Target: Bill Groffy, Principal Deputy Director of Bureau of Land Management
Goal: Allow bison grazing to continue in Montana.
An iconic American animal that once numbered up to 100 million has been reduced to half a million. Habitat loss, hunting, and the intentional killing of these animals by the American government (as “punishment” for indigenous Americans) once brought the bison’s overall population down to 1,000. But after extensive reviews on the environmental and ecological importance of bison in 2022, the Bureau of Land Management took the important step of opening up 63,000 acres of Montana land for bison grazing. Now, politics and special interests are once again threatening the livelihood of “America’s mammal.”
The Trump administration’s Bureau of Land Management has decided to revoke the grazing authorization, which would essentially kick hundreds of bison off land they rely upon for sustenance. Ranchers want the land for cattle grazing, and the bureau is eager to grant their wishes – in violation of the bureau’s own rules – so that they can cozy up to this voting bloc. Tribes who have herds on the land are contesting the amendment, but history suggests their objections will fall on deaf ears.
Sign the petition below to demand this agency honor its oath to manage America’s lands with careful consideration and fairness.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Acting Director Groffy,
The wild’s most enduring symbols of Western and American heritage have been continually put in the sometimes-literal crosshairs by a government intent on using them as weapons and political tools. Because of careful and considered conservation, bison populations were able to climb back from near-extinction and thrive. Do not set back this progress and this conservation win to achieve a short-term political goal.
Phillips County, Montana is big enough for cattle, for bison, and for people. Abide by the guidelines this bureau itself set and do not push hundreds of bison off their land. Do not return to a time in history when these majestic animals were abused and discarded rather than celebrated as an enduring embodiment of Americana.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Dallas Penner
