GREAT FALLS — A federal fight over American Prairie’s bison grazing permits is drawing more groups into the case, as conservation groups challenge the Bureau of Land Management’s decision while others are moving to defend it.
The case centers on seven public-land allotments in Phillips County. BLM rescinded American Prairie’s bison grazing authorizations earlier this year and gave the organization until Sept. 30 to remove bison from the affected allotments while the decision moves through the appeals process.
(WATCH: Bison grazing appeal draws conservation, ranching groups into federal land fight)
Western Watersheds Project is one of the groups challenging BLM’s decision. Now, the Montana Stockgrowers Association with the North and South Phillips County grazing districts are asking to intervene on BLM’s side.
Leslie Robinson, president of the Montana Stockgrowers Association, said the organization agrees with BLM’s decision to rescind the bison grazing permits.
“We intervened on the side of the BLM on their decision to rescind the bison grazing permits,” Robinson said.
Robinson explained ranchers have raised concerns for years over whether American Prairie’s bison fit the purpose of federal grazing law.
“For the past 20 years, ranchers have been saying the same thing as the reasoning that they used to rescind their decision, that the Taylor Grazing Act is for production agriculture and the bison that American Prairie have are considered conservation,” Robinson said.
Robinson said, in Stockgrowers’ view, the case comes down to what federal grazing allotments are meant to be used for.
“Production livestock grazing is raising a product for a food product,” Robinson said. “And a conservation herd is, that is not their intention.”
American Prairie pushed back on BLM’s decision in a statement to MTN.
“American Prairie has lawfully grazed bison on BLM lands for more than 20 years, complying with every rule, regulation, and permit requirement,” the statement said. “There have been no grazing violations, and the administrative record contains objective evidence showing that rangeland conditions have improved over the last two decades with bison on the landscape.”
In the same statement, American Prairie also said BLM lawfully issued the permits and recognized that bison are qualified to graze on federal lands under longstanding practice and law.
Western Watersheds Project sees the case as part of a larger question about how public lands can be used.
Erik Molvar, executive director of Western Watersheds Project, said the group’s appeal is still moving forward after BLM filed a motion to dismiss.
“We filed an opposition to their motion to dismiss, and now our appeal continues,” Molvar said.
Molvar said the broader issue is whether federal grazing permits can be used for native bison.
“At the center of the case is whether a landowner who has a grazing permit can use that grazing permit for native bison if he so chooses, or she so chooses,” Molvar said.
Molvar said the case matters to Western Watersheds because bison restoration is part of the group’s larger work to protect watersheds and wildlife across the West.
“Bison reintroduction is a major part of that restoration picture, because bison, particularly on the high plains, are a keystone species,” Molvar said.
He also argued public lands are not limited to livestock production.
“There’s no guarantee that public lands ought to be used for livestock production,” Molvar said. “Multiple uses can include livestock, but they can also include public recreation, they can include wildlife, they can include watersheds.”
Both sides say the outcome could reach beyond one herd in Phillips County.
Robinson said Stockgrowers want to see BLM’s decision upheld.
“We hope that they uphold their decision that they just made to rescind the grazing for bison on the BLM lands,” Robinson said.
Western Watersheds is asking for a stay, which would pause BLM’s decision while the appeal continues. Without a stay, American Prairie faces the Sept. 30 deadline to remove bison from the affected allotments.
