Bison Belong Here
Bison hold the prairie together—you can help keep them here.
On May 8th, we learned that the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has officially decided to revoke our bison grazing permits.
About the BLM’s Decision
The BLM has officially decided to revoke our bison grazing permits. Meaning that as of September 30, 2026, we will no longer be allowed to graze bison on federal public land—something we’ve done, with the BLM’s permission, since 2005.
Why did they decide to cancel your permits?
The BLM has decided to revoke our permits because they claim that the Taylor Grazing Act does not give them the authority to issue grazing permits unless the herd is managed for “production-oriented purposes.” The BLM has said our herd does not meet that “production-oriented” standard.
However, “production-oriented purposes” is not a term that is defined anywhere in the Taylor Grazing Act or the BLM’s own regulations, and to the best of our knowledge this interpretation has not been previously applied to any other livestock manager on public lands.
What happens next?
American Prairie has officially filed an appeal of the BLM’s decision to revoke our bison grazing permits, along with a request to pause the September 30, 2026 deadline requiring our bison to be removed from federal public lands. We are also pleased to see that Western Watersheds Project and Defenders of Wildlife have independently filed their own appeals of this ruling. That others are taking issue with this decision on their own terms speaks to the breadth of concern it has raised — and we welcome every voice that stands against it.
This is Bigger than American Prairie
The BLM’s decision to revoke our bison grazing permits is only one in a series of actions by state and federal officials that threaten not only our ability to graze bison, but the future of bison on public lands across the U.S.
What first appeared to be an isolated challenge to our bison grazing permits is now clearly part of a broader, coordinated effort to redefine how your public lands are managed.
April 20, 2026: The Montana State Land Board voted to begin rulemaking that would give preferential treatment on state trust lands to “production-oriented” livestock operators.
May 8, 2026: The BLM issued its final decision revoking American Prairie’s bison grazing permits, asserting for the first time that the Taylor Grazing Act authorizes permits only for “production-oriented” herds.
May 12, 2026: The federal government proposed new grazing regulations for 155 million acres of BLM-managed land that would redefine “livestock” to include only “production-oriented” herds, potentially excluding bison and other native species used for conservation grazing.
Here’s what you can do to help:
Advocate.
This is about more than one herd or one organization. By submitting a public comment, you can help defend a future where bison and conservation continue to have a place on America’s public lands. Every thoughtful comment helps demonstrate the broad public support for that vision.
Stay Informed.
Informed advocacy starts with understanding the issue. When people take time to learn the history and the facts, public dialogue becomes more honest, informed, and constructive. We’ve shared some resources below, and encourage you to do your own research.
Donate.
We want to be upfront: support in moments like this often comes down to resources. As a 100% donor-funded nonprofit, financial contributions are the most direct way to help us care for the herd and make sure our team has the resources they need to tackle whatever comes next.
DNRC Taking Public Comment on Our Bison Grazing Application
Deadline: July 10, 2026 | 5:00 PM MT
In 2019, we filed a proposal with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), seeking to graze bison on 4,950 acres of state trust land. For the past 7 years, despite our proven track record of responsible bison management, the DNRC has refused to process our request. On June 4th, the Montana Supreme Court ruled that the DNRC is legally required to process our application. As part of that process, the DNRC is required to seek public comment on our application and has initiated a 14-day scoping period.
You can review our 2019 Bison Grazing Proposal and the DNRC scoping notice here.
The public now has the opportunity to comment on the environmental impacts of our bison grazing proposal:
BLM’s Proposed Grazing Rule
Deadline: July 13, 2026 | 11:59 EST
On May 12th, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposed new grazing regulations for 155 million acres of BLM-managed land. If approved, these new regulations would effectively reduce conservation safeguards and prioritize production-oriented livestock over other public land uses—all while severely limiting public engagement or input on future decisions regarding these public lands.
