This is a massive moment for the future of the American West, and it’s hitting close to home.

In Montana, the dust is finally settling on a huge decision from the Bureau of Land Management that has a lot of us feeling like the balance of the plains is being tipped.

​Governor Greg Gianforte and the Trump Administration just made it official by pulling the plug on bison grazing leases on federal land. For years, there has been a standoff over whether these public acres should be used for rewilding projects or kept strictly for the cattle industry. By siding with a narrow definition of livestock, the Governor and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are sending a message that Montana’s public lands are for production, period. While Senators Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy are calling this a win for the rule of law, it feels like a heavy handed blow to the idea that our plains can be both a working landscape and a wild one. 

​For anyone who cares about the soul of the Big Sky, this is a tough pill to swallow. These bison aren’t just an “ideological experiment.” They are a keystone species that belonged long before the fences went up. They create a mosaic on the landscape that cattle just can’t replicate, supporting everything from songbirds to soil health.

Seeing a September deadline set to force these herds off the land feels like a step backward for conservation and a slight to the Tribal nations who have worked so hard to bring the buffalo back. 

​We have always been a state that prides itself on wide open spaces and a respect for the wild. If we lose the ability to have bison roaming alongside our ranching heritage, we are losing a piece of the Montana we all love. What do you think? Can we find a way to keep Montana balanced, or are we watching the wild get pushed out for good?