{"id":17235,"date":"2026-09-13T11:59:35","date_gmt":"2026-09-13T11:59:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=17235"},"modified":"2026-09-13T11:59:35","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T11:59:35","slug":"judge-blocks-order-to-remove-900-bison-from-montana-public-lands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=17235","title":{"rendered":"Judge Blocks Order to Remove 900 Bison From Montana Public Lands"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"justify-start\">\n<nav class=\"align-left col-span-full mb-base\" data-pom-e2e-test-id=\"breadcrumbs\"\/>\n<p>The Bureau of Land Management claimed grazing permits apply only to \u201cproduction-oriented\u201d livestock. Judge Brian Morris ruled that conservation and rangeland health are equally valid uses of public land under federal law.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"border-border-light border-t py-base-tight\">\n<div class=\"flex h-4 justify-between\">\n<div class=\"flex gap-x-base-tight\">\n<div class=\"\"><button class=\"inline-flex shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full cursor-default bg-bg-surface hover:bg-bg-light focus:bg-bg-dark text-primary border border-solid border-border-light aria-pressed:bg-brand-primary aria-pressed:text-text-surface py-very-tight px-base-tight gap-tight font-semibold font-utility-2 opacity-50\" aria-label=\"Loading audio\" aria-pressed=\"false\" id=\"article-listen-button\" disabled=\"\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"18\" height=\"18\" viewbox=\"0 0 18 18\" fill=\"none\" class=\"\"><title>Listen to this article<\/title><path d=\"M12.5265 16.2C12.2326 16.2 12.0122 16.1265 11.7184 16.053C11.2775 15.9061 10.9102 15.6122 10.6898 15.2449C10.4694 14.8775 10.3959 14.4367 10.5428 13.9959L11.5714 10.3959C11.6449 10.1755 11.7184 9.95509 11.8653 9.80815C12.0122 9.66121 12.1592 9.51427 12.3796 9.36733C12.6 9.29386 12.8204 9.2204 13.0408 9.14693C13.2612 9.14693 13.4816 9.14693 13.702 9.2204H13.7755C14.2163 9.36733 14.5837 9.58774 14.951 9.95509C14.951 9.66121 14.951 9.29386 14.951 8.99999C14.951 7.38366 14.2898 5.8408 13.1877 4.73876C12.0122 3.56325 10.5428 2.9755 8.92652 2.9755C7.31019 2.9755 5.76733 3.63672 4.66529 4.73876C3.48978 5.8408 2.82856 7.38366 2.82856 8.99999C2.82856 9.29386 2.82856 9.66121 2.82856 9.95509C3.12244 9.66121 3.56325 9.36733 4.00407 9.2204H4.07754C4.29795 9.14693 4.51835 9.14693 4.73876 9.14693C4.95917 9.14693 5.17958 9.2204 5.39999 9.36733C5.6204 9.4408 5.76733 9.58774 5.91427 9.80815C6.06121 9.95509 6.13468 10.1755 6.20815 10.3959L7.23672 13.9959C7.38366 14.4367 7.31019 14.8775 7.08978 15.2449C6.86938 15.6122 6.50203 15.9061 6.13468 16.053C5.76733 16.2 5.39999 16.2 5.03264 16.2C4.66529 16.1265 4.29795 16.053 4.00407 15.9061C3.63672 15.6122 3.41631 15.3918 3.12244 15.0979C2.90203 14.8775 2.75509 14.5102 2.68162 14.1428L2.38774 13.0408L2.2408 12.6735C2.2408 12.6 2.16733 12.453 2.16733 12.3796C1.87346 11.2775 1.79999 10.1755 1.79999 8.99999C1.79999 7.08978 2.53468 5.25305 3.9306 3.9306C5.25305 2.60815 7.08978 1.79999 8.99999 1.79999C10.9102 1.79999 12.7469 2.53468 14.0694 3.9306C15.3918 5.25305 16.2 7.08978 16.2 8.99999C16.2 10.102 16.053 11.2775 15.8326 12.3796C15.8326 12.453 15.7592 12.6 15.7592 12.6735L15.6857 12.9673V13.0408L15.1714 14.1428C15.0979 14.5102 14.8775 14.8041 14.6571 15.0979C14.4367 15.3918 14.1428 15.6122 13.849 15.7592C13.5551 15.9061 13.1877 16.053 12.8204 16.053C12.7469 16.1265 12.6735 16.2 12.5265 16.2ZM3.71019 13.849C3.78366 14.0694 3.85713 14.2163 4.00407 14.4367C4.15101 14.6571 4.29795 14.7306 4.51835 14.8775C4.73876 14.951 4.8857 15.0245 5.10611 15.0979C5.32652 15.0979 5.54693 15.0979 5.76733 15.0245C5.98774 14.951 6.06121 14.8775 6.13468 14.7306C6.20815 14.5837 6.20815 14.4367 6.20815 14.2898L5.17958 10.6898C5.17958 10.6163 5.10611 10.5428 5.10611 10.4694C5.03264 10.4694 4.95917 10.3959 4.8857 10.3224C4.81223 10.3224 4.73876 10.249 4.66529 10.249C4.59182 10.249 4.51836 10.249 4.44489 10.249H4.37142C3.9306 10.3959 3.63672 10.6898 3.41631 11.0571C3.26938 11.351 3.19591 11.7184 3.26938 12.0857C3.34285 12.3061 3.34284 12.5265 3.41631 12.6735L3.71019 13.849ZM13.2612 10.3224C13.1877 10.3224 13.1877 10.3224 13.2612 10.3224C13.1143 