(Malta) – A new proposal could soon bring bison to state trust lands in Phillips County.
The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation is eyeing a request from the American Prairie Reserve to change the livestock class on a state lease from cattle to bison.
The proposal involves six-hundred-forty acres of state land, located about thirty-five miles south-southeast of Malta. American Prairie wants to construct, electrify, and remove fencing, but is not
asking to increase the current cattle carrying capacity of one-hundred-twenty animal unit months.
By law, state trust lands must be managed to secure the largest long-term financial return for beneficiary institutions.
The DNRC is currently in the environmental scoping phase and may consult wildlife, soil, and archeological specialists.
Officials are inviting the public to weigh in by completing an online survey. The fourteen-day public comment window is open now and closes on September ninth at five p-m.
