By Kyran Kunkel, Director of Wildlife Restoration and Science at the American Prairie Reserve

The American Prairie Reserve (APR) is working hard to build the largest nature reserve in the continental United States.  With that goal in mind, wildlife enthusiasts currently have a golden opportunity to restore the national mammal on 250,000 acres of public lands in Northcentral Montana.

No matter how you slice it, the public benefits of bison restoration are compelling. Learn more with our Top 5 list below.  Then consider helping us make the case to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) by submitting a public comment before June 11th.

Top 5 Reasons Bison need more Room to Roam on the American Prairie

Reason #1:  Restores wildlife and habitat

The science is sound.  Bringing back bison on the mixed-grass prairie offers an evolutionarily tested strategy to help restore and maintain the health of the land and improve habitat diversity for native plants and wildlife.  What else would we expect from the animal that co-evolved and was a keystone species on the American prairie for thousands of years?   Our proposal seeks to reestablish a semblance of bison’s natural grazing regimes by replacing rotational grazing used for cattle with year-round continual grazing of bison for the benefit of public lands.

There is nothing wrong with rotational grazing, it’s a strategy that cattle managers have used to create healthy grazing patterns.  However, bison don’t require this particular grazing strategy to maintain land health because they cover much more ground and forage at far greater distances from water than cattle do. Other land managers across the country have put this science into practice and here at APR our early results demonstrate it’s working but can work better with more room to roam.

Reason #2:  Restores our National Mammal

Beyond Yellowstone Park, large populations of bison are largely missing across the US.  Lands where bison roam are too small and ecologically incomplete for bison to play their full evolutionary role.  That fragmentation and incompleteness is why scientists have called the plains bison, ‘ecologically extinct.’

To change that, the American Prairie Reserve has been working to build a robust and resilient herd of exceptional conservation contribution.   We are solidly on our way to success but need more space to make it happen.  

Our herd, has grown to a point where it can be used to establish and enhance the ecological and genetic health of other federal, state, and tribal herds around the country.  There are few similar source herds for others to draw from.

To date, we have already contributed to bison restoration by donating animals to federal and state agencies in Nebraska, Colorado, and Arizona.  We have also worked with the InterTribal Buffalo Council (ITBC) toward bison restoration efforts on Tribal lands in the West.   Last January, we donated 30 bison each to Fort Belknap, Fort Peck, and the Blackfeet Indian Reservations in Montana and 25 bison to Pe’Sla in South Dakota.

The more we are able to grow our bison herd, the closer we will be able to work with managers of other conservation herds in North American and contribute toward the restoration of our national mammal.

#3: Enhances Public Lands

Public lands are for the public and we think our proposal will increase the multiple use of these lands and enhance them for more Americans.  The public is clearly fascinated by bison. Almost half of all visitors to Yellowstone National Parks say bison viewing is one of their primary reasons they visit. We think a strong conservation herd of bison can be a significant draw for tourists, hunters, educators, students, artists and others on the American Prairie too.

It’s why American Prairie Reserve is busy building a more robust outdoor recreation infrastructure to support and encourage more year-round visitation and help connect the public to their public lands.  That includes a new National Discovery Center in Lewistown, public campgrounds, welcome centers, and a new affordable hut system to allow visitors to traverse 200 miles of the project area on foot, bicycle, canoe, and horseback.  

#4: Diversifies the economy

Agriculture is the dominant industry in Northcentral Montana where the American Prairie Reserve project area resides.  Even with and in some ways because of APR’s growing success and impact, agriculture will continue to remain that way for a very long time.

However, in other parts of the West the rise of the outdoor recreation and conservation economies are helping diversify traditional economies and creating more economic opportunities for more people. We think the American Prairie Reserve can fuel the rise of more outdoor recreation in our neighborhood too.  More visitation and outdoor recreation in the area will result in an influx of revenue for motels, restaurants, caterers, sporting good stores, gas stations, and outfitters.   In addition, the direct economic footprint of the Reserve is substantial and continues to grow. To date, we have contributed over $36 million to the local area economy.

#5: Enhances migration corridors

Scientists have been talking about the importance of migration corridors and ecologically connecting landscape for decades. That’s why it was valuable to see the U.S. Department of Interior recently prioritize their importance by issuing Secretary Order #3362, ‘Improving Habitat Quality in Western Big-Game Winter Range and Migration Corridors.’

This matches what American Prairie Reserve is already working to do.  Our proposal would remove over 250 miles of interior fences on public lands and upgrade an additional 250 miles of perimeter fences to meet wildlife-friendly standards.  All that work is a net-benefit for pronghorn, bighorn sheep, mule deer and elk. No matter how you slice it, American Prairie Reserve is a great opportunity for the Department of Interior to partner with a landowner to enhance wildlife migration and habitat on Federal lands.

Please consider asking the BLM to analyze the public benefits of providing bison more room to room on the American Prairie before June 11th.  For more information, be sure to check out these Frequently Asked Questions.

 

Stay Informed!

10 comments on “More Room to Roam on the American Prairie

  1. I wholeheartedly support the American Prairie Reserve’s cause. A golden opportunity for all interested parties to come together to work for the betterment of of habitat and the spiritual heart of the American nation.

  2. Sounds like a lot of positive could come from this. Please look into the benefits of the APR.
    Thanks

  3. What is total cost of set up, & employee cost(Including benefit packages & retirement expense) for 1st year, 5 year plan & 20 year plan. How many employees will be needed 1st year, 5th year, & in 20 years? What will be the maintenance cost per year at initial set up & in 20 years?

  4. The American Prairie Reserve is nothing more than an elite, indulgent experiment to remove traditional agriculture from this part of our state and cater to idealistic investors who are out of touch with the real world. The pristine condition of the prairie drew them here, but they need to destroy everything that has kept it that way for over 100 years to “save it?” Wake up people. And newsflash; bison aren’t endangered.

  5. The reality is the majority of Montanans do NOT want this in our state. The APR is funded mainly by out of staters who have no clue as to the economic disaster this will bring to the agricultural industry in Montana. If you want to create a massive wildlife preserve, may I suggest Central Park. It fits better for tourists.

  6. I grew up in that ranch culture there. But who fecided that the ranchers are entitled to special tax breaks, low grazing fees and other welfare from us other tax payers as well as the right to over graze a d wipe out the higher apec animals like wolves ,cougars and bears.the rest of us can argue like the ranchers that we should subsidized to maintain our special lifestyle.

  7. Migration corridors already exist if we chose to use them. The ground that our High Tension lines are on could be used as the corridors for the wild animals to use to connect up with others of their kind.

  8. I think what you are doing there at the APR is a wonderful thing. I am 75 years old and I hope to live long enough to see the results. It will be one of the great wonders of our time.

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