Montana’s new bison rewilding paradigm

The prairie grasslands of central Montana have been the focal point of wild bison restoration attempts for many years. So far, past bison rewilding efforts have met with little success in our region, notwithstanding the American Prairie Reserve’s attempt to raise bison as domestic livestock for release one day as a wildlife species.   

While American Prairie Reserve’s plan for creating a multimillion acre wild bison reserve remains palpable, it seems their effort is now being augmented by a new bison rewilding paradigm developed last year by Department of the Interior.  

On March 23, 2023, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland issued Secretarial Order 3410 titled: Restoration of American Bison and the Prairie Grasslands. The order provides for restoring bison on tribal lands throughout the west and centers on Haaland’s precept that “restoring bison and healthy grasslands can serve as a step toward national healing and reconciliation after centuries of federal policies designed to erase Native people and their culture.” 

Haaland’s playbook calls for the translocation of bison from various places to Indian reservations throughout the west. While establishing bison herds on tribal lands seems inoffensive at first glance, one could argue that this tactic is part of a backdoor plan to phase in bison on native grasslands in Montana.  

For example, the Blackfeet announced several years ago that they intend to release some of their bison onto adjacent national forest lands. A former superintendent of Glacier National Park stated that he would welcome bison that stray into the park from the Blackfeet Reservation.  

Over time, there will be escaped bison from tribal lands that are left to wander because they are tough to round up and hard to retrieve. Add planned bison releases by some Montana tribes to the mix and a bison rewilding paradigm becomes reality.   

But there’s more. Haaland indicates that Interior’s bison rewilding plan will not be limited to tribal lands and has directed her Bison Working Group to: “Actively pursue bison restoration on both Federal and Tribal lands; support partner restoration efforts (e.g. APR); and, pursue opportunities with other federal agencies for bison restoration on lands they manage.”  

Going forward, the tea leaves seem to read that the CMR National Wildlife Refuge (CMR) will soon be revising its wildlife management plan to provide for free ranging bison on the refuge. 

Bison on the CMR would be managed unfenced the same as any other wildlife species. Natural barriers, no tolerance zones and perhaps a few drift fences will be the only management tools used to control bison.  Because American Prairie Reserve owns thousands of acres of private land around the CMR, bison that stray off the refuge would be welcomed on American Prairie Reserve’s private holdings and allowed to proliferate as a wildlife species. And, let’s not forget that American Prairie Reserve has also purchased land that butts up to the Fort Belknap Reservation.  

Haaland portrays her bison rewilding initiative as a win-win for everyone and states that: “The best science shows that returning bison to grasslands can enhance soil development, restore native plants and wildlife, and promote carbon sequestration, thereby providing benefits for agriculture, outdoor recreation, and Tribes.”  

Ready or not, it won’t be long before meta populations of free ranging bison will be scattered throughout Montana. They will leak in from tribal lands and from other federally managed lands like monuments, refuges and parks. 

It’s a new bison rewilding paradigm for Montana.  

Ron Poertner lives in Winifred.