American Prairie's Free-Roaming Bison Herd Passes 1,000 for the First Time

American Prairie, the Montana nonprofit working to rebuild a wild prairie landscape, says its bison herd has passed 1,000 animals for the first time. Good News Network reported on 16 October 2026 that the annual post-breeding calf count put the herd at 1,016.

A milestone for a conservation herd

• Bison were reintroduced to the reserve in 2005, after being absent from the landscape for more than 120 years.
• The reserve spans roughly 603,000 acres, a mix of deeded land and leased public land.
• The long-term goal is a herd of 5,000, which American Prairie describes as a minimal viable population, across a vision of 3.2 million acres that it says is likely decades away.

Conservation herds matter because most are small. American Prairie notes that fewer than 10 percent of North America's bison are managed for conservation or as wild animals, and most conservation herds number in the dozens to a few hundred.

A legal fight that is still open

The good news arrives alongside a dispute. In May 2026 the Bureau of Land Management revoked the group's grazing permits and ordered bison removed from federal allotments. On 4 September, U.S. District Judge Brian Morris granted a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of that order on three allotments in Phillips County while the lawsuit continues.

The judge found the group likely to succeed on its claims and said the court "struggles to see" how the BLM's decision fits federal law. CEO Alison Fox said the ruling "gives them a chance to stay."

What's next

An injunction is temporary and not a final ruling on the merits, and Montana still classifies bison as livestock rather than wildlife. For now, though, the herd is larger than it has ever been on the reserve, and it remains on the land while the courts decide.