Jocelyn Leroux
Bison have spent a lot of time in the news lately and are particularly top of mind for many Montanans. Much of this attention is due to the manufactured controversy escalated by several state entities, including Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Governor Gianforte, Attorney General Knudsen, and now various Stockgrowers and Cattlemen’s associations.
These groups have taken it upon themselves to publicly drag the Bureau of Land Management through the mud regarding their approval of a change of use application that would allow American Prairie to graze bison and/or cattle on several of their northeastern Montana grazing allotments.
The wholesale attack on the federal agency comes from a longstanding opposition to bison by the Montana Department of Livestock, which is afraid of losing grass (and perhaps political influence) to our national mammal. This sentiment has worked its way into leadership at other Montana agencies despite previous openness to wild bison reintroduction.
The vigor with which FWP is attacking the Bureau’s decision to approve bison on public lands is a great example of the whiplash experienced within the agency since the election of Governor Gianforte in 2020. FWP was once known as a one of the premiere state wildlife agencies in the country. But recently, rigorous science has taken a backseat to anti-environmental politics, and bison are just another casualty.
Between 2011 and 2020 FWP...
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