Badlands National Park bison plan questioned

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — A proposal to expand bison grazing in Badlands National Park in southwestern South Dakota is being questioned by some neighboring cattle ranchers who fear it could harm their operations.

The park’s bison herd, which has been confined to a 100-square-mile area for the past 50 years, has grown to about 1,000 animals, according to National Park Service wildlife biologist Eddie Childers. The park wants to expand grazing to other areas in the national park that spreads out over nearly 400 square miles.