A federal dispute over bison grazing has placed conservation, ranching interests and public land policy in direct conflict across America's western grasslands.
The Trump administration has moved to cancel grazing permits tied to bison restoration in Montana, placing hundreds of bison at risk of removal from federal grasslands. At the centre of the dispute is American Prairie, a conservation group working to restore native grassland ecosystems in north-central Montana. The Bureau of Land Management previously authorised the group to graze bison on six federal allotments covering about 63,500 acres of BLM-administered land. Now, under the Trump administration, that decision is being reversed.
