Ted Turner's offer to house 74 bison from Yellowstone National Park for five years is under criticism from activists, who say the billionaire is profiting unfairly from the proposal by keeping offspring from the herd.

Activists, Indian tribal leaders and some federal officials say the deal, brokered by Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, wrongly commercializes Yellowstone National Park bison. The better solution is to place the bison on tribal land or another place where conservation, not commercialization, is the goal. And the conservationists have the law on their side: the enabling 2006 legislation clearly states "the bison will remain wild and noncommercial." Montana officials say that clause should be ignored in the face of need for immediate action, but officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture -- the folks managing the quarantine -- say there's no rush. Eighty more bison are slated to enter quarantine by the end of March.

The issue should come to a head after Jan. 12, when public comment on the plan ends and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Director Joe Maurie is expected to decide where the bison end up.

The bison have been quarantined since 2006, under fears they could spread brucellosis to grazing cattle outside the Yellowstone National Park boundaries. Brucellosis is a disease that cause pregnant cattle to spontaneously abort their offspring. There's never been a documented case of cattle receiving brucellosis from a bison; the more likely brucellosis carriers are elk.

RELATED STORIES: Quarantined Yellowstone Bison Still Homeless; Groups Ask Court to Eliminate Yellowstone Bison Slaughters; Experts: Hazing, Not Slaughter, Should Be Centerpiece of Yellowstone Bison Strategy; Bison Update: Lone Bull Killed, While Quarantined Herd Draws Interest; Buffalo hazing back -- but was it necessary?; Govs slam federal brucellosis plan; Yellowstone bison in the crosshairs; New bison-management plan fails to impress

Keep up with what's happening in Yellowstone by signing up for the free weekly Yellowstone Insider newsletter. Subscribe today! More details here.

Follow Yellowstone Insider on Facebook! Click this link to go to our Facebook page, which features story updates.

We've also set up a free Twitter account so you can receive updates on the device of your choice.