I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9695 

To support Tribal co-stewardship, restore and protect bison, grizzly bear, 

and wolf populations, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 19, 2024 

Mr. GRIJALVA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 

each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To support Tribal co-stewardship, restore and protect bison, 

grizzly bear, and wolf populations, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Tribal Heritage and 

5 American Bison, Grizzly Bear, and Wolf Restoration and 

6 Coexistence Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

8 Congress finds that— 


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1 (1) the American bison, the grizzly bear, and 

2 the wolf— 

3 (A) are iconic species that have important 

4 cultural significance to Indigenous peoples of 

5 North America; 

6 (B) play critical roles in maintaining eco7 system health and resilience; and 

8 (C) have been hunted to the point of eradi9 cation from large parts of the historical range 

10 of those species throughout most of the conti11 nental United States; 

12 (2) the reduction or elimination of bison, grizzly 

13 bears, and wolves from the historical range of those 

14 species compromises the ecological integrity of eco15 systems; 

16 (3) the people of the United States support co17 existence approaches to manage bison, grizzly bears, 

18 and wolves on the landscape as a public trust; 

19 (4) many recovery efforts are restoring bison, 

20 grizzly bears, and wolves to suitable habitat within 

21 the historical range of those species in the conti22 nental United States, but more is needed to ensure 

23 that those species regain a firm foothold with long 

24 term protection against eradication efforts due to in25 tolerance and fragmentation of key habitat; and 


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1 (5) this Act builds on the success of the Act of 

2 June 8, 1940 (54 Stat. 250, chapter 278; 16 U.S.C. 

3 668 et seq.) (commonly known as the ‘‘Bald and 

4 Golden Eagle Protection Act’’), the Marine Mammal 

5 Protection Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), 

6 and the National Bison Legacy Act (36 U.S.C. note 

7 prec. 301; Public Law 114–152) by providing essen8 tial Federal protections for bison, grizzly bears, and 

9 wolves. 

10 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

11 In this Act: 

12 (1) BEST AVAILABLE SCIENCE.— 

13 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘best avail14 able science’’ means scientific findings that— 

15 (i) were reviewed by independent, 

16 anonymous peers and published in a jour17 nal that— 

18 (I) is indexed in Web of Science 

19 (or a successor platform); and 

20 (II) subscribes to the Committee 

21 on Publication Ethics (or a successor 

22 organization); 

23 (ii) are reproducible; and 

24 (iii) have not been rebutted by 2 or 

25 more independent scientific teams whose 


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1 rebuttals are published in accordance with 

2 clauses (i) and (ii). 

3 (B) REPRODUCIBLE.—For purposes of 

4 subparagraph (A)(ii), the term ‘‘reproducible’’ 

5 means that the results are capable of being rep6 licated and the data, methods, and results are 

7 shared transparently in the journal that pub8 lished the scientific findings. 

9 (C) REBUTTAL.—For purposes of subpara10 graph (A)(iii), the term ‘‘rebuttal’’ includes— 

11 (i) re-analysis using more robust sta12 tistical design; 

13 (ii) failed efforts at replication; and 

14 (iii) demonstrations that the methods 

15 are impossible to replicate. 

16 (2) BISON.—The term ‘‘bison’’ means a mem17 ber of the species Bison bison. 

18 (3) COMMITTEE.—The term ‘‘Committee’’ 

19 means a committee established under section 5(a). 

20 (4) COVERED SPECIES.—The term ‘‘covered 

21 species’’, as applicable, means bison, grizzly bears, 

22 and wolves. 

23 (5) GRIZZLY BEAR.—The term ‘‘grizzly bear’’ 

24 means a member of the species Ursus arctos 

25 horribilis. 


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1 (6) HISTORICAL RANGE.—The term ‘‘historical 

2 range’’, with respect to a covered species, means the 

3 range of a covered species, as determined by the 

4 Committee using the best available scientific and 

5 historical information. 

