Governor drops bison plan, says he's protecting ranchers

FILE - In an April 24, 2012, file photo, a herd of bison stand in a pen on the Fort Peck Reservation near Poplar, Mont. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte has ended a bison management plan that would have allowed the wide-ranging animals to be restored in more areas of the state. The Republican announced Tuesday, April 20, 2021, that the state had settled a lawsuit brought the year before against the administration of his Democratic predecessor over adoption of the bison plan. Gianforte said he was acting to protect ranchers and farmers. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)