Yellowstone
FWP to recommend tribal lands for bison relocations
Published
12 years agoon
In response to a recent environmental assessment, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will recommend that 68 disease-free bison be relocated to two northern Montana Indian reservations.
The tribal lands were evaluated in an EA that considered moving about 150 disease-free bison that currently are held in a quarantine facility and on a ranch in Southwest Montana. The tribal lands recommended include the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation near Malta and the Fort Peck Indian Reservation near Wolf Point.
Two wildlife management areas were also considered in the EA—the 7,800-acre Marias River WMA near Shelby and the 28,000-acre Spotted Dog WMA near Avon—but neither will be recommended as bison relocation sites.
An official “Record of Decision” was signed by FWP Director Joe Maurier yesterday. If FWP Commission approves the recommendation at its meeting in Helena on Dec. 9 the bison could be moved this winter.
FWP held three public meetings in October—attended by about 400 people—to discuss the relocation proposals. The agency also received more than 3,370 written comments, plus a petition signed by 600 people who opposed the relocation of bison to Spotted Dog WMA. The two WMA proposals were opposed by many neighboring landowners, livestock producers, local governments and hunters.
While there was opposition to the tribal sites by neighboring landowners along Montana’s Hi-Line, the tribal locations were supported by the local tribes and bison advocates.
The bison to be relocated are part of a study that began in 2004 aimed at determining if bison could be kept free of the bacteria that causes brucellosis, a disease that results in miscarriages in some pregnant animals, including domestic cattle, and bison and elk. The bison, which were repeatedly tested for the disease, are now considered brucellosis-free but to complete the feasibility study additional follow-up testing will continue.
Accordingly, management-plan agreements for each tribal site must include commitments to: (1) continue disease testing for five years, (2) properly contain bison, (3) immediately respond to any escapes of bison, and (4) provide Montana with disease-free bison for future conservation efforts. There are no infrastructure costs for FWP to pay associated with the recommended tribal lands.
FWP Wildlife Bureau Chief Ken McDonald said FWP’s initial goal was to relocate up to 150 of the disease-free bison from a quarantine facility near Gardiner and from a temporary site at the Green Ranch near Bozeman. A “no action” alternative would have had the bison remain at those locations.
If the recommendation is approved, and when management agreements are in place, all 68 bison now held at the quarantine facility will be relocated to the tribal sites and the quarantine facility will end its operations. The 143 bison now on the Green Ranch will remain there at least through 2015, and the anticipated completion of a comprehensive bison management strategy. The strategy will seek to identify suitable habitats for wild bison in Montana.
Wild bison exist in Alaska, Arizona, Utah, Canada and other places. Today in Montana wild bison that migrate north from Yellowstone National Park are found in winter near West Yellowstone and Gardiner. In years past, Yellowstone animals were used to help restore elk, antelope and other wildlife herds in Montana and the West.
Megan Paulson is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Outlaw Partners.
Upcoming Events
april, 2024
Event Type :
All
All
Arts
Education
Music
Other
Sports
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before 9/10/2024:
more
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before
9/10/2024: Kindergarten
enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year can be completed by following the
registration process now.
Children
born on or after September 11, 2019: 4K enrollment is now open for
families that have a 4-year-old they would like to enroll in our program for
the 2023-2024 school year. Please complete the 4K Interest Form to
express your interest. Completing this form does not guarantee enrollment into
the 4K program. Enrollment is capped at twenty 4-year-olds currently
residing within Big Sky School District boundary full time and will be
determined by birth date in calendar order of those born on or after September
11, 2018. Interest form closes on May 30th.
Enrollment now is critical for fall preparations. Thank you!
Time
February 26 (Monday) - April 21 (Sunday)
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm We will combine the heart-opening powers of cacao with the transcendental powers of breathwork and sound. Together, these practices will give us the opportunity for a deep
more
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm
Time
March 23 (Saturday) 6:00 pm - April 23 (Tuesday) 8:00 pm
Location
Santosha Wellness Center
169 Snowy Mountain Circle
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a
more
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a limited palette to create different color combinations? Are you tired of carrying around 15-20 different tubes when you paint plein air? Have you ever wanted to create a certain “mood” in a painting but failed? Do you create a lot of mud? Do you struggle to achieve color harmony? All these problems are addressed in John’s workbook in clear and concise language!
Based on the bestselling “Limited Palatte, Unlimited Color” workbook written by John Pototschnik, the workshop is run by Maggie Shane and Annie McCoy, accomplished landscape (acrylic) and plein air (oil) artists,exhibitors at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery and members of the Big Sky Artists Collective.
Each student will receive a copy of “Limited Palette, Unlimited Color” to keep and take home to continue your limited palette journey. We will show you how to use the color wheel and mix your own clean mixtures to successfully create a mood for your paintings.
Each day, we will create a different limited palette color chart and paint a version of a simple landscape using John’s directives. You will then be able to go home and paint more schemes using the book for guidance.
Workshop is open to painters (oil or acrylic) of any level although students must have some basic knowledge of the medium he or she uses. Students will be provided the book ($92 value), color wheel, value scale and canvas papers to complete the daily exercises.
Sundays, April 14, 21 and 28, 2024
Noon until 6PM.
$170.
Time
14 (Sunday) 12:00 pm - 28 (Sunday) 6:00 pm
Event Details
Everyone is invited to join us in celebrating 2 years of arts education in the BASE Art Studio with us! Take a tour
Event Details
Everyone is invited to join us in celebrating 2 years of arts education in the BASE Art Studio with us! Take a tour of the studio, meet our instructors, and meet other artists of all levels in our community. We’ll be getting creative and you’ll have the chance to make your very own artful button pin.
Stick around for our Volunteer Appreciation and Social beginning at 6:30 p.m.!
Time
(Thursday) 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Location
BASE
285 Simkins Dr