Montana Moves to Drop its Frivolous Bison Lawsuit

The State of Montana has moved to dismiss its lawsuit challenging Yellowstone National Park’s bison management plan which ends a baseless legal fight that threatened to undermine more than two decades of progress managing one of America’s most iconic wildlife populations. 

The State of Montana has moved to dismiss its lawsuit challenging Yellowstone National Park’s bison management plan — a meaningful step for our national mammal. (Photo © GoeddelGallery.com)

The lawsuit, filed in late 2024, challenged a plan developed through years of public process and input from tribes, conservation groups, the public, and the state of Montana itself. The plan reflects the latest science while building on more than 20 years of successful, collaborative bison management. 

That progress matters. Yellowstone managers and their partners have maintained separation between bison and cattle, protected Montana’s livestock industry, reduced conflicts with landowners, expanded opportunities for tribal hunting and buffalo restoration, and conserved a wild bison population that holds tremendous ecological and cultural significance. 

“Montana was right to move to dismiss this lawsuit. It was a frivolous challenge to a widely supported, science-based plan that builds on more than 20 years of successful Yellowstone bison management,” said Scott Christensen, executive director of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. “We should be working together to build on that progress, not fighting it in court. That means treating bison as valued wildlife, expanding tribal buffalo restoration opportunities, reducing conflict, and protecting Montana’s livestock industry. As the National Park Service revisits the plan, we’ll keep standing up for solutions that move Yellowstone bison conservation forward.” 

The dismissal is welcome news, but the work isn’t finished. 

As the National Park Service conducts a supplemental review of the bison management plan, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition will continue to advocate for a durable path grounded in science, collaboration, and the recognition that Yellowstone bison are valued wildlife, not a problem to be eliminated. 

We’ve come too far to go backward. The opportunity now is to get back to the table and keep moving Yellowstone bison conservation forward. 

—Emilie Ritter, Director of Communications and Marketing [Bozeman, MT]