Employees at the National Bison Range in Montana say management by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes has created a hostile working environment.

The employees accuse tribal members of safety and ethical violations, harassment, intimidation and personal slander. Some want to be transferred while others want the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to revoke an annual funding agreement with the tribe for some activities at the range.

The "disturbing issues" raised by the employees prompted a regional deputy director to order an investigation. James Slack said the probe will be handled by an outside agency but a letter didn't say which one [PDF].

After years of negotiations, the tribe began handling some activities at the range, which is located entirely within reservation boundaries and whose herd descends from animals raised by tribal members. A first-year review cited progress but said the tribe failed to complete some of its goals, a characterization disputed by the tribe.

Get the Story:
FWS orders outside investigation into Bison Range complaints (The Missoulian 10/18)

Evaluation Report:
Implementation of the Annual Funding Agreement (May 2006)

Relevant Links:
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes - http://www.cskt.org
National Bison Range - http://bisonrange.fws.gov
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility - http://www.peer.org

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