Only 2% of listed species have recovered in the 50 years since the Endangered Species Act

Voluntary conservation efforts for fish species in Montana under threat from federal intervention.

As a writer and journalist who championed individual freedom and limited government, I find a recent lawsuit against Montana ranchers to be deeply troubling. While many only know about Montana ranching from the hit Paramount show “Yellowstone,” this story isn’t too far from what the Duttons deal with on the show. The Center for Biological Diversity and Western Watersheds Project is seeking federal protections for the Arctic grayling, a rare fish found almost exclusively in the Big Hole Valley. While the conservation of the grayling is undoubtedly important, these protections could result in costly land-use restrictions on ranchers in the valley.