BLM moves to save the cowboys by rejecting APR’s radical project
In a decisive move that safeguards Montana ranching, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has revoked grazing permits allowing the American Prairie Reserve (APR) to run bison on approximately 63,000 acres of public lands in north-central Montana. Announced in January 2026, this reversal of a 2022 authorization marks a critical win for agriculture in Montana, countering the expansive ambitions of a well-funded nonprofit that threatens the very fabric of our rural communities.
For those unfamiliar, APR is an extreme environmental organization with the goal of assembling a vast, privately owned wildlife refuge spanning over 5,000 square miles—roughly the size of Connecticut. Backed by wealthy donors from outside Montana, APR has aggressively purchased ranches, converting them from productive cattle operations to “re-wilded” habitats for free-roaming bison. While this vision of restoring a wild prairie might sound romantic to urban environmentalists, it poses real threats to local communities and the ranching industry that has sustained Montana for generations.
One of the primary threats from APR is its land acquisition strategy, which disrupts the local economy. By buying up family ranches—often at premiums that outbid local buyers—APR removes important economic contributors from our communities. With each ranch lost there are fewer customers on Main Street, fewer kids in the schools, and fewer taxpayers contributing to local services. This isn’t conservation; it’s a slow-motion land grab that erodes the economic backbone of central Montana.
Even more concerning are the practical risks posed by APR’s bison herds. Unlike domestic cattle, bison are powerful, unpredictable animals that can breach fences and wander onto adjacent properties, damaging crops, infrastructure, and even posing safety hazards to humans. Ranchers have long voiced fears about disease transmission, particularly brucellosis—a devastating disease leading to mandatory quarantines and financial ruin. And critically, with wild bison, APR would have no liability for damage caused to their neighbors.
Perhaps the even more serious threat posed by APR was the completely new policy they were attempting to set with BLM’s grazing permits. BLM was established to manage grazing lands to ensure a stable food supply for the nation. APR’s plan was to take control of those grazing allotments, take them out of production agriculture, and “re-wild” them.
If BLM had allowed this to proceed, we would have seen non-profit organizations throughout the West in a land rush to buy up ranches to take them out of cattle production, undermining the stability of the entire Western livestock industry.
BLM’s ruling is unequivocally good for Montana ranchers. It preserves access to BLM-managed allotments for cattle grazing, ensuring that public lands remain a resource for productive, sustainable agriculture rather than experimental wildlife projects. By revoking these permits, the BLM upholds the principle that federal lands should support local economies, not subsidize playgrounds for out-of-state elites. Ranchers can now operate without the looming threat of competition from taxpayer-subsidized bison operations, which benefit from nonprofit status and don’t face the same market pressures as family-run outfits.
Moreover, this decision reinforces Montana’s cultural identity. The ubiquitous battle cry against APR has long been “Save the Cowboy.” Ranching isn’t just a job here—it’s a heritage passed down through families, embodying self-reliance, stewardship, and community. APR’s model romanticizes a pre-settlement prairie at the expense of those who have managed these lands responsibly for over a century. For Montana’s cowboys who’ve been facing down APR, this ruling is a godsend that ensures their continued existence.