Doug Coffman papers on the Big Open, 1978-2025

Douglas G. "Doug" Coffman is an independent business owner and researcher based in Eugene, Oregon. He received a BA in Anthropology from the University of Montana (1973), and an MA in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Oregon (1976). Since the 1980s he has pursued a special interest in American bison researching the history, ecology, and evolution of the species. In 1996, Coffman completed a decade-long effort to locate and restore six bison specimens collected by the Smithsonian's Chief Taxidermist William Hornaday in 1886. The location of the specimens, known as the Hornaday bison group, was previouly unknown after the Simthsonian deaccessioned them in the 1950s. Coffman's research led him to identify the location of the bison at the Fort Benton Museums and Heritage Complex in Fort Benton, Montana. In 2013, he published Reflecting the Sublime: The Rebirth of an American Icon, which documents his research to locate and restore the Hornaday bison group.

Coffman served on the board of directors of Montana Big Open, Inc. from 2000 to November 2003 as secretary/treasurer and operations director of the organization's Wild Bison Recovery Initiative. After leaving the board, he continued to research bison and document the history of the Montana Big Open, Inc. and its role advocating for ecological restoration on the great plains.

Montana Big Open Inc. was a non-profit organization that operated between 2000 and 2005 to advocate for the creation of a wild bison range and grassland restoration project in northeastern Montana. The organization's founders began researching and promoting the idea of the Big Open beginning in the late 1980s. Robert B. (Bob) Scott, Montana Big Open founder and president, first introduced the concept during a speech at the Institute of the Rockies in Missoula, MT in 1987. The organization's officers included Bob Scott as president, Joe Gutkoski as vice president, Doug Coffman as secretary/treasurer, William Cunningham, Roger Dunsmore, and Stanford Horowitz. Its advisory board changed over time, and included Dr. Charles Jonkel, Donald Woerner, Paul Sneed, Robert Derek, Jack Drew, Marv Hoffer, Lonnie Red Dog, Richard Smith, and Jim Strittholt.

Montana Big Open, Inc.'s core project focused on the Wild Bison Recovery Initiative, which called for a restoration of the great plains ecosystem, including the restoration of a free and open range for bison and other large species like deer, elk, antelope, and Audubon's bighorn. Montana Big Open envisioned a network of public and private land with conservation easements and rights to use land for wildlife conservation in a proposed area covering 15,000 square miles across Phillips, Valley, McCone, Prairie, Custer, Rosebud, Treasure, Fergus, Garfield and Petroleum counties in Montana. The organization referred to this area as the Big Open, a term first coined by photographer L.A. Huffman in 1880 to describe the open prairie of eastern Montana.

Montana Big Open's activities focused on publications, education, and public promotion of their idea. Organizers conducted research on historic bison ranges, met with private landowners, and other conservation organizations interested in restoring ecosystems on the northern great plains. They traveled throughout eastern Montana and met with ranchers in the hopes of purchasing land that would provide the first portion of the Big Open project. They collaborated with other organizations through the Northern Plains Conservation Network (NPCN) and corresponded with other organizations pursuing bison restoration including the American Prairie Foundation and World Wildlife Fund.

Montana Big Open Inc. scaled back much its activities in late 2003 after the organization's failure to secure major funding and an unsuccessful attempt to purchase property in eastern Montana. Other organizations also made significant strides toward restoring bison habitat at this time. In February 2004, NPCN published its conservation plan for the northern great plains Oceans of Grass, demonstrating a shared commitment to a bison restoration plan. That same year American Prairie Foundation purchased its first parcels of land that would eventually become the American Prairie Reserve. Bob Scott continued to represent Montana Big Open on the NPCN steering committee through 2005, but the organization showed less and less activity over time.