managing wild ungulate populations that are potentially infected with brucellosis, the state of Montana has recently undergone a broad public input and structured-decision making process. Their working group has developed recommendations and is seeking public comment on those recommendations this month, reports the Wildlife Management Institute.

The presence of brucellosis in Yellowstone bison and elk has created conflict and controversy between livestock producers and wildlife advocates in the states surrounding Yellowstone National Park for decades. Re-infection of cattle with brucellosis has occurred in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming since 2008, resulting in increased operating costs and elevated surveillance for producers in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem.

Issues surrounding brucellosis and bison have captured much of the national media attention, but the prevalence of brucellosis in Yellowstone elk herds is much more problematic for wildlife managers. Bison numbers are relatively low, their movement patterns are well known, and they are not difficult to observe. Elk, conversely, are abundant, occur in dozens of different herds with lesser-known and more variable movement patterns and are more difficult to monitor than bison. The prevalence of brucellosis is increasing in many Greater Yellowstone elk herds and available evidence indicates that all recent cases of brucellosis transmission from wildlife to livestock have come from elk.

Brucellosis infection rates in elk are higher in Wyoming than in Idaho or Montana. Although reliance on winter feed grounds to sustain elk numbers in Wyoming may not be the sole reason for the elevated prevalence of brucellosis, the artificial concentration of elk on winter feed grounds facilitates disease transmission. Wyoming has invested millions of state general revenue dollars in the past decade exploring options to reduce the potential for transmission of brucellosis among elk at these feed grounds. Wildlife managers have modified how feed is distributed, tested vaccines, and completed a pilot "test and slaughter" program designed to reduce disease rates on the feed grounds. These efforts appear to have reduced prevalence to some degree in some herds. However, managing the disease in conjunction with use of winter feed grounds will remain costly and challenging for Wyoming. Additional information on Wyoming's disease management efforts is available on the Wyoming Game and Fish Department's website.

In Montana, with no history of winter feeding and without the significant allocation of state general revenue dedicated to brucellosis management in Wyoming, wildlife managers have both the opportunity and need to pursue less costly approaches. Over the past year, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP), along with the Montana Department of Livestock and affected interests undertook a comprehensive analysis of options for reducing the prevalence and impact of brucellosis in elk in the state.

Montana began with FWP appointing a well-rounded panel of hunters, livestock producers, veterinary and wildlife experts. Dr. Mike Mitchell, leader of the Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Montana led the group through a structured decision-making process that included defining the problem, identifying objectives to resolve the problem, developing management alternatives for meeting those objectives, identifying the consequences for each alternative, and evaluating the trade-offs among the alternatives. Over the course of six months, the working group developed and assessed guidelines for five different management alternatives, ranging from taking no specific actions to reduce the prevalence of brucellosis or risk of disease transmission to undertaking extreme management actions such as large scale "test and slaughter" or even depopulation of some elk herds.

The alternative that best aligned with the objectives and optimized trade-offs incorporated guidelines for additional steps to manage elk distribution. These steps include a combination of changes to hunting regulations, habitat management, reducing wolf numbers, fencing cattle feeding or other critical areas, and working with private landowners to prevent concentrations of elk on their property. This alternative also called for increased monitoring of elk distribution and movements of seropositive elk to inform management decisions. Rather than being prescriptive, however, the working group's report recommended that local forums like watershed groups or ad hoc committees of landowners and hunters be asked to tailor specific actions consistent with the guidelines that fit their local conditions.

The Montana FWP Commission tentatively endorsed the working group's findings and recommendations in early November and asked for broader public comment on this issue through December 20^th. Details about the process used, the recommendations of the working group, and the opportunity to comment on the recommendations can be found on the FWP website. FWP Wildlife Bureau Sections Coordinator Quentin Kujala said that the department and working group members are actively reaching out to interest groups to engage them in evaluating the recommendations. Kujala said it was rewarding to see the livestock producers on the working group taking the lead in explaining both the process and the outcome to their peers.

After taking public input into consideration, the commission will take final action on the working group's recommendations early in 2013. Given their general, yet comprehensive nature, the guidelines recommended by the working group will serve mainly to inform other processes, such as setting hunting regulations, developing habitat management plans, or staff work plans. Most importantly, the guidelines should help all parties engage in solutions-focused discussion, rather than the frequently confrontational discourse that has historically surrounded management of elk and brucellosis in Montana. (cs)