The Montana Supreme Court today cleared the way for the return of wild bison to their historic prairie habitat on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, reversing a lower court ruling that had blocked state plans to transfer bison to the Fort Belknap tribes for more than a year.
Today’s ruling from Montana’s highest court came in response to an appeal by two conservation groups, Defenders of Wildlife and the National Wildlife Federation, represented by the public-interest environmental law firm Earthjustice.
“Today’s decision paves the way for the restoration of Montana’s wild bison to continue,” said Earthjustice attorney Tim Preso. “Wild bison are part of our history in Montana and now we can look forward to a future where they are a living, breathing part of our landscape as well.”
The conservationists’ appeal asked the Montana Supreme Court to allow state wildlife officials to move ahead with a plan to transfer to north-central Montana’s Fort Belknap Reservation approximately 30 wild bison originally moved from Yellowstone National Park. A state court judge issued a preliminary injunction in May 2012 that blocked that bison transfer in response to a lawsuit filed by Citizens for Balanced Use. Today’s Montana Supreme Court ruling overturns that decision and voids the lower court’s injunction, allowing the Fort Belknap bison transfer to proceed.
http://earthjustice.org/news/press/2013/montana-s-highest-court-clears-way-for-return-of-wild-bison