6 (7) NONLETHAL MEASURE.—The term ‘‘non7 lethal measure’’ means an activity designed to mini8 mize attractants or scare away or deter a bison, 

9 grizzly bear, or wolf without wounding, restraining, 

10 or trapping the bison, grizzly bear, or wolf. 

11 (8) PUBLIC LAND.—The term ‘‘public land’’ 

12 means land managed by the Bureau of Land Man13 agement. 

14 (9) SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY.—The term ‘‘scientific 

15 society’’ means an organization— 

16 (A) the mission of which is dedicated to 1 

17 or more sciences; 

18 (B) that is explicitly nonpartisan; 

19 (C) the members of which are scientists; 

20 and 

21 (D) the officers and staff of which do not 

22 engage in lobbying or other actions prohibited 

23 to organizations described in section 501(c)(3) 

24 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:30 Oct 01, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9695.IH H9695

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1 empt from taxation under section 501(a) of 

2 that Code. 

3 (10) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ 

4 means the Secretary of the Interior. 

5 (11) TAKE.— 

6 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘take’’ 

7 means to harass, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, 

8 kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to 

9 engage in any such conduct. 

10 (B) EXCLUSION.—The term ‘‘take’’ does 

11 not include the use of nonlethal measures to 

12 protect agricultural interests or public safety. 

13 (12) TRIBAL LAND.—The term ‘‘Tribal land’’ 

14 means— 

15 (A) land located within the boundaries of 

16 an Indian reservation, pueblo, or rancheria; and 

17 (B) land not located within the boundaries 

18 of an Indian reservation, pueblo, or rancheria 

19 title to which is held— 

20 (i) in trust by the United States for 

21 benefit of a federally recognized Indian 

22 Tribe or an individual Indian; 

23 (ii) by a federally recognized Indian 

24 Tribe or an individual Indian, subject to 


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1 restriction against alienation under laws of 

2 the United States; or 

3 (iii) by a dependent Indian commu4 nity. 

5 (13) WOLF.—The term ‘‘wolf’’ means a mem6 ber of the species Canis lupus or Canis rufus, or 

7 their wild hybrids. 

8 SEC. 4. PROTECTION OF BISON, GRIZZLY BEARS, AND 

9 WOLVES. 

10 (a) PROHIBITED ACTS.—Subject to subsection (b), it 

11 is unlawful for any person— 

12 (1) to take, possess, purchase, sell, or transport 

13 a covered species, or any product or part thereof; 

14 (2) to violate any condition of a permit issued 

15 under section 6(a); or 

16 (3) to violate any regulation issued by the Sec17 retary pursuant to this Act. 

18 (b) EXCEPTIONS.—Subsection (a) shall not apply 

19 to— 

20 (1) captive-bred bison intended for human con21 sumption; 

22 (2) a taking that is based on a good faith belief 

23 that the taking is imminently necessary for self-de24 fense or to prevent serious injury or save the life of 


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1 a person in immediate danger, as determined by the 

2 Secretary; 

3 (3) taking, possessing, purchasing, selling, or 

4 transporting a covered species, or any product or 

5 part thereof, for the religious, cultural, and treaty 

6 reserved purposes of a federally recognized Indian 

7 Tribe; or 

8 (4) possessing, purchasing, selling, or trans9 porting a product or part of a covered species if the 

10 product or part was in existence before the date of 

11 enactment of this Act. 

12 (c) CIVIL PENALTIES.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the requirements 

14 of paragraph (2), any person who violates subsection 

15 (a) may be assessed a civil penalty by the Secretary 

16 of not more than $25,000 for each violation. 

17 (2) HEARING AND NOTICE.—The Secretary 

18 may not assess a penalty under paragraph (1) unless 

19 the Secretary gives the person notice and an oppor20 tunity for a hearing with respect to the violation. 

