Native American lawmakers seek federal help on Montana bison

Native American lawmakers in Montana are asking the Biden administration to craft a plan to reintroduce wild bison to areas in and around Glacier National Park and the Charles M

BILLINGS, Mont. -- Native American lawmakers in Montana on Tuesday asked the Biden administration to help craft a plan to reintroduce wild bison to areas in and around Glacier National Park and the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. The request was made by eight members of the Legislature's American Indian Caucus in a letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. It comes after Gov. Greg Gianforte and his fellow Republicans in the Legislature have sought to make it harder to reintroduce bison to areas of the state that the burly animals once roamed. Bison have strong cultural significance for Plains Indians and were depended on by many tribes for food, clothing and other necessities until the huge herds that once populated the U.S. West were wiped out in the late 1800s. State Rep. Tyson Running Wolf said the American Indian Caucus members decided the administration of President Joe Biden would be more willing to help bring back bison than Gianforte, who last week canceled a bison reintroduction plan adopted by his predecessor.