10.3224 13.0408 10.3224 12.9673 10.3959C12.8939 10.4694 12.8204 10.4694 12.8204 10.4694C12.7469 10.5428 12.7469 10.6163 12.7469 10.6898L11.7184 14.2898C11.6449 14.4367 11.7184 14.5837 11.7918 14.7306C11.8653 14.8775 12.0122 14.951 12.0857 15.0245C12.3796 15.0979 12.5265 15.0979 12.7469 15.0979C12.9673 15.0979 13.1877 15.0245 13.3347 14.8775C13.5551 14.8041 13.702 14.6571 13.849 14.4367C13.9959 14.2898 14.0694 14.0694 14.1428 13.849L14.5102 12.6735C14.5837 12.5265 14.5837 12.3061 14.6571 12.1592C14.7306 11.7918 14.6571 11.4245 14.5102 11.1306C14.2898 10.7633 13.9959 10.4694 13.5551 10.3224H13.4816C13.3347 10.3224 13.2612 10.3224 13.2612 10.3224Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"hidden sm:inline\">Listen<\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/p>\n<p class=\"fp-leadCaption py-tight text-left font-utility text-utility3-size leading-utility3-line-height text-secondary\">Bison grazing on American Prairie<!-- --> (Photo: Courtesy American Prairie)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-body\">\n<p>Published September 13, 2026 05:46AM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Nearly 1,000 bison that faced removal from federal land in Montana will be able to continue grazing for now after a judge blocked a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) order seeking to kick the animals out.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit stems from a BLM order this May that sought to remove the bison from public portions of American Prairie. The nonprofit preserve covers more than 600,000 acres of private land and public grazing leases on Montana\u2019s shortgrass prairie, all of it open to the public, and features camping, wildlife-watching, and hiking.<\/p>\n<p>The BLM granted the permits for the animals to graze in 2005. Its new order is rooted in a reinterpretation of the Taylor Grazing Act, which allows the department to issue livestock permits for public grazing. The rewrite seeks to reclassify livestock as \u201cproduction-oriented.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris objected.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo statutory language or judicial precedent exists that requires a livestock operation to focus exclusively on production and entirely ignore conservation, range improvement, preservation, or other values,\u201d he <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/acrobat.adobe.com\/id\/urn:aaid:sc:va6c2:256aea1b-2620-477a-8540-f76183622aa1\">stated in the decision<\/a>. \u201cCongress recognized livestock grazing and livestock management often includes and considers preservation, improvement, and thoughtful development, hand-in-hand with other uses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The bison will now remain on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_self\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.backpacker.com\/trips\/trips-by-state\/montana-trails\/land-snorkeling-american-prairie\/\">American Prairie\u2019s<\/a> leases while the lawsuit proceeds. The decision will delay the BLM\u2019s original removal order, scheduled for September 30. If that order had taken effect, the preserve would have needed to either cull or remove hundreds of bison from the land, as Beth Saboe, American Prairie\u2019s director of public relations, told <i>Backpacker <\/i>in May 2026 shortly after the BLM announced the changes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWorst-case scenario, we potentially would have to get rid of hundreds of animals. We don\u2019t want to see that happen,\u201d Saboe said at the time, adding that the organization planned to appeal any adverse final decision.<\/p>\n<p>Besides incurring major costs to American Prairie, Saboe said removing the bison from the public range would have stripped a restorative species of its native habitat. The uncertainty around the herd also led American Prairie to cancel its public bison harvest for 2026.