The allotments affected by the decision to cancel the permits authorizing bison and replace them with permits authorizing cattle—an attempt by the BLM to placate the ranchers and discourage those who would weigh the advantages of purchasing a base property and repurposing the attached allotment(s) as refuge—are:
- Telegraph Creek
- Box Elder
- Flat Creek
- Whiterock Coulee
- French Coulee
- Garey Coulee
The authorization use report at RAS shows the livestock type as INDIGENOUS.
The permit information report yielded 7,181 records for Montana, with 41 designated as INDIGENOUS.
Only ten can be associated with the nonprofit. Authorizations marked red in the filtered spreadsheet were granted to others.
That means there are ranchers in the state who may not be engaged in production-oriented operations because their animals do not meet the agency’s ad hoc definition of livestock and are not eligible for grazing permits.
Western Horse Watchers has not seen any news releases announcing a review of grazing authorizations, not just in Montana but across the western U.S., to determine if they comply with applicable laws.
Permits marked INDIGENOUS were found in Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming.
RELATED: BLM Reneges on American Prairie Grazing Permits.
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Western Horse Watchers Association 