ROB CHANEY
Sorting out whoâs upset with whom over the recent Montana bison management moves is about as easy as herding buffalo.
Gov. Greg Gianforte on Friday warned the U.S. Department of Interior that a future bison transplant to the Charles M. Russell Wildlife Refuge in northeast Montana should be a state decision. But the federal government hasnât announced any plans for such a reintroduction.
Gianforte previously announced a settlement on April 20 with United Property Owners of Montana (UPOM) declaring the state wouldnât undertake its own bison relocation process in the refuge for 10 years.
UPOM represents ranchers in the area opposed to a bison reintroduction project by the nonprofit American Prairie Reserve (APR). But APR representatives say they werenât the focus of the previous Democratic Gov. Steve Bullockâs effort to allow wild, free-roaming bison in the region. They are happy to keep their herd of roughly 800 animals considered domestic livestock.