Montana

Federal decision revokes bison grazing permits in Montana after years of legal challenges

Published

1 month ago

January 26, 2026

Federal decision revokes bison grazing permits in Montana after years of legal challenges

After years of legal battles, a federal decision is set to change how bison can graze on public land in Montana.

This week, the Bureau of Land Management moved to revoke bison grazing permits held by the conservation group American Prairie, following direction from the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The decision would overturn a 2022 ruling that allowed bison to graze on seven allotments in Phillips County.

Governor Greg Gianforte and Attorney General Austin Knudsen had challenged that earlier decision, arguing it violated federal grazing law.

Both officials have long maintained that the permits were improperly issued under the Taylor Grazing Act.

The latest move by BLM aims to reverse course and revoke the permits, a decision praised by the Montana Stockgrowers Association.

“We felt since the first, when this decision was made by BLM, that it was against the law, the Taylor Grazing Act,” said Monty Lesh, second vice president of the Montana Stockgrowers Association.

The Taylor Grazing Act, enacted in 1934, was designed to prevent overgrazing and soil deterioration on public lands.

Lesh argues the law applies only to domestic livestock raised for food and fiber production.

“They stated that their bison are wildlife, and the Taylor Grazing Act is very specific it’s for domestic animals for food, fiber, meat production,” Lesh said.

Lesh added that wildlife are not subject to the same health checks and vaccination requirements as domestic livestock.

He said diseases such as brucellosis, which can be carried by bison, are a major concern for ranchers, along with the difficulty of containing bison with standard fencing.

American Prairie, which works to restore bison to their native Montana grasslands through free-ranging “conservation herds,” pushed back against the decision.

In a statement to NBC Montana, the organization said it has had permission to graze bison for more than 20 years and has followed the law throughout that time.

The group says that the reversal is not based on new information and called the decision ‘unfair’.

Attorney General Knudsen praised the move, saying it will help protect Montana’s livestock industry.

Knudsen said he has urged BLM to cancel the permits for more than four years, calling the reversal a major victory.

American Prairie issued the following statement:

American Prairie CEO Alison Fox responded to the decision made Friday by the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to eliminate the organization’s bison grazing privileges on public lands, calling the outcome unfair, deeply disappointing, disruptive, and inconsistent with long-standing public-lands grazing practices in Montana.

“This is a slippery slope,” Fox said. “When federal agencies begin changing how the rules are applied after the process is complete, it undermines confidence in the system for everyone who relies on public lands. Montana livestock owners deserve clarity, fairness, and decisions they can count on.”

“This creates uncertainty for livestock owners across Montana who depend on public lands for grazing,” said American Prairie CEO Alison Fox. “We’ve had permission to graze bison on some of these allotments for 20 years and have followed the law, complied with every requirement, and prioritized transparency at every step.”

American Prairie emphasized that it is merely seeking equal treatment under the law, not special treatment or a change in precedent. To the organization’s knowledge, this is the first time the federal government has invoked the Taylor Grazing Act to require a bison herd to be designated as a ‘production herd’, despite the fact that American Prairie manages its bison on the ground in the same manner as a production operation.

“American Prairie has always been an organization with big ideas and ambitious goals,” said Fox. “But at the same time, we have never felt that those ambitions placed us above the law. In fact, we have prided ourselves on our ability to manage our herd responsibly, comply with all state and federal grazing requirements, and go above and beyond when it comes to regulated disease testing.

“This decision is not grounded in new impacts or new information — it appears to be completely arbitrary and unfair.”

Beyond land stewardship, American Prairie’s bison program has delivered significant and measurable benefits to Montana communities. The herd has helped feed Montana families through hundreds of public harvests, and local organizations have raised more than $150,000 over the past decade by raffling donated bison harvests — dollars that stay in local communities.

“Our bison herd has supported food security, improved rangeland health, and created valuable opportunities for local nonprofits which include veterans associations, youth organizations, and local sportsmen’s chapters,” Fox said. “Those benefits should matter. Instead, we’re seeing a departure from consistent application of the law that puts producers and working lands at risk.”

American Prairie warned that treating routine grazing requests differently — especially after years of analysis and compliance — sets a troubling precedent for how public lands are managed in the U.S.

American Prairie is reviewing the decision and determining its course of action, and will continue to advocate for a public-lands grazing system that is lawful, predictable, and applied equally.

Attorney General Austin Knudsen issued the following statement:

“I’m pleased to see this proposed decision from the Trump Administration’s Bureau of Land Management today. Canceling the American Prairie Reserve’s bison grazing permit will help to protect the livestock industry and ranching communities in Northeastern Montana from the elitists trying to push them out. For over four years I have been urging the BLM to cancel the permit, and our work finally paid off. This is a huge victory. As Attorney General and the state’s chief legal officer, I will continue to do my part to support Montana farmers and ranchers.”

