Liard River Valley
The success of the transplant of the Mackenzie bison population encouraged an attempt to establish another free ranging wood bison herd in the Northwest Territories. In June 1980, 28 wood bison were moved from Elk Island National Park to the Liard River Valley, an area southeast of Nahanni National Park. An additional 12 bison were transplanted in March 1989 and another 59 animals were released north of Fort Liard in March of 1998. Herd size was most recently surveyed in July 2003 when 154 bison were counted during a composition survey. It is estimated that the herd may number around 200 animals. The status of this herd is being monitored on an ongoing basis. These bison are considered to be healthy and free of bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis.
Bison are found throughout the Liard River Valley in the NWT and have expanded their range into British Columbia and the Yukon.
Economic Use
A quota was first implemented for the Liard River herd in 1998. The quota was set at 2 animals, 1 each for the communities of Fort Liard and Nahanni Butte, however, no tags were utilized until the 2002/03 season.
Management
Keeping the Liard River Valley bison herd free from disease is an important management concern. A Bison Control Area serves as a buffer zone between the Liard River Valley and the infected herds in Wood Buffalo National Park.
Suitable habitat for bison is extremely limited in the Liard River Valley. There are, at present, no plans to enhance bison habitat in this area through prescribed burning. The lower Liard Valley contains 15 to 30 % of the merchantable timber in the NWT and any prescribed burning in this area could result in serious losses to this valuable resource. However, some clear-cut areas have been seeded with grasses to provide bison forage.
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