Bison Range transfer: win for everyone
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
3 of 3 free articles.
Editor,
Here’s a kudos to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes for efforts to keep all discussion of the National Bison Range Transfer Act of 2016 transparent through a recent public meeting. So now I ask my non-Tribal neighbors: How deep is our understanding of the history of legislative insults to those who first lived and thrived in this vast beautiful region?
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, which includes the Pend d’Oreille people, is a sovereign nation that has set the standard for local economic success, in spite of adversity. The 1971 U.S. Court of Claims ruling found that taking the Bison Range (and much more acreage) in 1912 was not only without Tribal permission, but compensated far below market value at the time. This widely held misconception is clarified online. Many other questions addressed on the website include whether this sets a precedent, public access, funding and U.S. Fish and Wildlife motives.
To learn more, please go to www.BisonRangeWorkingGroup. org. The vision of CSKT is fascinating, and its plans are not currently possible under current management. The National Bison Range now gets just 3 percent of Highway 93 drivers who access Flathead Lake and Glacier National Park. Furthermore, savings to the Federal government would range, after transition, from $700,000-$1 million per year.
Tribal Chair Vernon Finley recently stated, “Our Tribes are committed to being good neighbors and this (Water Compact) settlement is proof of our intention to find a solution that will benefit both our Tribal members as well as our friends and fellow Montanans across the state.” Let’s now listen with a genuine commitment to our own contribution in being good neighbors. In the end, I am confident that we all win.
Nancy T. Glueckert
Polson