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Montana

Montana Supreme Court allows ballot measure on initiative process to move forward

Published

10 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Montana Supreme Court allows ballot measure on initiative process to move forward

HELENA — The Montana Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a proposed ballot measure intended to simplify the process for introducing ballot measures in the future.

Justices ruled 5-2 that the measure, currently called Ballot Issue #8, did not violate state requirements that a single constitutional amendment can’t make multiple separate changes to the Montana Constitution.

“We’re very grateful to the Montana Supreme Court for agreeing with us that the attorney general’s finding of legal insufficiency for Ballot Issue #8 was incorrect,” said SK Rossi, a spokesperson for Montanans Decide, the group sponsoring the measure.

Montanans Decide argues the Montana Legislature has passed laws making it harder for the public to propose and pass ballot issues. The Montana Constitution already guarantees the people the right to pass laws and amendments through ballot measures, but Ballot Issue #8 would expand that to include a right to “impartial, predictable, transparent, and expeditious processes” for proposing those measures. It would seek to prevent “interference from the government or the use of government resources to support or oppose the ballot issue.”

Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s office argued the measure “implicitly amended” multiple provisions in the state constitution, including by limiting the “power and authority of public officials to speak officially on ballot issues that affect those officials’ public duties” and by putting restrictions on judges and on the Legislature. Montanans Decide, the group sponsoring Ballot Issue #8, disagreed – and the majority of justices sided with them.

“Its provisions operate together to define and protect a single constitutional right—the people’s exercise of initiative and referendum,” wrote Justice Katherine Bidegaray in the majority opinion. “They are closely related components of one constitutional design.”

Bidegaray’s majority opinion was joined by Justices Jim Shea, Laurie McKinnon, Beth Baker and Ingrid Gustafson.

Chief Justice Cory Swanson and Justice Jim Rice each wrote dissenting opinions, saying they would have upheld Knudsen’s decision to disallow Ballot Issue #8. Rice said the language restricting government interference with a ballot issue was not closely related and should have been a separate vote. Swanson agreed with Rice and said the measure’s attempt to fix a timeline for legal cases surrounding ballot measures was also a separate substantial change.

In a statement, Chase Scheuer, a spokesperson for Knudsen’s office, reacted to the decision.

“This decision only further muddies the courts’ jurisprudence on ballot issue questions,” he said. “This initiative would violate the separate vote requirement by amending multiple parts of the Montana Constitution, but the court contradicted its prior rulings. Attorney General Knudsen will continue to neutrally apply the separate vote requirement in his review of ballot initiatives.”

The court’s decision means that Knudsen’s office will now need to approve ballot language for Ballot Issue #8. Once that language is finalized, Montanans Decide could begin gathering signatures to qualify the measure for the November ballot.

However, last year, sponsors of another initiative went to the Supreme Court to argue that the ballot statements Knudsen prepared were misleading. If Montanans Decide object to their ballot statements, that could further delay signature gathering while the case plays out in court.

“Regardless, we’re going to push as hard as we can to get those petitions into the hands of voters and let them sign and support if they so choose,” said Rossi.

Rossi said the legal battle this measure has gone through – and the possibility of more to come – shows why Ballot Issue #8 is needed.

“The state Legislature, and also statewide elected officials, have taken every opportunity to create burdens and hurdles and rigamarole for campaigns to get through in order to just get to the signature gathering phase, and then to get through the signature gathering phase onto the ballot, and then get through the election phase,” said Rossi. “The reason we filed this initiative is just to make sure that the process is simple, that the timeline is clear, and that Montanans can have their will heard when they want to propose and pass laws that they deem worthy.”

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Montana

Christi Jacobsen enters race for Western House seat

Published

22 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Christi Jacobsen enters race for Western House seat

HELENA, Mont. — Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen is running for Montana’s Western Congressional District seat, entering the race a day after U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke announced he would not seek reelection.

Jacobsen’s announcement sets up a new contest for the open seat after Zinke, a Republican, said he would seek reelection.

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“As your Secretary of State, I’ve stood up to Washington overreach, defended election integrity, and delivered real results for Montanans. In 2020, voters gave me a mandate to clean up our elections, grow Montana business, and push back against radical liberal special interests. I delivered. Now it’s time to take that same results-driven, America First leadership to Congress.”

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Montana

Montana Lottery Powerball, Lotto America results for March 2, 2026

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 2, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 2 drawing

02-17-18-38-62, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from March 2 drawing

03-08-17-24-34, Star Ball: 06, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from March 2 drawing

06-12-19-29, Bonus: 11

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from March 2 drawing

21-28-58-65-67, Powerball: 25

Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 2 drawing

28-41-42-50-55, Bonus: 02

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.

Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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