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Bring Back the Bison

Want to see bison back in the North American landscape? It's not only possible but could be achieved in only 100 years, says a coalition of scientists, conservationists, ranchers, and Native Americans/First Nations peoples. Bison are a keystone species in this continent's natural history and could repopulate large areas from Alaska to Mexico, including grasslands, prairies, mountains, taiga and deserts. The continent-wide assessment, published in Conservation Biology, is based on a "conservation scorecard" evaluating the availability of existing habitat. The goal is ecological restoration of bison, defined as large herds of plains and wood bison moving freely across extensive landscapes within historic ranges, interacting with other native species (elk, bear, wolves, prairie dogs, birds), as well as inspiring, sustaining and connecting human cultures. It will likely take a century, says the Wildlife Conservation Society, and will only be realized through collaboration with a broad range of public, private and indigenous partners.

Bison once numbered in the tens of millions but were wiped out by commercial hunting and habitat loss. By 1889 fewer than 1,100 animals survived. Of the estimated 500,000 bison alive today, 20,000 are wild, the rest live on private ranches— awaiting liberation back into the wild.

Julia Whitty is Mother Jones' environmental correspondent, lecturer, and 2008 winner of the Kiriyama Prize and the John Burroughs Medal Award. You can read from her new book, The Fragile Edge, and other writings, here.

Comments

This is great news.

Posted by: Crow on 04/30/08 at 6:23 PM Respond

There are more bison and native americans now in the plains than have been in many years. There has been an exodus going on for years in the plains states by white people.

The English cow - Jersey, Guernsey, etc. - is not fit to live in the plains. They get sicker, are more destructive to the environment, and are more unhealthy to eat than bison.

Perhaps we can rectify the huge slaughter of native americans and bison by bringing them both 'back.'

Posted by: elydog on 05/01/08 at 9:58 AM Respond

"The English cow - Jersey, Guernsey,", these are small farm milk cows, not beef cows, elydog. This shows how ignorant you are. Most of your milk comes from Holsteins. Beef cows are raised on feed lots. For the last 40 years they longer grazed the range. elydog, you know nothing about agriculture.

Posted by: Dairy Farmer on 05/02/08 at 1:20 PM Respond

Okay, Dairy Farmer. If you're so smart, what's the difference between bison and buffalo? Answer, they're the same, except bison don't have those little wings.

Posted by: RocketSci on 05/05/08 at 1:03 PM Respond

RocketSci,, Buffalo are in southeast Asia. They were shot up by the boys during Nam. Bison are North American and a variety in northern Europe(wisent). That is why the EuroAmericans came to North America, in search of the wisent. The EuroAmericans believed that where ever the wisent were found, the land belonged to them. The native Americans apparently did not share their beliefs.

Posted by: Farmer John on 05/05/08 at 2:17 PM Respond

What about all of the bison currently being slaughtered around Yellowstone because ranchers and farmers want the grazing land for their cattle. This is sanctioned by the government.

Posted by: Marilyn G on 05/05/08 at 3:23 PM Respond

Marilyn G, must be old Nam vets that are doing it. The flash backs.

Posted by: Old soldier on 05/05/08 at 6:25 PM Respond

Marilyn G and Old soldier,
The Area around Yellowstone has few ranchers and the places the Bison are shot are mostly right around West Yellowstone where I
lived in 1997 after a bad winterand. Brucilosis was and is the name of the game. It is all just BS. Yellowstone can handle about 3,000 bison and when they get way over that amount, out come the excuses. The animals should be offered to native herds and some taken to Wind Cave herd. There are many places we could be allowing them to live again. Our bison are amazing and intelligent. They and the wolf are persecuted by the Rich for selfish reasons. Elk carry more Brucilosis than bison. We
are always being led by the local, greedy few. That needs to end. The science of wildlife management needs a new set of priorities.MKW Old Soldier, don't waste people's time with your BS. M

Posted by: Marilyn Wargo on 05/05/08 at 9:10 PM Respond