<\/p>\n<p>While the permit revocation had support from the Montana Stockgrowers Association and many local ranchers, American Prairie\u2019s tribal partners pushed back. In a January 2026 letter to the Secretary of the Interior, J. Garret Renville, chairman of the Coalition of Large Tribes and Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation, wrote that American Prairie had provided animals to and worked with a number of tribes attempting to grow their own herds, and that the organization\u2019s methods of raising bison were \u201clargely indistinguishable from the practices and techniques employed by tribal herd managers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In his ruling, Morris wrote that he \u201cstruggle[d] to see\u201d how the BLM\u2019s choice to impose the new regulation while ignoring American Prairie\u2019s evidence could be consistent with the law.<\/p>\n<p>With its redefinition, the BLM sought to limit grazing to animals \u201cused as part of an operation to provide output for various purposes, such as meat, milk, fiber, or other products and any animals when they are being used to assist with management of other animals in connection with such operations (e.g. horses that are used to assist with cattle management).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The BLM itself <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.outdoorlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/blm_2022_final_decision_american_prairie_bison.pdf\">concluded in 2022<\/a> that bison grazing would improve rangeland productivity and riparian health on the same lands it now seeks to remove the animals from.<\/p>\n<p>If American Prairie ultimately loses the right to graze bison on its leases, it could choose to replace them with cattle. There\u2019s evidence that could compromise the land: Cattle herds often heavily graze one small area before moving on. Bison, on the other hand, tend to graze more gradually while constantly moving over the landscape, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/ielc.libguides.com\/sdzg\/factsheets\/americanbison\/behavior\">covering up to 2-3 miles per day<\/a>. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/doi\/10.1073\/pnas.2213632119\">Studies have shown<\/a> this can increase biodiversity and even drought tolerance on native grasslands.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese are the ungulates that evolved with the prairie landscape,\u201d Saboe said in May. \u201cThey\u2019re one of the main keystone species here, and that\u2019s because of how their presence on the landscape improves the rangeland.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The court\u2019s preliminary injunction covers the three federal allotments where American Prairie bison are currently grazing. It did not grant the organization\u2019s request to protect three other tracts where bison do not already graze.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBison belong on this landscape, and today\u2019s ruling gives them a chance to stay,\u201d said Alison Fox, CEO of American Prairie. \u201cFor more than 20 years, our bison have grazed these lands under federal authorization and without grazing violations. The court recognized the concrete harm that removing them would cause, not just to our work, but to our Tribal partners and the broader effort to return bison to their native home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><span hidden=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/outdoor-adventure\/environment\/judge-order-montana-bison-american-prairie\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Bureau of Land Management claimed grazing permits apply only to \u201cproduction-oriented\u201d livestock. Judge Brian Morris ruled that conservation and rangeland health are equally valid uses of public land under federal law. Listen to this articleListen Bison grazing on American Prairie (Photo: Courtesy American Prairie) Published September 13, 2026 05:46AM Nearly 1,000 bison that faced<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17236,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wild-living"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17235","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17235"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17235\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17236"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}