The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes welcomes a review of its management agreement at the National Bison Range, Chairman E.T. "Bud" Moran said.

The tribe entered into an annual funding agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to carry out some functions at the range. The facility is located entirely within the Flathead Reservation and is home to a herd of bison whose ancestors were raised by tribal members.

Despite the strong connections between the tribe and the range, the agreement has been met with opposition from Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. The group said its concerns about the tribe's management will be reviewed by the Office of Inspector General at the Interior Department.

"As a longtime contractor of federal programs, the tribes are accustomed to various audits and evaluations," CSKT Chairman Moran told The Missoulian. "We will work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to provide information, and we look forward to the evaluation report."

Get the Story:
Interior Office of Inspector General to look at Bison Range issues raised by PEER (The Missoulian 3/24)
Press Release: INSPECTOR GENERAL OPENS BISON RANGE INVESTIGATION (PEER 3/23)

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