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Bison roam the National Bison Range near Moiese. BEACON FILE PHOTO
CSKT Bison Range Transfer Receives Strong
Reception
Tribes lay out plan for FWS to cede management to Flathead Indian Reservation
BY TRISTAN SCOTT OF THE BEACON
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are laying plans to return manage- ment of the 18,800-acre National Bison Range to tribal management, an his- toric change of course that tribal leaders believe is in the best interest of the bison, the tribes and the state of Montana.
In 1908, the Flathead Indian Reser- vation ceded control of the land when the federal government established the National Bison Range, and returning management authority to the tribes — which would require legislative action — has long been a goal of the CSKT.
Earlier this year, talks about a trans- fer plan began in earnest between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and tribal leaders when federal o cials broached the topic.
The talks marked a departure from the federal agency’s past commitment to maintaining a measure of control of the refuge. If a transfer is nalized, it will e ectively end more than a century of FWS management of the Bison Range, removing it from the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Last month, the CSKT released a pro- posal that would remove the range from the National Wildlife Refuge System and place it back into federal trust ownership for the tribes.
The CSKT held a public meeting on
July 12 to discuss the proposed legisla- tion to restore the National Bison Range to federal trust ownership, which tribal leaders said includes management for bison conservation purposes as well as continued public access.
Representatives of local conservation groups and the o ces of U.S. Sen. Jon Tes- ter, D-Montana, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, and Republican Congress- man Ryan Zinke attended the meeting. While the delegation is involved in ongo- ing dialogue with the tribes in developing draft legislative language, they have nei- ther supported nor opposed the transfer.
Denise Juneau, Montana’s superinten- dent for public instruction and a Dem- ocratic candidate for the U.S. House, expressed strong support for the transfer plan.
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has called the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ wildlife management program one of the best in the country,” Juneau said. “I’m pleased the federal gov- ernment and the tribes have entered into meaningful discussions about the pos- sibility of restoring the National Bison Range back to CSKT.”
Tribal attorneys presented and explained the draft legislation to attend- ees, who then broke into smaller groups where they had the opportunity to ask questions with sta from the tribal
natural resources and legal departments. Tribal leaders hailed the meeting as a strong barometer of support, as it drew approximately 150 members of the public. “We were very pleased with the public participation,” said Tribal Chairman Ver- non Finley. “We want to create an open and transparent forum for our fellow Montanans to have a say in this process.” “I was impressed with the informative feedback tonight regarding the proposed Bison Range restoration,” said CSKT Natural Resources Director Rich Jans- sen. “We heard a lot of appreciation for our willingness to hear public comments as well as some legitimate concerns that will help us improve our draft legislation.” Last month, the tribes established the Bison Range Working Group as a forum for conservation groups, non-govern- mental organizations, governmental o - cials and entities, and citizens to provide comment on the tribes’ draft legislative
proposal.
An online forum is available for the
public to submit comments on the draft legislative language at http://www.Bison- RangeWorkingGroup.org.
A report summarizing all of the pub- lic comments will be released, along with answers to questions, and will be posted to the working group website.
tscott@ atheadbeacon.com
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JULY 20, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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