Horse Butte Sign On Letter- Just Cut & Paste into your email.

American bison historically ranged and occupied present day Gallatin National Forest lands in the Yellowstone, Gallatin and Madison river valleys.

Bison migrating along the Madison river from Yellowstone National Park winter on the Gallatin National Forest and have fidelity to calving grounds on Horse Butte peninsula, where cattle no longer graze.

Bison return year after year for spring green-up on the south facing buttes and rolling sagebrush grasslands and forests in Hebgen Lake basin.

The Galanis family has ceased grazing cattle on Horse Butte and declared their land a Yellowstone Ranch Preserve and a sanctuary for bison to graze in peace. Local neighborhood and villager support for wild bison creates an opportunity to manage habitat year round on Horse Butte peninsula.

Local neighborhood and villager support for wild bison creates an opportunity to manage habitat year round on Horse Butte Peninsula.

As Congress has directed, the U.S. Forest Service has a legal duty under the National Forest Management Act to manage habitat supporting viable populations of wild bison on the Gallatin National Forest.

There is much the Gallatin National Forest can do to correct the bias the agency has shown by managing habitat for cattle on National Forest lands to the detriment of native, migratory bison and species that depend on wild bison for survival.

The Gallatin National Forest should:
* Manage Horse Butte peninsula and adjoining habitats as year-round habitat for bison.
* Conduct suitability analyses identifying cattle grazing allotments in bison's historic range and permanently close those allotments on the Forest for their wildlife habitat, water quality, and recovery value for endangered species.
* Revoke the Montana Dept. of Livestock's 10-year permit to capture wild bison on Horse Butte.
* Ask Congress for Land, Water and Conservation Fund dollars to buy-out cattle on private lands and create habitat for bison to roam in adjacent to National Forest lands.
* Work with local villagers who support bison on private lands to expand habitat available to support and recover wild bison populations throughout the Gallatin National Forest and beyond.

Bison are a nomadic herd species requiring protected corridors and secure habitats across valley river habitats and beyond.

Nomadic treks of indigenous bison through Yellowstone National Park to adjacent National Forest lands is important to the wild species survival.

Bison are an important food source for recovering endangered species like the gray wolf, grizzly bear and bald eagle.

Bison is a keystone species supporting a greater diversity and abundance of native plants and grasses, bird and wildlife species.

Where bison roam, life flourishes again for grasslands and native grasslands species.

There is no longer any justification for persisting with invasive actions to harass, trap and kill wild bison where cattle do not graze.

There is no more continuing justification for the substantial expenditure of taxpayer funds required to haze, trap and slaughter bison on Horse Butte.

Please support conservation, preservation and recovery of American bison on the Gallatin National Forest by acting today!

Sincerely,