bison

Groups file to appeal federal government’s decision to terminate bison grazing leases on Bureau of Land Management parcels in Montana.

Jason Belcourt writes, "Buffalo restoration is not a threat to Montana. It is a gift. It is a chance to repair the land and honor the first peoples of this place. Montana can choose partnership. Or it can choose conflict."

The Bureau of Land Management issued a final decision late last week canceling a series of permits that allowed bison grazing on federal land by the nonprofit conservation organization American Prairie.

Thomas Baumeister writes, "If a private landowner can graze cattle on public land without risking permit loss, why should a neighbor who grazes bison be punished for doing the same thing."

Versions of the legislation have passed either the House of Representatives or the Senate, but not both, in recent years.

A symbol of the West and vital sustenance for Native Americans who lived on the western Plains, the bison was hunted to near extinction 100 years ago. Today, Colorado lawmakers passed protections for the few wild animals that wander into the state.

Stephany Seay writes, "Gianforte’s lawsuit doesn’t represent Montanans, but rather Montana livestock interests. The vast majority of Montanans want wild, migratory buffalo restored in our state."

Scott Christensen writes, "The reality is that Yellowstone and its bison are a significant part of what drives Montana’s tourism economy, not to mention the tremendous cultural and ecological value they hold for all Americans."

Stephany Seay writes, "Yellowstone National Park recently announced that they intend to remove — mostly kill — nearly 1,400 of the country’s last continuously wild, migratory buffalo."

The park will keep the bison population in a range of between 3,500 and 6,000 animals after calving, which will keep the population in line with the average of about 5,000 bison that has been largely maintained during the past 10 years.