The Montana governor and state lawmakers penned a letter to Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, raising concern with American Prairie’s livestock grazing permits for their bison herd.
Under the Biden administration, the group’s request was granted to change livestock grazing permits into permits to graze their conservation bison herd. The state of Montana, grazing districts and livestock industry groups appealed the decision, which has been working its way through administrative hearings since 2022, the officials said.
“For us, a decision in favor of (American Prairie) will re-shape the entire landscape of our state,” the letter said. American Prairie’s goal of creating one of the largest wildlife refuges in the continental U.S. could remove lands from production agriculture and undermine the heritage of small, agriculture-focused communities, the officials said. “Once the damage is done, and these generational farms and ranches are gone, they cannot be brought back,” the letter said.
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