A federal judge has stalled efforts by the Trump administration to remove hundreds of bison from federal public lands in Montana.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) withdrew permits that allowed American Prairie, a conservation organization, to graze bison on federal lands. In a sudden reversal of its long-standing policy, the agency argued that the animals counted as wildlife rather than “production-oriented” livestock. In addition to retracting existing permits, the BLM issued new grazing regulations that could prevent future permits for grazing bison on public land.
American Prairie, which has worked for over two decades to restore bison to public and private lands in Montana, filed a lawsuit in August challenging the BLM’s cancellation of its bison grazing permits. In a win for the organization, U.S. District Judge Brian Morris issued a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order, describing the BLM’s decision to exclude American Prairie’s bison from federal grazing permits as “arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion and otherwise not in accordance with the law.”
The federal judge’s order is restricted to the three federal grazing allotments where American Prairie’s bison currently graze. The ruling also leaves the BLM’s new grazing regulations unchanged regarding future permits for bison grazing while American Prairie’s full lawsuit is heard.
