About the Restoration of the Bison Range
The Bison Range, formerly known as the National Bison Range, was established in 1908 by the U.S. Federal Government in the middle of our treaty-reserved home, the Flathead Indian Reservation, on land taken without our consent. The bison living on the Bison Range also are descendants of the free-ranging Reservation herd started by Tribal members in the 1800’s when plains bison were near extinction.
Through Public Law 116-260, Congress restored the Bison Range as a federal trust ownership under the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) so that our award-winning natural resource managers can take over as stewards of the Bison Range.
The Tribal Council has adopted, as its interim Bison Range management plan, the current Comprehensive Conservation Plan that was developed and adopted by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) in 2019 (for which CSKT was a cooperating agency).
As of 2022, the Bison Range is fully owned and managed by CSKT Natural Resource employees.