*2021 First Quarter Newsletter* *www.plainsconservation.org* <http://www.plainsconservation.org> *REMINDER!* GPCN has migrated subscribers from our old NPCN listserve to our new GPCN mailing service. Make sure you tell your colleagues to check their Spam/Trash folders and add "gpcn@list.plainsconservation.org" and " gpcncoordinator@gmail.com" to their Safe Senders list. *To support GPCN, click HERE <https://support.defenders.org/page/28812/donate/1>. * *A Note from the New Steering Committee Chair,Chamois Andersen* Greetings, and thank you for your support of the Great Plains Conservation Network (GPCN). I am honored to take the reins from our former Chair, Cliff Wallis, who has been instrumental in grasslands conservation up north in Canada, representing the Alberta Wilderness Association and Nature Canada, and as a professor and biologist who has many years of exemplary conservation work with a keen eye for native grassland birds. As chair, I will continue facilitating our monthly Steering Committee meetings and the annual meeting with all GPCN members. Our listserve (*gpcn@list.plainsconservation.org <gpcn@list.plainsconservation.org>*) is for you to use to spread the word about Requests for Proposals, job postings, and new scientific research pertaining to native species of our prairie grasslands. We represent a diverse group and are inclusive of all working on plains conservation. We welcome you and encourage you to learn more about what we do via our website (*https://plainsconservation.org/ <https://plainsconservation.org/>*), which includes key grassland conference and meeting dates, and the latest from our three working groups on Bison, Prairie Dogs, and Mapping. Thank you for your support and participation. Best Regards, *Chamois Andersen* GPCN Chair Senior Representative, Defenders of Wildlife *Chamois Andersen is the Senior Representative of the Rockies and Plains Program for Defenders of Wildlife and is responsible for advancing Defenders' conservation programs for the American Bison and endangered Black-footed Ferret in that region. Her work involves collaborating with conservation partners and state and federal agencies, as well as conducting education and outreach. She facilitates partnerships with tribes across the West for bison recovery efforts and with private landowners and land managers for recovery and habitat conservation for the endangered black-footed ferret.* *Bison Working Group* This first quarter of 2021 continued to involve many Zoom meetings with the working group’s tribal and NGO partners on bison restoration across the Plains. This included a two-day, American Bison Society (ABS) meeting facilitated by the Wildlife Conservation Society. The robust discussion featured a session on the rollout of the Bison Conservation Initiative under the Department of Interior and in lieu of the development of the Bison Continental Strategy (Canada to Mexico) under the ABS in which several case studies were presented. Also this first quarter, Gov. Gianforte scrapped Montana’s bison management plan, per a settlement with United Property Owners of Montana. Additionally, the Montana Legislature considered several bison bills during the session. One (HB 302) was signed into law by Gov. Gianforte that requires county approval of bison, which opponents advocated undermines Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Park’s authority. Another bill (HB 318) passed concerning the state’s definition of bison. If an animal has been subject to an agricultural per capita fee, it could not be used for restoration on public lands and classified as wildlife; the Tribes were exempt from this bill through an amendment. Lastly, a bill (HB 312) was tabled in the House Agricultural Committee that would have provided the Fort Peck Indian Reservation with the ability to conduct full testing of Yellowstone bison for brucellosis, opening up an additional 600 slots for bison that could have been diverted from slaughter at Yellowstone and transferred to Fort Peck’s testing facility, maximizing capacity at both the Park's and Tribes’ quarantine facilities. Other bison news included the establishment of a new conservation herd at the Southern Plains Land Trust (SPLT), Heartland Ranch Nature Preserve, on the short-grass prairie of southeastern Colorado and in partnership with Defenders of Wildlife (*Click HERE for the video! <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d05T_sjKt6Q&t=29s>*). In December of 2020, SPLT received a total of 10 bison from Colorado State University, bison of Yellowstone bison genetics. The SPLT bison herd is dedicated to conservation, managed as wildlife, and free-ranging on this refuge. Established by SPLT in 2015, the Heartland Ranch Nature Preserve contains more than 25,000 acres of shortgrass prairie, with an additional area of 18,000 acres under contract. By expanding Heartland Ranch to 43,000 acres over the next four years, the bison will have ample room to roam and grow. Heartland is already home to a variety of native species, including Pronghorn, Mule Deer, White-tailed Deer, Elk, and Black-tailed Prairie Dogs, and is in the planning stages of endangered Black-footed Ferret reintroduction. *Got RFPs, jobs, or research to share?* Post them to the GPCN Mailing List, *gpcn@list.plainsconservation.org* <gpcn@list.plainsconservation.org> *Did you miss GPCN's Annual Meeting? *The agenda and some meeting presentations can be found on our website - *https://plainsconservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/2021-GPCN-Annual-Conference-Agenda_post-conference.pdf* <https://plainsconservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/2021-GPCN-Annual-Conference-Agenda_post-conference.pdf>