Roundup Record Tribune & Winnett Times -

(Helena, Mont.)—United Property Owners of Montana issues the following statement by spokesperson Chuck Denowh in response to the APR's decision to revise their Livestock Change In Use application to the BLM. APR has changed the application from eighteen BLM allotments to one, reducing the scope of the change from 290,000 acres to 12,000.

"For over a decade, APR has been advancing a plan to establish a free-roaming bison herd and eliminate the existing ranching communities that occupy the area they want under their control. None of that has changed. APR remains the same threat to neighboring landowners, Montana's agriculture economy, and the communities in their target zone.

"APR's revised proposal to BLM is smaller in scope, but has the same objective as the original. While some may see it as an olive branch, it's more of a trojan horse. BLM grazing allotments were reserved by Congress for agriculture production—APR's revised proposal would be a radical departure from that policy. They know that if they can establish a new precedent on a single BLM allotment, they can expand elsewhere. BLM should reject APR's proposal outright—our public land should not be used in a dangerous experiment with far-reaching implications for Montana's economy."