Protect American Bison’s Right to Graze on Public Lands

American bison are part of our country’s heritage. The ecology of the Great Plains was once defined by tens of millions of wild bison that roamed the grasslands. They also provided foundation for the lives and cultures of Plains tribes who relied on the animals for food, shelter, and ceremony.

But white settlers and hunters brought the iconic species to the brink of extinction in the 19th century, and soon Yellowstone National Park hosted the only known wild herd in the United States.

Thanks to Tribal stewardship, organizational commitments, and improvements in state and federal bison policy that Earthjustice fought for in court, hundreds of bison now thrive in their native Montana range outside Yellowstone, including parts of the Northern shortgrass prairie.

But now, bison restoration to the prairie is under attack by the Trump administration.

Earthjustice has defended bison in court for decades, and today we need your help to keep up the fight. Submit a letter to the Department of the Interior today demanding they protect our national mammal.

Bison are a keystone species, creating a cascade of environmental conditions that benefit countless other wildlife. As bison graze, they prune and encourage growth of native grasses, fertilize the soils, and improve habitat for a diverse range of wildlife. But to sustain healthy populations that can play this ecological role, bison need more room to roam.

Under pressure from the State of Montana and the livestock industry, the Trump administration is threatening bison restoration in two ways.

First, the Department of the Interior (DOI) has evicted 900 bison from federal grasslands in Montana’s northern Great Plains by revoking their grazing permits. The decision would allow grazing on federal lands only for “production-oriented purposes.” That is, for profit — not for conservation.

Second, the Interior Department is also considering Montana’s demands to weaken bison conservation efforts in Yellowstone National Park. It would do this by dismantling the park’s new management plan that Earthjustice has been defending in court.

The core of the attacks arises from the broader goal of the administration: the sacrifice of public lands for industry profit. By prioritizing industry over conservation, the administration is rewriting laws that were designed to sustain the health and diversity of our public lands for the benefit of present and future generations.

Now is our time to show the administration that the public supports bison restoration from the park to the prairie and opposes policies that prioritize profit over conservation on our public lands. Submit a letter to the Department of the Interior today demanding they support bison conservation and our national heritage.