GYC, Tribes, and Conservation Partners Defend Yellowstone Bison Plan in Court

Defending Yellowstone’s balanced bison management plan is the right thing to do. That’s why we’re getting involved in the state of Montana’s lawsuit against Yellowstone National Park.

On February 24, 2025, the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, the National Parks Conservation Association, Defenders of Wildlife, Park County Environmental Council, represented by Earthjustice, filed a motion to intervene on behalf of Yellowstone National Park in their lawsuit with Montana.

A lone bull bison wanders down a road in Yellowstone National Park. (Photo NPS/Jacob W. Frank)

Our motion argues that a lawsuit filed by the state of Montana in December 2024 is a misguided effort to overturn the modern and realistic plan and would impede the transfer of disease-free bison to Tribes seeking to reestablish conservation herds.

“Yellowstone bison are a significant economic driver for Yellowstone’s gateway communities and hold tremendous cultural and ecological value for all Americans,” said Greater Yellowstone Coalition Executive Director Scott Christensen. “Instead of wasting taxpayer dollars on a lawsuit, the state of Montana should commit to working in good faith with Yellowstone National Park and the many varied interests at the table to successfully conserve and manage our national mammal.”

Yellowstone’s bison are the most beloved and iconic population of this once wide-ranging species left in our country. They play critically important roles ecologically, economically, and culturally. And yet the state of Montana continues to demand the National Park Service kill nearly half the population – and so it sued the park on New Year’s Eve. 

Last June, after several years of planning that included thorough input from Tribes, the public, conservation interests, and the state of Montana (27,150 comments submitted in all), Yellowstone finalized its new bison management plan. The new plan was long overdue. For the first time in a quarter-century, the Park Service now has a plan that reflects the latest science and stakeholder input (including from the state), as well as the many changes that have occurred since the last plan was adopted in 2000.

Still, the state of Montana sued the Park Service over a thoroughly vetted, modernized plan to manage our national mammal.  

Bison bedded down along the Madison River at sunrise. (Photo Jacob W. Frank/NPS)

At the heart of the state’s lawsuit is the demand to cut Yellowstone’s bison population to 3,000 animals. About 5,400 bison currently roam in the park. This demand comes despite the new plan setting a population range that is well within the 10-year average that has allowed Yellowstone managers to successfully maintain separation between bison and cattle, resulting in zero brucellosis transmissions and few conflicts with landowners north and west of the park.

To achieve the state’s goal of killing more than 2,000 bison, the park would be forced to aggressively haze and kill animals migrating toward the park boundary, as well as in Yellowstone’s interior. These actions could threaten the population’s long-term viability. If Montana has its way, most Tribal and public hunting opportunities will vanish.  

The reality is Montana’s lawsuit is a big waste of taxpayer dollars. The state has had a seat at the table during the entire process of developing the new plan but has chosen not to act in good faith by crying foul and saying it wasn’t properly consulted. In fact, the state was offered the opportunity by National Park Service leadership to draft its own alternative to be considered in the planning process in April 2022. The state apparently declined that offer. 

Yellowstone bison help drive Montana’s $5.4 billion tourism economy and hold invaluable cultural and ecological importance for all Americans. Montana’s lawsuit and current stance on bison is wildly out-of-touch with nearly 75 percent of Montanans who support efforts to conserve and restore bison.  

Bison are known to walk into approaching storms rather than away from them. So, while the blizzard of attacks on this iconic animal continues, we’ll follow the bison’s lead and turn toward the storm.

If you’d like to support GYC and our crucial conservation work, please consider a gift today.

—Scott Christensen, Executive Director (Bozeman, MT)