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Bison Range Negotiations Threaten
Management Turnover
Alarm bells sounded this spring over
negotiations aimed at providing significant management
authority of the National Bison Range in northwestern
Montana to local tribal interests. Under the auspices
of the Tribal Self Determination Act, the Department
of Interior (DOI) is seeking to provide tribes with
a substantive management role at refuges.
The National Bison Range was established
in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt through a partnership
with the American Bison Foundation, which purchased
the land from the tribes. Bison for the refuge were
bought or donated from nearby Kalispell and as far away
as New Hampshire. Today the refuge serves not only as
a premier destination to view the American bison, it
is a diverse ecosystem of grasslands, forests, riparian
areas and wetlands that supports a variety of wildlife,
including elk, black bear, and more than 200 species
of birds including eagles, hawks and meadowlarks.
The negotiations, prompted by Paul
Hoffman, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife
and Parks, are being conducted between the Interior
Department and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai
Tribes and concern an "annual funding agreement"
that would provide the tribes with funding and management
capacity at the refuge.
A draft agreement has yet to be produced,
and there is substantial speculation as to what is being
considered. In a public
statement and through meetings with Interior officials,
NWRA has made clear its opposition to any agreement
that abrogates FWS's ability to manage the refuge in
strict accordance with the laws and regulations that
govern both the Refuge System and the Bison Range.
It is the position of NWRA that administration
of the Bison Range and the Refuge System as a whole
is an inherently federal responsibility. Any management
involvement by non-FWS entities must be developed within
the context of existing planning frameworks, such as
a Cooperative Conservation Plan (CCP), required under
the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act
of 1997, and include substantive opportunities for the
public to provide comments.
Accordingly, NWRA has voiced concerns
about the closed-door nature of the discussions and
has actively worked to foster the engagement of other
interested organizations. As a result of NWRA's and
others' efforts, it appears that the process has been
slowed and that the public will be allowed an opportunity
to respond to a draft proposal. As of this writing,
however, there is no clear indication as to the timing
or direction of the process.
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