21 (3) FAILURE TO PAY.— 

22 (A) CIVIL ACTION AUTHORIZED.— 

23 (i) IN GENERAL.—On failure to pay a 

24 penalty assessed under paragraph (1), the 

25 Secretary may request the Attorney GenVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:30 Oct 01, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9695.IH H9695

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1 eral to institute a civil action in a district 

2 court of the United States for any district 

3 in which the person is found, resides, or 

4 transacts business to collect the penalty. 

5 (ii) JURISDICTION.—The district 

6 court of the United States in which an ac7 tion is brought under clause (i) shall have 

8 jurisdiction to hear and decide the action. 

9 (B) DEFERENCE TO SECRETARY.—In any 

10 action brought under subparagraph (A)(i), the 

11 applicable district court of the United States 

12 shall sustain the determination of the Secretary 

13 to assess a penalty under paragraph (1) if that 

14 determination is supported by substantial evi15 dence. 

16 (d) CRIMINAL PENALTIES.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.— 

18 (A) FIRST VIOLATION.—Any person who 

19 knowingly violates subsection (a) shall be fined 

20 not more than $50,000, imprisoned not more 

21 than 1 year, or both. 

22 (B) SUBSEQUENT VIOLATIONS.—In the 

23 case of a second or subsequent violation of sub24 section (a), a person shall be fined not more 


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1 than $75,000, imprisoned not more than 2 

2 years, or both. 

3 (C) SEPARATE OFFENSE.—Each violation 

4 of subsection (a) is a separate offense. 

(2) PAYMENT OF FINE TO INFORMANTS.—1 5 ⁄2 of 

6 the amount of each fine assessed under subpara7 graph (A) or (B) of paragraph (1) shall be paid to 

8 any person that gives information leading to a con9 viction under this subsection. 

10 (3) CLARIFICATION.—In a prosecution under 

11 this subsection for a violation of subsection (a), the 

12 Federal Government shall not be required to prove 

13 that the violator knew that the animal taken was a 

14 covered species. 

15 (e) CANCELLATION OF GRAZING AUTHORIZA16 TIONS.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—Any lease, license, permit, or 

18 agreement issued by the head of a Federal agency 

19 to a person authorizing the grazing of domestic live20 stock on Federal land shall be cancelled on the con21 viction of the person in an action brought under sub22 section (d)(1). 

23 (2) NO LIABILITY OF UNITED STATES.—The 

24 United States shall not be liable for the payment of 

25 any compensation, reimbursement, or damages in 


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1 connection with the cancellation of any lease, license, 

2 permit, or agreement under paragraph (1). 

3 (f) DONATION OF GRAZING PERMITS AND LEASES.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning in fiscal year 

5 2025, the Secretary, with respect to public land, and 

6 the Secretary of Agriculture, with respect to Na7 tional Forest System land (referred to in this sub8 section as the ‘‘Secretary concerned’’), shall accept 

9 the donation of any valid existing leases or permits 

10 authorizing grazing on public land or National For11 est System land, as applicable, for the purpose of re12 ducing conflicts between permitted livestock and cov13 ered species. 

14 (2) TERMINATION.—With respect to each per15 mit or lease donated under paragraph (1), the Sec16 retary concerned shall— 

17 (A) terminate the grazing permit or lease; 

18 and 

19 (B) except as provided in paragraph (3), 

20 ensure a permanent end to grazing on the pub21 lic land or National Forest System land, as ap22 plicable, covered by the permit or lease. 

23 (3) COMMON ALLOTMENTS.—If land covered by 

24 a permit or lease donated under paragraph (1) is 

25 also covered by another valid grazing permit or lease 


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1 that is not donated under that paragraph, the Sec2 retary concerned shall not allow the total grazing 

3 use on the land to exceed the average actual grazing 

4 use under the other valid grazing permit or lease for 

5 the 5-year period preceding the date on which the 

6 permit or lease is donated under that paragraph. 

