A major fight over the future of America’s bison is unfolding in Montana. The Interior Department is moving to cancel long-standing bison grazing leases on federal land, a shift driven by pressure from cattle ranchers and Republican leaders who argue that buffalo aren’t being raised for what they call “production-oriented purposes.”
If finalized this spring, the decision would force more than 950 bison off Bureau of Land Management acreage where they’ve grazed for nearly two decades. Those lands would instead be opened to cattle, which benefit from deeply discounted federal grazing fees.
The proposal has triggered nationwide backlash, especially from tribal nations. The Coalition of Large Tribes—managing about 25,000 buffalo—warns the ruling could block tribal herds from accessing affordable federal grazing land. One tribal leader called the move “DEI for cows.”
Environmental groups and private bison ranchers say the Interior Department is stretching federal grazing laws and ignoring decades of precedent treating bison as livestock. But supporters, including Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, say the change reins in federal overreach and protects the state’s cattle industry.
American Prairie, the conservation group at the center of the dispute, says it may be forced to sharply reduce its herd if the ban takes effect.
A final decision is expected later this spring.
