Is harassment leading these noble creatures to extinction, or is responsible management necessary for further conservation success? Conservation of wild Yellowstone bison in modern society is a polarizing subject. Regardless of your perspective, adequate scientific data exists to inform current decision processes. Learn how the science of bison ecology is used and abused by both sides of this high profile debate. Rick Wallen is recently retired from the National Park Service where he spent the final 17 years of his career at Yellowstone National Park as the team leader for the Bison Ecology and Management Program. Rick spent his time at Yellowstone developing new and better information about bison demographics, movement patterns of the population, genetic diversity characteristics, grassland bison interactions and influence of brucellosis infection in wild bison.