Leave a comment urging the BLM to:
Bison, Montana, and the Taylor Grazing Act
This decision reflects long-standing debates about bison management in Montana, and understanding that history helps clarify what’s at stake. These links offer reporting, interviews, and background to help you learn more about this decision and explore the broader context for yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
American Prairie is a nonprofit organization working to connect, conserve, and share one of the last remaining shortgrass prairie ecosystems in the world.
American Prairie: What We Do
Connect: We strategically purchase small parcels of private land that sit between large areas of existing public land, like the 1.1 million–acre Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. By linking these pieces together we are helping build one of the largest connected prairie ecosystems in the world — a landscape big enough for wildlife, grasslands, and people to thrive.
Conserve: The prairie ecosystem depends on native wildlife, and our approach is simple: if you build it, they will come. While only federal agencies can manage wildlife directly, we can restore the habitat wildlife depends on by removing old fencing and debris, improving grasslands and waterways, reducing disease threats, and managing a conservation bison herd. By rebuilding the ecological foundation of the prairie, we help create a home for native wildlife when they return.
Share: Virtually all of our land is open to the public. As we connect larger swaths of public and accessible land, we expand opportunities for people to explore one of America’s last great wide-open landscapes. Today, visitors can hike, camp, hunt, and explore more than 600,000 acres of publicly accessible prairie—because we believe everyone should have access to a wild and wide-open prairie.
Wild About Our Bison Program
Bison are essential to restoring a healthy, fully functioning shortgrass prairie.
As a keystone species, they shape the land through grazing, movement, and natural behaviors that create habitat diversity and support a wide range of life on the prairie. Their return marks not just the comeback of an iconic animal, but the restoration of the ecological processes that make the prairie work.
Bison are at the center of our restoration efforts because no other species can do what they do. Their selective grazing creates a mosaic of plant communities, their wallows form temporary prairie wetlands, and their presence supports birds, herbivores, and carnivores alike. Today, our herd of more than 900 bison is actively returning these processes to the prairie.
Our bison program is recognized for its leadership in bison conservation, rooted in a management philosophy that balances responsibility with respect.
All bison in the state of Montana (except for those in Yellowstone and on Tribal land) are classified as livestock. We are fully committed to managing our herd in accordance with all state and federal regulations, including disease testing, health monitoring, and fencing requirements. We source animals from disease-free conservation herds and carefully manage genetics to support long-term herd health.
At the same time, we are committed to honoring the wild nature of bison and their role in the larger prairie ecosystem. Our team goes beyond minimum requirements to prioritize low-stress handling, natural movement patterns, and management strategies that allow bison to behave like bison. This commitment—to meeting regulatory standards while preserving natural bison behavior—is what makes our program exceptional and allows our bison to do what they have always done best: shape and restore the prairie.
Wild About Working Together
Conservation at this scale is never the result of just one organization. Our vision is a large, collaboratively managed, thriving grassland prairie.
At American Prairie, we understand that conservation requires community. Our ability to conserve and restore Montana’s Northern Great Plains is made possible through the collaboration and hard work of all kinds of folks—from land managers and agencies, scientists, and researchers, to local landowners, and neighboring Indigenous communities.
That collaboration looks like:
Wild About Public Access
At American Prairie, we believe that both wildlife and people benefit from access to wild and wide-open spaces.
As Montanans, our lives have been enriched by public lands and public access, and we are proud to contribute to that long and important state legacy. From the trails we’ve walked, the wildlife we’ve watched, and the wide horizons in our own backyards, we’ve experienced the benefits of public access firsthand, and we’re committed to ensuring others can too.
Our land is always open to the public. Every year we welcome thousands of visitors who enjoy activities ranging from wildlife watching and wandering, to hiking, hunting, biking, paddling, and horseback riding. We offer several seasonal and year-round hut, campground, and dispersed camping options, and we enroll 82,000 acres in the FWP’s Block Management hunter access program (BMA), making us one of Montana’s top five BMA participants by acre.