Wednesday, 6 May 2020

Secure a Future for Wild Bison: Lobby Montana Candidates




The future for any restoration of public, wild bison in Montana could be extinguished by the 2021 state legislature. Similar attempts have occurred in the past; but were vetoed by our governors. However, Montana will have a new governor in 2021.
Once the legislature convenes, it is too late for informed public discussion of the issues. It is therefore imperative to stimulate bison restoration as an issue in 2020 election campaigns. Readers are encouraged to broach the issue at public forums and in letters to editors of newspapers, to encourage other conservation organizations to take a stand, and to contact candidates of both parties to address the issue of bison restoration.
Justifications for bison restoration on the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge are abundant and diverse. See them throughout this website. However, in most situations, it will be necessary to initiate communication with a brief, pointed message. Please consider this example, written as a letter to a candidate for Montana office:
Candidate,
Aside from seasonal visitors from Wyoming, Montana has no public-trust wild bison herd. (See more at mtwildbison.org.)
Yet the Montana Constitution mandates remedies for unreasonable depletion of natural resources, provisions to restore historic, scientific, cultural and recreational objects for use and enjoyment by the people, and preserving the opportunity to harvest wild game.
Montana law (MCA 87-1-216) provides guidelines for restoring public bison with a contained herd while protecting private property and resources.
Three polls have indicated that 70 percent of Montana voters support restoring public, wild bison on the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge.
If you are elected to a position with responsibilities to uphold the Montana Constitution, will you support restoration of a sizeable public-trust bison herd on a substantial but contained landscape, such as the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge?
So far, the candidates have been ignoring environmental issues. Getting our concern into the election dialogue will be difficult. But silence is unacceptable. Please join us in this effort. Together, we can stir the pot. 

Jim Bailey 



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