Don’t give Bison Range away
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Editor,
Like most Americans and Montanans, I oppose disposition of Federal Land. So, it was amazing to see the Montana Conservation Voters, a leftist environmental advocacy group who profess to protect public lands, endorse giving a Federal Wildlife Refuge worth tens of millions of dollars to a sovereign nation. But that is exactly the result of transferring ownership of the National Bison Range to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.
Apparently, MCV is more politically concerned about “tribal self-determination” and ignores the real history of the NBR.
Created by Congress and Theodore Roosevelt in 1908, the NBR initially had 40 bison purchased from private individuals by the American Bison Society with private donations. Ensuing decades of taxpayer-funded improvements have transformed the NBR into a world-class game park. CSKT has been paid market value twice for the NBR land: first in 1910 and second in 1972, when they received $21.9 million (more than $100 million in today’s currency), tax free. The NBR has been created, developed and paid for by U.S. taxpayers and should continue to be Federal Land managed by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service experts, expertise which would be lost with tribal ownership. In a recent tribal-sponsored public comment period, only 53 percent of respondents supported transfer of the NBR to the CSKT, hardly a mandate. Let MCV, our Congressional delegation, the Governor and CSKT know that we want the NBR to remain public land.
Philip L. Barney
Polson
