The buffalo nations grasslands alliance (bnga) is a native-led nonprofit organization that supports 16 native nations in the northern great plains with capacity building, wildlife conservation,…

The Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance (BNGA) received a $125,000 Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service under the Migratory Bird Joint Ventures program (CFDA 15.637), effective August 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The Native Producers Restoring and Conserving Grasslands Pilot Project will secure a Montana Grasslands Specialist to provide technical assistance to Native producers across six reservations—Blackfeet, Crow, Fort Belknap, Fort Peck, Northern Cheyenne, and Rocky Boys—enabling them to access technical and financial resources necessary for grassland restoration and conservation practice implementation through their ranching operations.

BNGA will deliver these services by building partnerships between individual Native producers, conservation incentives program leaders, and tribal natural resources departments. The project will expand BNGA's existing grasslands restoration work and establish a cohesive approach to connecting both tribal natural resource departments and individual reservation-based Native producers with available incentives and conservation programs. This effort supports the Migratory Bird Joint Ventures program's objective to protect, restore, and enhance upland ecosystems for the conservation of migratory birds across North America.

The buffalo nations grasslands alliance (bnga) is a native-led nonprofit organization that supports 16 native nations in the northern great plains with capacity building, wildlife conservation, grassland restoration, and creating sustainable nature-based economies. The native producers restoring and conserving grasslands pilot project aims to secure a montana grasslands specialist who will support native producers in accessing the technicaland financial resources they need to restore grasslands and implement conservation practices through their ranching operations on six reservations: blackfeet, crow, fort belknap, fort peck, northern cheyenne, and rocky boys. Bnga will achieve this by providing technical assistance to producers, building partnerships between native producers, conservation incentives program leaders, and tribal natural resources programs. If awarded, the project will expand bnga s current grasslands restoration work with tribes across the bnga geography and build a more cohesive approach to connecting both tribal natural resources departments and individual native producers on reservations with incentives to restore grasslands and implement conservation practices.