Fees increase as Bison Range opens under tribal management
Summer employee Hannah Bancroft and volunteer Dave Fitzpatrick put up a sign warning visitors about the possibility of encountering a grizzly bear while Bison Range park aide Mariah Durglo watches Saturday. (Scott Shindledecker/Valley Press)
Less than six months after former President Donald Trump signed Bison Range Restoration legislation, there are big changes at the 19,000-acre facility in Northwest Montana after it opened last weekend.
The facility is now called the Bison Range and is in federal trust ownership for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Congress passed the act and Trump signed it Dec. 27, 2020.
The Tribe is working with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to transition from federal to tribal management of the property located in Lake and Sanders counties.
Entrance fees have increased and hours of operation have changed slightly.
Beginning, Saturday, May 8, a daily or annual pass per vehicle will be required to enter the Bison Range. The entire facility is a fee use area, including the day-use area. The new rate is $10 per car daily, up from the previous $5 day pass. The Bison Range annual pass is $20 per year, up from the previous $15 fee.
But for those who visited the Range Saturday, there seemed to be some confusion in terms of its opening and how to pay the new fees.
Signs on the door of the visitor center said it was closed while remodeling work was being done so there were some who entered without paying.
However, the Flathead Tribal flag was hung below the United States flag. Later, there was a trio of people, including a Tribal employee, a seasonal worker and a volunteer who were placing signage warning visitors of the possibility of a grizzly bear encounter and stocking restrooms with toilet paper.
Nevertheless, because the Bison Range is no longer a Fish & Wildlife Service or National Park Service facility, federal-use passes no longer will be accepted for entrance fees or sold at the Bison Range.
These include the America the Beautiful or Golden Age passes, as well as the access pass, which meant free entry for U.S. citizens with a permanent disability, or the military pass, which gave free entry for U.S. military members and their dependents. The ‘Every Kid in a Park’ pass free to all fourth-grade students also is no longer available.
Tribal officials said all proceeds will be used for the management and operation of the Bison Range.
As it has been in the past, there is no charge for CSKT members with tribal identification.
The Bison Range used to be open dawn to dusk, but now the front gate opens at 6 a.m. and closes at 8 p.m., seven days a week.
Also, beginning at 7 a.m. Saturday, May 8, Red Sleep Drive opens, with the last car allowed on the drive at 6 p.m.
Prairie Drive is open all year, and visitors are asked to exit the front gate by 8 p.m.
Saturday was the first day the Visitor Center was going to be partially open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., to pay fees and pick up maps/brochures; facilities will be available.
The Tribe is still following CSKT COVID guidelines and requires anyone entering the building to wear a face mask, over the mouth and nose, and adhere to social distancing.
The Visitor Center staff will be available daily to assist visitors with resource questions and new informational and educational materials will be added during the upcoming summer.
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 in 2019 (for which CSKT was a cooperating agency).
Over the next few months visitors will begin to see a new look in signs and the remodeling of the visitor center. However, the annual reopening of Red Sleep drive over Mother’s Day weekend will remain the same. This 19-mile one-way gravel scenic auto tour increases opportunities to see baby calves and other wildlife that reside on the Bison Range year-round.
Visitors are asked to be patient while the museum is remodeled. A new gift shop is on track to open in June.
Visitors are asked to be courteous of other visitors, respect all wildlife from a distance, and remove any garbage.
For more information visit www.bisonrange.org or contact the CSKT Natural Resources Department at 406-883-2888.