GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) - Grand Canyon National Park says it's been overwhelmed by the amount of interest in a program to thin a herd of bison using volunteer shooters.
The National Park Service approved a plan last month to decrease the herd through roundups and by seeking volunteers who are physically fit and proficient with a gun to kill the animals.
Park officials say the roughly 600 bison in the region increasingly are damaging park resources.
Grand Canyon spokeswoman Kirby-Lynn Shedlowski says she initially received dozens of calls a day from people across the country wanting to volunteer. Callers now are directed to a recorded line and asked to check back periodically.
The park, state game officials and the Intertribal Buffalo Council are expected to meet this month to begin crafting program guidelines.
Initial Bison Herd Reduction at Grand Canyon National Park
https://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectID=49574