Blackfeet Nation’s ancestral homelands will be preserved in the Badger-Two Medicine area.
The Departments of Agriculture and the Interior jointly announced an agreement that will result in the relinquishment of the final federal oil and gas lease in the Badger-Two Medicine area. This resolution helps to safeguard the natural and cultural resources found in the ancestral homelands of the Blackfeet Nation.
Covering roughly 130,000 acres in the Lewis and Clark National Forest, the Badger-Two Medicine area is situated near Glacier National Park, two wilderness areas, and the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, having once been a part of the Reservation. Despite its cession in 1896, the region maintains cultural and religious significance for the Blackfeet Nation, which has expressed concerns regarding potential development in this area. This agreement now safeguards Indigenous homelands and preserves natural and cultural heritage from development.
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said, “The Badger-Two Medicine area continues to have cultural and religious significance to the Blackfeet Nation, which has stewarded that land since time immemorial. Oil and gas development would have had irreparable impacts on these sacred homelands.“ She added that the action “closes the chapter on development threats to this special place and recognizes the importance of protecting these lands for future generations.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For prudence for Secretary Haaland as she collaborates to preserve Native American heritage and lands.
- For Secretary Vilsack and USDA officials as they work with the Interior Department to steward public lands.
- That Americans recognize and glorify God as Creator of the vast lands of this nation and the whole earth.
Sources: Department of Agriculture