7 SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF BISON, GRIZZLY BEAR, AND 

8 WOLF RESTORATION AND COEXISTENCE 

9 COMMITTEES. 

10 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 days after 

11 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall es12 tablish 3 committees, 1 for each covered species, to carry 

13 out the requirements of this Act. 

14 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—Each Committee shall be com15 posed of members, to be appointed by the Secretary, in 

16 accordance with the following: 

17 (1) REGIONAL REPRESENTATION OF FEDER18 ALLY RECOGNIZED INDIAN TRIBES.—Each region of 

19 each Committee, as described in subsection (c), shall 

20 include 3 members of federally recognized Indian 

21 Tribes, to be nominated by those federally recog22 nized Indian Tribes, based on criteria that gives 

23 preference to individuals who would represent Tribal 

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1 ally recognized Indian Tribe has treaty reserved 

2 rights on Federal land that is— 

3 (A) inhabited by a covered species; 

4 (B) located within the historical range of 

5 the covered species; or 

6 (C) identified in the report required under 

7 section 8(a)(1)(B) as suitable to support popu8 lations of the covered species. 

9 (2) AT-LARGE MEMBERS.—Each Committee 

10 shall include 8 at-large members, which shall be 

11 composed of 1 scientific expert representative from 

12 each of the following Federal and State agencies 

13 (designated by the applicable agency): 

14 (A) The United States Fish and Wildlife 

15 Service. 

16 (B) The National Park Service. 

17 (C) The Forest Service. 

18 (D) The Animal and Plant Health Inspec19 tion Service of the Department of Agriculture. 

20 (E) The Bureau of Land Management. 

21 (F) The Bureau of Indian Affairs. 

22 (G) The United States Geological Survey. 

23 (H) A State wildlife agency with expertise 

24 in successful coexistence and restoration efforts 

25 for the covered species. 


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1 (3) REGIONAL NONGOVERNMENTAL REP2 RESENTATIVES.—Each Committee shall include 3 

3 nongovernmental representatives with— 

4 (A) established regional scientific expertise 

5 from regions that are key historic habitats of 

6 the covered species; and 

7 (B) expertise in wildlife restoration and co8 existence efforts with respect to the covered 

9 species. 

10 (c) ESTABLISHMENT OF REGIONS.—The Secretary 

11 shall establish 8 regions within each Committee, which 

12 shall correspond to the following geographic regions of the 

13 United States Fish and Wildlife Service: 

14 (1) Pacific. 

15 (2) Southwest. 

16 (3) Midwest. 

17 (4) Southeast. 

18 (5) Northeast. 

19 (6) Mountain-Prairie. 

20 (7) Alaska. 

21 (8) Pacific Southwest. 

22 (d) DETERMINATIONS TO BE MADE ON BASIS OF

23 BEST AVAILABLE SCIENCE AND METHODOLOGY.—Deter24 minations made by a Committee pursuant to this Act shall 


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1 be solely based on the best available science and method2 ology. 

3 (e) NO REPLACEMENT OF EXISTING ENTITIES.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The establishment of a Com5 mittee shall not replace any existing Federal or 

6 interagency committee, task force, or study team. 

7 (2) LIMITATIONS.—The functions of a Com8 mittee— 

9 (A) shall be limited to those provided by 

10 this Act; and 

11 (B) shall not replace, repeal, or subsume 

12 any authority or function delegated to any other 

13 Federal or interagency committee, task force, or 

14 study team. 

15 (f) IMPLEMENTATION OF DEPREDATION AND COEX16 ISTENCE GRANT PROGRAMS.—Notwithstanding any other 

17 provision of law, each Committee shall— 

18 (1) review applications for assistance under the 

19 grant program established under subsection (b) of 

20 section 102 of America’s Conservation Enhancement 

21 Act (7 U.S.C. 8355); and 

22 (2) make award recommendations to the Secre23 taries (as defined in subsection (a) of that section) 

24 with respect to those applications. 


