Native lawmakers blast Gianforte after bison plan dropped

[TexasTowelie]

BILLINGS — Native American lawmakers criticized Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte on Friday over his decision to scrap a bison management plan that would have allowed the wild animals to be restored in more areas of the state.

Members of the Legislature's American Indian caucus said they should have been consulted before Gianforte canceled the plan, citing opposition from ranchers.

Bison, also known as buffalo, have deep historical meaning for Plains Indian tribes that once depended on the animals for food, clothing and other necessities. Bison were driven to near-extinction by settlers in the late 1800s.

Efforts to restore the animals outside of Yellowstone National Park have long met resistance from agricultural interests. Bison in sufficient numbers could compete with cattle for grazing space on public lands. Ranchers also have raised worries about a disease carried by Yellowstone bison called brucellosis, although no transmissions from bison to cattle have been recorded.

Read more: https://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/native-lawmakers-blast-gianforte-after-bison-plan-dropped/article_7f64ddaa-7385-500a-835b-9b97b9f27bf7.html

[sprinkleeninow]

1. "Bison were driven to near-extinction by settlers in the late 1800s."

The settlers must've been republiQants.

Seems like republiQants have a penchant for extinction of this planet's inhabitants. Flora, fauna, humanity.

[calimary]

2. Certainly seems that way, doesn't it!

[LaMouffette]

3. All they have to do is create a bison-hunting season, with a lottery system that favors wealthy

in-state and out-of-state hunters, and watch the Repubs fall all over themselves in their rush to return the bison to the wild, just so they can have fun killing them and making money off other rich people who want to have fun killing them.

[2naSalit]

4. Already have that.

Thing is, it's a lot of work even without the chase part. It's not as popular a thing as one might imagine. Hundreds of them are killed each year in hunting programs already.

It's about the fact that ranching interests want to have all the grazing feed on public lands that they pay squat for. There is sparse vegetation out here and either the wildlife get to eat it or the cattle do. We taxpayers pay a hell of a lot of $$ to keep the landscape free of wildlife for the cattle. It is comparable to the Amazon rain forest being chopped and burned for cattle only it's not just trees.

And it's about who has local legislative control.

[LaMouffette]

6. Yeah, you're right. I should've googled first.

[2naSalit]

5. It took several years to come to that agreement...

And a Yellowstone NP superintendent, a halfway decent one, was run out of his job by the former guy for signing that agreement. The ranching industry still has a strangle-hold in the legislature and the body slammer gov is giving them everything they ever wanted along with mining interests and logging. Body slammer thinks he's the former guy.