CSKT Bison Range

For the third and final case study in my Executive Seminar for Natural Resources Leadership course taken from Portland State University, the class traveled to Missoula, Montana and then drove north to Polson which is near the CSKT Bison Range.  Formerly, the National Bison Range, the site is the stage of over a century of unfortunately poor Tribal relations with the federal government.

Hiking a short distance on the Bitterroot Trail (above and below)

Rewinding time a bit, let's go back to the creation of the Flathead Indian Reservation.  This land grant was already a huge reduction in area to what the Tribes of the area historically relied upon.  But then came the homesteaders and the federal government told Tribal members that they could pick out parcels of land on the Reservation and that land would become theirs, but any "unused" land on the Reservation would go to settlers.

So while that was a big blow, keep in mind that around this time, the bison herds had all but been hunted to extinction.  Some Tribal members at the time had the foresight to capture some bison and manage a small herd for genetic stock.  Unfortunately, these bison were stolen and placed in a bison range created by some east coast nature lovers who convinced the US Government to create a bison range for the American people.  And in a twist of irony, the bison range was then constructed on the Flathead Indian Reservation which was promptly fenced to keep the bison in and the Indians out.

For a century the American Bison Range was managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service within the boundaries of the Flathead Indian Reservation which was a constant source of contention.  In recent decades, several efforts to co- manage the bison range ended in failure which can ultimately be tied back to plan 'ol, simple, racism.

Mount Calowahcan (above) and Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge (below).  How many turtles do you see?!

But with the Trump Administration, an opportunity arose to tuck in a transfer of the bison refuge to the Tribes on some water right legislation making its way through Washington DC.  And so just like that, almost overnight and with no warning, the bison range was transferred from the federal government to Tribal ownership and management.  Although a transition period exists, the Tribes are madly trying to catch up on deferred maintenance while maintaining public access, and learning how to operate the systems and framework established by others, decades prior.

Although the story seems to have a mostly happy ending, it's not without plenty of residual frustration, hatred, and again, racism within the community.  For more information, take the time to watch the following video: In the Spirit of Atatice.

So while we were here for a week, we took a deep dive into the local and Tribal politics of the case study and of course spent an afternoon touring the refuge which was very impressive!  The class time we had was at Ninepipe Lodge on the edge of the Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge.  Most of the week it rained, but the sun breaks revealed the gorgeous mountains above the valley.  Also, the hotel had a ridiculously adorable dog.  And since I was staying in Polson, I spent one evening wandering around town looking for a restaurant (failed), but ended up more taken with Flathead Lake.  On the last afternoon, we got out of class around noon which left us with a few hours to burn in Missoula and I was able to catch a beer and bookstore which was perfect.  And finally, since I didn't want to share any shoulder space on the return flight and because there was one seat left, I upgraded myself to first class!

Flathead Lake (above and below)

His name is "Oscar"