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American Prairie is working to connect, conserve, and share more than 3 million acres of prairie grassland in Montana's Northern Great Plains.

14/05/2026

On Friday, May 8th, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced its final decision regarding our bison grazing permits, directing American Prairie to remove our bison from federal public lands by September 30, 2026—lands where we have responsibly grazed bison, with the BLM’s express permission, for the past twenty years.

We strongly disagree with this decision, plan to appeal it, and remain hopeful that it will not ultimately require removing our herd from the public lands they currently inhabit.

At the same time, the BLM has announced broader changes to federal public lands policy that roll back conservation efforts and propose redefining public lands grazing to exclude all animals except domestic livestock like cattle and sheep. Together, these developments introduce new uncertainty not just for American Prairie, but for the future of conservation on public lands across the West.

Many of you have asked how you can help. One of the most meaningful ways to support our herd right now is through financial support. Preparing for multiple possible outcomes—including legal action, ongoing animal care, and potential herd relocation—requires significant resources from our team and organization. To support our herd or learn more, visit https://americanprairie.org/bison-belong-here/

Last year, our bison program celebrated twenty years. When that first group of 16 bison set foot on our land, it marked the end of their 120-year absence from the region and the start of an exciting chapter for us at American Prairie. In that time, our team has learned a great deal from our bison. They have taught us about community, persistence, and weathering difficult moments. When storms roll across the prairie, bison walk directly into them. By facing the storm head-on, they spend less time beneath it. Our bison remind us that survival on the prairie has always been dependent on resilience, on moving together, and on meeting hardship with steadiness.

In moments like this, we are committed to doing the same.

08/05/2026

Restoring bison means restoring grasslands, biodiversity, and cultural connection. We’re honored to be part of a broader movement highlighted in this Smithsonian story about the return of America’s national mammal.

Read the full article here https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-bison-is-americas-national-mammal-heres-how-indigenous-tribes-and-conservationists-aided-its-return-to-the-prairie-lands-after-near-extinction-180988683/

04/05/2026

Stories from the Prairie | American Prairie Journal Vol. 02

Writer and photographer Max Lowe set out to paddle one of the last truly wild stretches of river in the lower 48 — 47 miles of the Upper Missouri Breaks, uncrossed by roads, unchanged by time.

He and his wife Lia spent three days tracing the same current that carried Lewis and Clark, the Lakota, the Aaniiih, and generations of Montanans before them. They launched sunflower yellow canoes into a mid-August rainstorm at Coal Banks Landing and didn’t look back. They camped beneath a full Sturgeon Moon, listened to coyotes echo off canyon walls, and stood at the base of the White Cliffs — the same sandstone formations Meriwether Lewis once described as rivaling the grandeur of human architecture.

But the river wasn’t just about the landscape. At every bend — tipi rings half-hidden in the grass, cattle grazing the monument flats, the Sun Prairie bison herd moving along the distant bank — they met the layered story of this place. A country where the past doesn’t fade. It just waits for you to float by.

Read the full story https://americanprairie.org/publications/

27/04/2026

Behind the scenes of bison work isn’t always what people expect.

In Montana, bison are legally classified as livestock (except in Yellowstone and on some Tribal lands). That means vaccinations, disease testing, and fencing. The same regulatory requirements as cattle.

But bison aren’t cattle. They’re a keystone species, the animal that shaped this prairie long before we got here, and the one most capable of restoring it. So the work becomes a balance: meeting those requirements without losing sight of what bison actually are.

We call that “dancing the line between management and restoration.” We take our responsibilities as livestock managers seriously, going beyond what’s legally required when it comes to things like disease testing. It’s important, not only for the health and safety of our herd but also our neighbors’ herds.

Low-stress handling. Working with their natural movement instead of against it. And sometimes, making space for the older animals that don’t exactly cooperate, because their role in the herd matters too.

Every decision comes back to one question: what do the bison need from us? Get that right, and they do the rest, shaping plant diversity, soil health, and the movement of other wildlife in ways no other animal can.

24/04/2026

On this week’s Prairie Watch, one of the prairie’s most recognizable species: elk!

Elk (Cervus canadensis) are one of North America’s largest land mammals (bulls can weigh up to 700 lbs), and their presence has a ripple effect across the ecosystem. As they graze, they help maintain a mosaic of grasses and shrubs, creating habitat for a wide range of species. Their movements across the land naturally disturb soil, helping cycle nutrients and support new plant growth.

Elk are also an important food source for large predators like wolves, helping sustain balanced predator-prey relationships. Even after they move on, their impact remains: trampled vegetation, fertilized soil, and well-worn trails all contribute to a dynamic, healthy prairie.

| A weekly look at what’s happening on the prairie when no one’s watching.

