Buffalo

On Wednesday, the first day of spring, we began a new chapter in bison restoration by celebrating an incredible victory for wildlife conservation with the tribal leaders of Fort Peck and Fort Belknap reservations, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, and state and federal officials. Watching the bison come storming off the stock trailers Monday night was a historic moment for wildlife conservation that I will never forget. But the heartfelt speeches and tribal ceremony I witnessed Wednesday were...Read Full Story

The last light was fading fast from the sky when the first three trailers arrived. Gale force winds were ripping through the high plains, and the thermometer had dropped well below  freezing. Still, I was incredibly excited and gratified to be part of the small gathering with Fort Peck tribal members  to witness a historic homecoming and tremendous win for wildlife. It was so worth it to spend  almost the entire day yesterday traveling from Washington, D.C. to eastern Montana, for the return...Read Full Story

(This blog post originally appeared on High Country News) Bison live to wander, but bison with the audacity to wander beyond the invisible northern boundary of Yellowstone National Park have long been chased back into the park, sent to the slaughterhouse or simply killed outright. Recently, Montana has been trying some new approaches, and this is a very good thing for North America’s only wild bovine. The first change occurred last spring, when Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer effectively halted...Read Full Story

Bison gather near the road at the archway marking the entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Montana poised to approve the return of 68 bison to tribal lands We’re almost there! This Friday the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission will decide what to do with some of the last genetically pure bison left in America: keep them locked in a quarantine facility or relocate them to start new wild herds on the Fort Belknap and Fort Peck Indian Reservations. As part of a government experiment...Read Full Story

Andrew Catalina | BDN Buy Photo BILLINGS, Mont. — The federal government is considering moving dozens of bison captured outside Yellowstone National Park to federal lands in South Dakota, Colorado and elsewhere, according to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, Salazar told Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer that federal officials are looking at all options for moving Yellowstone bison onto federally managed lands. That includes Badlands National Park on...Read Full Story

BILLINGS, Mont. – Billionaire Ted Turner is getting 88 Yellowstone National Park bison from a faltering Montana program that was supposed to put the disease-free animals on public or tribal lands. The animals were spared several years ago from a periodic slaughter of bison leaving Yellowstone because of worries about animal disease. They are now in a joint federal-state quarantine compound in southern Montana's Paradise Valley but could be moved to Turner's ranch within weeks, state officials...Read Full Story

Read about the Yellowstone bison, slaughter issues, and brucellosis concerns of the cattlemen: Indian, enviro groups sue Feds to stop Yellowstone bison slaughter. Photo: David Grubbs/Billings Gazette Related articles New hope for new lands - Cowboys & Indians Related… (cowgirlcravings.com) 500px / “Jacksonville Texas Rodeo” by Jaime R…. (cowgirlcravings.com) Hang on! 500px / Photo “Cutting Horse Block” by… (cowgirlcravings.com) PENDLETON ROUND-UP Lots of great photos on their...Read Full Story

A bison overlooks a snow-covered valley in Yellowstone. (Photo courtesy of Wesley Parks) The long, harsh winter is finally starting to break around Yellowstone, and that means the Yellowstone bison that migrated out of the park in search of food are finally being set free. This past week, park managers began releasing small groups of some 700 bison that were held for the last few months at the Stephens Creek Capture Facility near the park boundary. According the Billings Gazette, the first 28...Read Full Story

SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - Wildlife advocates are protesting a government plan to kill an undetermined number of bison from Yellowstone National Park after scientists conduct a birth-control experiment on the animals with an EPA-registered pesticide.Government officials say the seven-year study by a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture seeks to lessen the prevalence of brucellosis, a disease that can cause domestic cows to abort, within the nation's last wild herd of pure-bred buffalo...Read Full Story

Ted Turner's bid to get 74 wild bison from Yellowstone National Park is drawing stiff opposition from those who say the animals are being given up for private profit instead of conservation.Turner has offered to take the animals at the request of Montana's Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer.The media mogul would keep the bison five years and then return them to the state. As compensation, Turner would keep 90 percent of the animals' offspring, meaning he would gain an estimated 190 bison from a...Read Full Story