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1 SEC. 6. PERMITTED TAKING OF BISON, GRIZZLY BEARS 

2 AND WOLVES. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may issue a permit 

4 in accordance with this section authorizing the taking, 

5 possession, or transportation of a covered species, or any 

6 product or part thereof, that is otherwise prohibited by 

7 section 4(a). 

8 (b) CONDITIONS.—The Secretary may issue a permit 

9 under subsection (a) only if the Secretary has— 

10 (1) investigated the circumstances that gave 

11 rise to the permit application; and 

12 (2) determined that the taking, possession, or 

13 transportation is an allowable taking, possession, or 

14 transportation under subsection (c). 

15 (c) ALLOWABLE TAKINGS, POSSESSIONS, OR TRANS16 PORTS.—Subject to subsection (d), for purposes of sub17 section (b)(2), an allowable taking, possession, or trans18 portation is any of the following: 

19 (1) SCIENTIFIC OR CONSERVATION PUR20 POSES.—Taking, possessing, or transporting a cov21 ered species, or any product or part thereof, for sci22 entific purposes, to rehabilitate an injured animal, or 

23 to enhance the propagation or survival of the cov24 ered species, by a— 

25 (A) public museum; 

26 (B) scientific society; 


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1 (C) wildlife sanctuary, preserve, or reha2 bilitation facility; or 

3 (D) zoological park that is accredited by 

4 the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. 

5 (2) BISON POPULATION CONTROL.— 

6 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara7 graph (B), taking of bison to control over8 population in a specific geographic area, as de9 termined necessary by the Secretary. 

10 (B) REQUIREMENTS.—Prior to making a 

11 determination under subparagraph (A) with re12 spect to a taking of a bison, the Secretary shall 

13 determine, in consultation with the applicable 

14 Committee, that the bison cannot be relocated 

15 to support efforts under section 8 to reintro16 duce bison on— 

17 (i) Tribal land; or 

18 (ii) usual and accustomed areas where 

19 federally recognized Indian Tribes have 

20 treaty reserved rights on Federal land. 

21 (3) PROTECTION OF AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS

22 OR PUBLIC SAFETY.— 

23 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara24 graph (B), taking of a grizzly bear or wolf dur25 ing such time and in such location as the SecVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:30 Oct 01, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9695.IH H9695

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1 retary determines to be essential to protect ag2 ricultural interests or public safety in the loca3 tion. 

4 (B) REQUIREMENTS FOR TAKING.—Prior 

5 to making a determination under subparagraph 

6 (A) with respect to a taking— 

7 (i) the Governor of the State in which 

8 the taking will occur shall request, in writ9 ing, that the Secretary make the deter10 mination; 

11 (ii) the Secretary shall conclude that 

12 situationally appropriate nonlethal meas13 ures have been consistently used in the lo14 cation and proven ineffective to mitigate 

15 the threat of the covered species to agricul16 tural interests or public safety; and 

17 (iii) the Secretary shall determine, in 

18 consultation with the applicable Com19 mittee, that, for any grizzly bear or wolf 

20 which poses a threat to agricultural inter21 ests, the grizzly bear or wolf cannot be re22 located to support— 

23 (I) efforts under section 8 to re24 introduce grizzly bears and wolves 

25 on— 


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1 (aa) Tribal land; or 

2 (bb) usual and accustomed 

3 areas where federally recognized 

4 Indian Tribes have treaty re5 served rights on Federal land; or 

6 (II) recovery efforts for the popu7 lations of the covered species listed as 

8 a threatened species or an endangered 

9 species under section 4 of the Endan10 gered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 

11 1533). 

12 (d) NO PERMITS FOR TAKINGS THAT WOULD EX13 CEED MORTALITY LIMIT.—The Secretary may not issue 

14 a permit under subsection (a) for an allowable use de15 scribed in subsection (c)(1) if the taking of the covered 

16 species would cause the total mortality for any population 

17 or subpopulation of the covered species to exceed the sci18 entifically recommended limit, as determined by the appli19 cable Committee. 