22/04/2026

Happy Earth Day! 🌍 Today we’re celebrating the land we love and taking a moment to reflect on why we do this work, and the people that makes it possible.

We’re working to connect, conserve, and share more than 3 million acres of prairie-grasslands in Montana’s Northern Great plains.

Why? Because temperate grasslands are the least protected biome on Earth. In fact, there are only four places left on Earth with the potential to be conserved at ecosystem scale: Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Patagonia, and the Northern Great Plains.

Our vision is simple, even if the work is anything but: restore a vast, connected prairie landscape where native wildlife can roam, ecosystems can function as they were meant to, and future generations can experience what truly wild land looks like.

Conservation at this scale doesn’t happen by accident. Our ability to connect and conserve habitat in Montana’s Northern Great Plains is made possible through the collaboration and hard work of all kinds of folks—from scientists, to local ranchers and landowners, land managers and agencies, to neighboring Indigenous communities, and people like you.

On Earth Day, we want to say thank you. Thank you for caring about the prairie—and for caring about all the other places that matter to you, too. This work takes all of us, and we’re grateful you’re part of it. 💚

20/04/2026

This year marks our 25th anniversary, and if there’s one thing we’ve been wild about from the start, it’s public access.

At a time when the future of public lands and public access can feel uncertain, we keep coming back to the same idea: wildlife AND people benefit from access to wild and wide-open spaces. These places matter, and they should stay open for people to explore and enjoy.

For 25 years, that has guided our work—connecting the landscape, restoring the prairie, and making sure there’s room for people in it, too.

And none of it happens without you. Your support helps us:

+ Purchase properties that provide reliable public access to hundreds of thousands of acres (yay!)
+ Expand the Myers Family Hut System (hello, hut #4!)
+ Welcome visitors (and a black-footed ferret) to the National Discovery Center in Lewistown
+ Bring STEM education to Montana public schools—day trips and overnights
+ Keep campgrounds open and accessible across the prairie
+ Break ground on new biking trails at Mars Vista

We’re wild about public access—and grateful you are too. Donate today at https://donate.americanprairie.org/campaign/779955/donate?c_src=fb&c_src2=link

17/04/2026

On this week’s Prairie Watch: prairie dogs! They’re small but mighty and they are shaping the prairie from the ground up.

Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are a keystone species, meaning entire ecosystems depend on them. Their burrows provide shelter for burrowing owls and prairie rattlesnakes. Their grazing creates open habitat for nesting birds and nutrient-rich regrowth for bison, and LOTS of prairie animals depend on them for food. They’re kind of the prairie’s version of a go-to snack.

Once covering hundreds of thousands of acres across the Great Plains, prairie dog colonies now occupy just a fraction of their historic range. Habitat loss, poisoning campaigns, and disease have all taken a toll.

American Prairie restoration work is focused on rebuilding these vital colonies by expanding habitat, supporting population growth, and reducing disease risk. Turns out, a healthy prairie starts a lot closer to the ground than most people think.

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| A weekly look at what’s happening on the prairie when no one’s watching

08/04/2026

covered the story of our bison herd and federal grazing law. The writer, Rachelle Schrute, is from Lewistown — the gateway to the prairie where our National Discovery Center sits on Main Street.

Her take on what’s happening with our bison herd and federal grazing law is one of the clearest we’ve read. She gets into what the Taylor Grazing Act actually says, why the implications reach well beyond our permits, and what it means for tribal bison restoration programs across the country.

Whether you’re familiar with the story or just hearing about it, it’s worth the read. Read the full article here: https://gearjunkie.com/outdoor/bison-and-federal-grazing?utm_source=freewall

07/04/2026

Spring doesn’t arrive all at once on the prairie. It builds.

Crews checking fence lines, monitoring habitat, and covering ground that’s been quiet for months. New growth starts pushing through, grass coming up through last year’s cover, shooting stars beginning to bloom. Small shifts, but you notice them.

Calving season follows, timed almost perfectly with fresh forage and warming temps. New life shows up right when the landscape is ready for it. Snowmelt fills the creeks and low spots, getting water moving again through parts of the prairie that have been locked up since fall.

Migratory birds filter back in too. Meadowlarks among them. If you’ve been following along, you know what that song means out here.

And with the snow gone, everything opens up. Visibility stretches. The prairie feels big again in a way it just doesn’t in winter.

None of it happens overnight. Each piece sets up the next, and before long the whole system is running again, crews, wildlife, water, new growth—setting the pace for everything that follows.

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+14065854600

Website

https://www.americanprairie.org/, https://coreli.ai/americanprairie

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