The Trump administration is working to evict hundreds of bison from federal grasslands in Montana.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has moved to revoke grazing permits held by the conservation nonprofit American Prairie, citing a 1934 law that categorizes bison as wildlife rather than eligible livestock.This push to remove the approximately 900 bison from 63,000 acres in Phillips County has sparked significant debate:The Administration & Ranchers: The Department of the Interior argues that these public grazing lands should be reserved for production-oriented purposes (i.e., cattle). Local ranchers, who depend on these allotments, have welcomed the move, asserting that bison compete with their livestock and carry diseases like brucellosis.Conservationists & Tribes: Environmental and Native American groups strongly oppose the eviction, arguing that it upends decades of conservation work and threatens efforts to restore the keystone species to the Great Plains.American Prairie has vowed to challenge the decision and appeal the evictions through the Interior Department’s Office of Hearings and Appeals
