The Trump administration is ordering the removal of hundreds of bison from BLM land in Montana, reversing a 2022 authorization that allowed the nonprofit American Prairie to graze its herds. The bison were allowed to graze on federal land by multiple administrations, including President Donald Trump’s first administration, which faced opposition from some ranchers who preferred the land be used to graze cattle. In a Notice of Proposed Decision issued in January, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated that American Prairie’s bison should be managed as wildlife rather than “production-oriented” livestock, making them ineligible for grazing permits under the Taylor Grazing Act.
Indigenous leaders and conservationists warn that the decision to remove the bison sets a dangerous precedent that could threaten bison restoration across the West. “BLM lawfully approved these permits after a thorough environmental review and defended them for years,” said American Prairie CEO Alison Fox. “Abruptly rescinding them now—under political pressure—creates immense uncertainty and sends a chilling signal to Tribes, ranchers, and conservation partners who depend on fair and predictable public land management.”
The policy shift is also entangled in an ethics controversy surrounding Associate Deputy Secretary of the Interior Karen Budd-Falen. Before joining the Interior department’s leadership, Budd-Falen was a private attorney representing the cattle producers who sued to block American Prairie’s permits. While she originally signed a recusal barring her from grazing matters, Interior ethics officials granted her a waiver in March 2026, allowing her to shape federal policy despite her family’s extensive personal holdings in the public lands grazing industry.
Quick hits
U.S. Forest Service cuts raise concerns over protecting public lands and fighting wildfires
The plight of the pinecone cowboy
Park Foundation board member now raising money for Trump’s sculpture garden
As national parks face budget cuts, projects in D.C. are getting a boost in funding
Greater Yellowstone slated next in Trump admin logging campaign
Mountain Journal | Bozeman Daily Chronicle
Federal judge rules in favor of Tribes, halting drilling at Black Hills
Conservation scientists fear border wall expansion plans on the Arizona-Mexico border will endanger species
Opinion: Why Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument relies on a strong management plan
Quote of the day
Using the Congressional Review Act to overturn this management plan — as proposed by Utah Sen. Lee and Rep. Celeste Maloy — is not reform, it’s a demolition that will upend the lives of communities, visitors, ranchers, and scientists who have learned to work within its framework, and will corrode intergovernmental trust with Indigenous Tribes.”
—Bob Stevenson, former park ranger, Utah News Dispatch
Picture This
@denalinps🐶PUPDATE🐶
We’re baaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! Born March 30, Denali’s newest sled dog puppies are now live at go.nps.gov/puppy to give you front-row seat to the next generation of working dogs in action.
This year’s litter comes with a patriotic twist. In celebration of America’s 250th birthday, each puppy is named after one of the nation’s iconic national parks — Sequoia (f), Mammoth (m), Rainier (f), Teton (m), and Mesa (f). Another pup, Acadia (f), will soon join the team from a partner kennel.
The mother (dam) of the puppies born in the park is Spark, a Denali Kennels canine ranger from our 2023 Fire-themed litter, and the father (sire), Trapper, is from Sage Mountain Kennel in Fairbanks, Alaska. Acadia’s dam is Katniss from Middle Earth Mushing Kennel in Fairbanks, and her sire is Soldier from Sage Mountain.
Later this month, Sage Mountain will select two puppies from this litter who will stay in the park for a few more weeks and then return to Fairbanks to join their teams. Around the same time, we will also acquire one puppy from a litter born at Middle Earth Mushing Kennels on April 3, for a total of four puppies that will become Denali canine rangers.
Featured photo: Bison in Yellowstone National Park. Jacob W. Frank, NPS.