Comment on FR Doc # 2026-09387

I am writing this letter in opposition to BLM’s action of rescinding grazing rights for American Prairie’s bison herd. Under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is legally mandated to manage public lands and grazing allotments under the principles of multiple use. To forbid their presence goes against this long-standing principle of multiple-use that has been mandated for decades. In addition, BLM has used as their argument that the Taylor Grazing of 1934 which regulates grazing on public lands only allows “domestic livestock” grazed for commercial production purposes. This is nonsense. “Production-oriented is not mentioned anywhere in the Taylor Grazing Act. Bison are classified as livestock by Montana law. The American prairie is one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world. The massive loss of prairie lands has pushed the wildlife species that depend on it to the brink. Each wildlife species native to this ecosystem has a job that supports the sustainability of the system. Bison are a keystone species. By intensively grazing dominant grasses, wallowing in the dirt, and trampling the soil, they naturally till the earth, disperse seeds, create crucial temporary micro-wetlands, and boost overall plant and animal biodiversity. American Prairie’s goal is to bring back these NATIVE plant and animal species and is in no way trying to snuff out the American cowboy and grazing. On the contrary, they lease grazing land to local livestock operators and have as part of their management principles the grazing of commercial livestock. There is also the presence of Native American bison herds on these lands for commercial production purposes, blowing the argument that American Prairie doesn’t include commercial livestock production on some of its lands. BLM’s arguments for nullifying grazing rights to the bison on public lands are contrary to legal law and mandates. Grazing rights should be restored!