20 (e) NONALIENABILITY.—Any person issued a permit 

21 under subsection (a) may not sell, transfer, assign, or oth22 erwise alienate the authority granted to the person by the 

23 permit. 

24 (f) CONDUCT REQUIREMENTS.—Taking, possessing, 

25 or transporting a covered species, or any product or part 


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1 thereof, with a permit issued under subsection (a) shall 

2 be conducted in a manner consistent with the conditions 

3 of that permit. 

4 (g) PERMITS ISSUED UNDER THE ESA.—A permit 

5 issued under section 10(a) of the Endangered Species Act 

6 of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1539(a)) for a covered species shall 

7 be treated as a permit issued under subsection (a). 

8 SEC. 7. CONSULTATION WITH FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED IN9 DIAN TRIBES. 

10 (a) CONSULTATION REQUIRED BEFORE ISSUING

11 PERMIT.—Before issuing a permit under section 6(a) that 

12 authorizes an activity to be carried out on the Tribal land 

13 of a federally recognized Indian Tribe or on usual and ac14 customed areas where federally recognized Indian Tribes 

15 have treaty reserved rights on Federal land, the Secretary 

16 shall consult with the applicable federally recognized In17 dian Tribe. 

18 (b) CONSULTATION REQUIRED BEFORE TAKING

19 MAJOR FEDERAL ACTION.—Before taking any major 

20 Federal action that may negatively impact covered species 

21 habitat or increase covered species mortality, a Federal 

22 agency shall consult with— 

23 (1) the applicable Committee; and 

24 (2) any federally recognized Indian Tribe— 


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1 (A) the Tribal land of which may be im2 pacted by the Federal action; and 

3 (B) that has usual and accustomed areas 

4 where the federally recognized Indian Tribe has 

5 treaty reserved rights on Federal land that may 

6 be impacted by the Federal action. 

7 (c) REQUIREMENTS.—Any consultation conducted 

8 with a federally recognized Indian Tribe under subsection 

9 (b)(2) shall be— 

10 (1) meaningful and conducted with the free, 

11 prior, and informed consent or resolution of the fed12 erally recognized Indian Tribe; and 

13 (2) carried out through cooperative manage14 ment agreements between the Secretary, the Sec15 retary of Agriculture, and the federally recognized 

16 Indian Tribe. 

17 SEC. 8. RESTORATION OF BISON, GRIZZLY BEARS, OR 

18 WOLVES. 

19 (a) REINTRODUCTION OF BISON, GRIZZLY BEARS, 

20 OR WOLVES ON TRIBAL LAND.— 

21 (1) STUDY; REPORT.— 

22 (A) STUDY.—Each Committee, in con23 sultation with each federally recognized Indian 

24 Tribe whose Tribal land is located within the 

25 historical range of the covered species, whose 


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1 Tribal land is currently inhabited by the cov2 ered species, or that has usual and accustomed 

3 areas where the federally recognized Indian 

4 Tribe has treaty reserved rights on Federal 

5 land, shall conduct a study to identify Tribal 

6 land and usual and accustomed areas where 

7 federally recognized Indian Tribes have treaty 

8 reserved rights on Federal land that is suitable 

9 to support covered species populations. 

10 (B) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after 

11 the date of enactment of this Act, each Com12 mittee shall make publicly available on the 

13 website of the Department of the Interior a re14 port containing the results of the study con15 ducted under subparagraph (A). 

16 (2) NOTIFICATIONS.—Not later than 30 days 

17 after the date on which a report is made available 

18 under subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1), the Sec19 retary shall notify— 

20 (A) each federally recognized Indian Tribe 

21 whose Tribal land was identified in the study 

22 conducted under subparagraph (A) of that 

23 paragraph that the federally recognized Indian 

24 Tribe has land that is suitable to support cov25 ered species populations; 


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1 (B) each federally recognized Indian Tribe 

2 with treaty reserved rights on usual and accus3 tomed areas on Federal land identified in the 

4 study conducted under subparagraph (A) of 

5 that paragraph that the land is suitable to sup6 port covered species populations; and 

7 (C) the Governor of any State in which the 

8 Tribal land described in subparagraph (A) or 

9 usual and accustomed areas where federally rec10 ognized Indian Tribes have treaty reserved 

11 rights on Federal land described in subpara12 graph (B) is located. 

