BLM hosts Malta meeting to talk APR bison requests

The third of four Bureau of Land Management scoping meeting was held last Thursday, this one at Malta's Old Gym, where the public was invited to learn more about American Prairie Reserve's request to modify their bison grazing permits and how they classify buffalo.

APR has submitted a proposal asking the BLM to modify their grazing permits, according to a BLM press release. APR is seeking permission to change the class of livestock from cattle to bison; allow for season-long grazing; fortify existing external boundary fences by replacing the second strand from the top with an electrified wire, and remove interior fences. The American Prairie Reserve (APR) controls private properties tied to 18 BLM grazing allotments in Fergus, Petroleum, Phillips, and Valley Counties.

BLM public affairs specialist Jonathan Moor was one of a handful of BLM employees in Malta on Thursday to meet with the public and answer questions (the event was not a public meeting where members of the public could voice their concerns about APR's request, to many people's dismay.) Moor said the first two meetings held on the subject (Winnett and Winifred) drew about 100-people on average and after the Malta meeting said there were about 125 people at the Phillips County event (the final meeting was slated for Friday in Glasgow.)

"The American Prairie Reserve has submitted a proposal to make changes to their grazing permit," Moor said. "Because the American Prairie Reserve is a high-profile organization that generates a lot of interest in this area, we have decided to take the extra step and host these scoping meetings to get info from the public about how we should go forward with the environmental assessment that is required with every grazing permit change."

The scoping period runs from April 9 to May 9, 2018. Scoping comments can be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to APR Scoping Comments, BLM Malta Field Office, 47285 Highway 2, Malta, MT 59538.

Scoping comments may be subject to Freedom of Information Act requests, according to BLM, so do not include personally identifiable information you do not want to be made public in your scoping comments.

"I have seen a significant amount of people who are opposed to the American Prairie Reserve for the mission that they are trying to operate which is essentially to establish a 3.5 million acre bison park in central Montana," Moor said. "Most of the concerns I have heard from people have been how that will impact livestock grazing on the public range and how that will affect the ranching and way of life in central Montana. Those are the concerns that people have expressed at these meetings.

Jim McColly, the owner of a ranch with headquarters 15-miles north of Hinsdale, was one of the 125 people at the scoping meeting on Thursday where his family has run a cow/calf/crop operation since 1911. McColly said he is opposed to APR's current proposal because the changes would be detrimental to the land and a double standard to what the rest of the livestock industry has to put up with.

"It has been proven that the rotation basis and fencing increase the habitat and there are ways to manage livestock better," he said. "In my opinion, removing the interior fences will just let (the bison) go and it is going to be detrimental to repairing areas and everything that is involved with that.

McColly, who is also president of the North Valley Grazing District, said he had not submitted his written comments to BLM as of Thursday but would be prior to the May 9 deadline.

"I thought there would be some testimony or something like that here today," McColly added. "Apparently that is not the case...I think the testimony will come down the road."