"It was like a scene straight from an epic western: 94 wild Yellowstone bison, their instincts in full throttle despite five years behind government fences, thundering through an open gate and onto a vast plain.

The ground literally trembled as they traversed a juniper and sage draw on Ted Turner’s Flying D Ranch southwest of Bozeman, disappearing over a ridge seemingly moments after their initial burst to freedom.

This was a historic moment. Those 94—now up to nearly 150 less than a year and a half after their release in May 2010—were the first bison to leave Yellowstone National Park alive in more than four decades. After years of slaughter, hazing and harassment, wild bison were a symbolic step closer to roaming free on appropriate landscapes across the West.

Today, thanks the diligence of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, we are on the cusp of yet another important leap on the road to restoring wild bison to a fraction of the lands they once roamed by the millions. The state has proposed moving disease-free Yellowstone bison from quarantine pens north of the park to two of wildlife management areas and the Fort Peck and Fort Belknap Indian reservations."

Get the Story:
Jeff Welsch: 94 Yellowstone Bison Freed by Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks, With a Little Help From Friends (Indian Country Today 10/19)

Also Today:
Yellowstone bison relocation plan finds tribal support at Glasgow hearing (The Great Falls Tribune 10/18)