Bison in the National Bison Range in Montana, a refuge located entirely within the boundaries of the Flathead Reservation. Photo from Facebook

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of Montana could regain control of a federal refuge located entirely within reservation boundaries.

The National Bison Range was established in 1908 and has been "hugely successful" in preventing the extinction of bison, Cynthia Martinez, the chief of the National Wildlife Refuge System, said in an email to employees. Now it's time to consider returning the land to the tribe, she wrote.

"While the transfer will require Congressional approval, the decision to move forward was not made lightly," Martinez said in the message posted by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility.

The move comes as a surprise to the tribe but officials are welcoming the idea. The tribe has played a somewhat controversial role in managing the refuge but has always maintained a connection to the site.

"To return it to its original owner, to return the animals to their original caretakers is something we're excited about looking into further," spokesperson Robert McDonald told MTN News.

PEER questioned the return of the land to the tribe.

Get the Story:
National Bison Range may move toward tribal management (MTN News 2/10)
Agency may transfer Bison Range to tribes (The Kalispell Daily Inter Lake 2/9)
Lake County residents unhappy over potential Bison Trail transfer (ABC FOX Montana 2/9)
FWS will consider transferring National Bison Range to local Indian tribes (The Missoulian 2/8)

Related Stories:
Opinion: Montana tribe deserves managing role for bison range (8/26)
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes eye role at bison range (08/05)
Montana tribe seeks management role at National Bison Range (7/26)