13 (3) REINTRODUCTION.—If a federally recog14 nized Indian Tribe notified under paragraph (2)(A) 

15 notifies the Secretary that the federally recognized 

16 Indian Tribe requests the reintroduction of a cov17 ered species on the land of the federally recognized 

18 Indian Tribe, the Secretary shall coordinate with the 

19 federally recognized Indian Tribe to reintroduce on 

20 that land members of the species for which a take 

21 permit has been issued by the Secretary pursuant to 

22 paragraph (2) or (3) of section 6(c). 

23 (4) MANNER OF REINTRODUCTION.—The re24 introduction of a covered species under paragraph 

25 (3) on Tribal land shall be carried out by the SecVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:30 Oct 01, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9695.IH H9695

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1 retary and the relevant federally recognized Indian 

2 Tribe in a manner that is consistent with— 

3 (A) the scientific advice of the applicable 

4 Committee; 

5 (B) the traditional ecological knowledge of 

6 the federally recognized Indian Tribe; and 

7 (C) Secretarial Order 3403, entitled ‘‘Joint 

8 Secretarial Order on Fulfilling the Trust Re9 sponsibility to Indian Tribes in the Stewardship 

10 of Federal Lands and Waters’’ and issued by 

11 the Secretary on November 15, 2021. 

12 (5) MANAGEMENT.—The relevant federally rec13 ognized Indian Tribes, in consultation with the Sec14 retary, shall manage covered species reintroduced on 

15 Tribal land under this section using the best avail16 able science and consistent with the cultural impera17 tives of those federally recognized Indian Tribes, as 

18 described in the documents entitled— 

19 (A) ‘‘The Grizzly: A Treaty of Coopera20 tion, Cultural Revitalization and Restoration’’ 

21 (commonly known as the ‘‘Grizzly Treaty’’); 

22 (B) ‘‘The Buffalo: A Treaty of Coopera23 tion, Renewal, and Restoration’’ (commonly 

24 known as the ‘‘Buffalo Treaty’’); and 


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1 (C) ‘‘The Wolf: A Treaty of Cultural and 

2 Environmental Survival’’ (commonly known as 

3 the ‘‘Wolf Treaty’’). 

4 (6) PROTECTION OF PUBLIC SAFETY.—A griz5 zly bear or wolf that has been identified by the Sec6 retary as a threat to public safety shall not be eligi7 ble for reintroduction under this section. 

8 (b) OTHER RESTORATION EFFORTS.—Nothing in 

9 this Act affects any effort by the Secretary to reintroduce 

10 a covered species on land not described in this section. 

11 SEC. 9. LIMITATION ON USE OF LETHAL PREDATOR CON12 TROL MEASURES. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary or the Secretary of 

14 Agriculture shall prohibit on public land or National For15 est System land, as applicable, the use of any lethal wild16 life control measures if the applicable Committee deter17 mines that the use of those lethal measures on that land 

18 may result in the taking of a covered species. 

19 (b) PROHIBITION.—The Secretary and the Secretary 

20 of Agriculture shall prohibit Federal agency staff and con21 tracted entities from using any lethal wildlife control 

22 methods on any land where the applicable Committee de23 termines that the use of those lethal measures may result 

24 in the taking of a covered species. 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
26 

•HR 9695 IH

1 SEC. 10. SAVINGS PROVISION. 

2 Nothing in this Act impedes the implementation of 

3 the Bison Conservation and Transfer Program of the Na4 tional Park Service. 

Æ 


ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS