UNITED STATES NEWS

US aims to restore bison herds to Native American lands after near extinction

Mar 3, 2023, 6:00 PM

A young bison calf stands in a pond with its herd at Bull Hollow, Okla., on Sept. 27, 2022. The cal...

A young bison calf stands in a pond with its herd at Bull Hollow, Okla., on Sept. 27, 2022. The calf is one of the most recent additions born into the Cherokee Nation herd. In Oklahoma, the Cherokee Nation, one of the largest Native American tribes with 437,000 registered members, had a few bison on its land in the 1970s. But they disappeared. It wasn't until 40 years later that the tribe's contemporary herd was begun. (AP Photo/Audrey Jackson)

(AP Photo/Audrey Jackson)

DENVER (AP) — U.S. officials will work to restore more large bison herds to Native American lands under a Friday order from Interior Secretary Deb Haaland that calls for the government to tap into Indigenous knowledge in its efforts to conserve the burly animals that are an icon of the American West.

Haaland also announced $25 million in federal spending for bison conservation. The money, from last year’s climate bill, will build new herds, transfer more bison from federal to tribal lands and forge new bison management agreements with tribes, officials said.

American bison, also known as buffalo, have bounced back from their near extinction due to commercial hunting in the 1800s. But they remain absent from most of the grasslands they once occupied, and many tribes have struggled to restore their deep historical connections to the animals.

As many as 60 million bison once roamed North America, moving in vast herds that were central to the culture and survival of numerous Native American groups.

They were driven to the brink of extinction more than a century ago when hunters, U.S. troops and tourists shot them by the thousands to feed a growing commercial market that used bison parts in machinery, fertilizer and clothing. By 1889, only a few hundred bison remained.

Haaland, of Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico, is the first Native American to serve as a U.S. Cabinet secretary. She’s championed tribal concerns on issues ranging from wildlife conservation to energy development, and put a spotlight on past mistreatment of Native Americans through a series of listening sessions about systemic abuses at government-run boarding schools.

She told The Associated Press in an interview last year that the decimation of bison by European settlers eliminated the primary food source for many tribes and opened the way for their land to be taken away.

The return of bison in some locations is considered a conservation success. But Haaland said they remain “functionally extinct” and more work is needed to return the animals to tribal lands and restore the grasslands they depend on.

“This holistic effort will ensure that this powerful sacred animal is reconnected to its natural habitat and the original stewards who know best how to care for it,” Haaland said in announcing her order Friday, during a World Wildlife Day event at the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C..

“When we think about Indigenous communities, we must acknowledge that they have spent generations over many centuries observing the seasons, tracking wildlife migration patterns and fully comprehending our role in the delicate balance of this earth,” she added.

Across the U.S., from New York to Oklahoma to Alaska, 82 tribes now have more than 20,000 bison in 65 herds. Numbers have been growing in recent years along with the desire among Native Americans to reclaim stewardship of the animals.

Many of the tribes’ bison came from U.S. agencies, which over the past two decades transferred thousands of the animals to thin government-controlled herds so they don’t outgrow the land. The transfers often were carried out in cooperation with the South Dakota-based InterTribal Buffalo Council. The group’s director, Troy Heinert, said Haaland’s order is an acknowledgement of the work tribes have already done.

“The buffalo has just as long a connection to Indigenous people as we have to it,” said Heinert, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. “They are not just a number or a commodity; this is returning a relative to its rightful place.”

Past administrations have proposed or advanced bison conservation plans — including under former Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump — and tribes have long been part of that process.

Haaland’s order puts Native American interests at the center of the Interior Department’s bison program. It also adds a tribal leader, yet to be named, to a group that’s exploring establishing new herds on both tribal and federal lands.

Bison reintroductions could put the Biden administration at odds with state officials in Montana. Republican lawmakers have resisted returning the animals to federal lands and opposed some previous bison transfers to tribes.

State lawmakers voted Thursday to advance a resolution opposing the reintroduction of bison to the million-acre (400,000-hectare) Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge in northern Montana — an idea that’s been floated by the Biden administration and has support among Native Americans.

“Bison were part of the culture 200, 300 years ago. We aren’t going back to that,” said Montana state Sen. Mike Lang, who sponsored the resolution. Lang said he doesn’t oppose bison on tribal lands but added that as populations grow they can cause problems for ranchers and present a public safety threat.

About half of the $25 million announced Friday will go to the National Park Service. The remainder will be split among the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Land Management and the Fish and Wildlife Service.

It includes about $1 million to establish an apprenticeship program that will provide training to tribes on managing bison, including at national parks and national wildlife refuges, officials said.

The Interior Department currently oversees 11,000 bison in herds on public lands in 12 states.

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Pass it along to the KTAR News team here.

United States News

Associated Press

Army Air Force pilot from Pennsylvania killed during WWII accounted for, authorities say

An Army Air Force pilot from Pennsylvania killed during World War II has been accounted for almost eight decades later, military authorities said. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said last week that 2nd Lt. James Litherland, 25, of South Williamsport was accounted for in March. In February 1944, Litherland was co-piloting a B-17F Flying Fortress […]

8 hours ago

A south side resident speaks to Republican Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy during a town hal...

Associated Press

Diverse Republican presidential primary field sees an opening in 2024 with voters of color

CHICAGO (AP) — During Donald Trump’s first visit as president to Chicago, a frequent target in his attacks on urban violence, he disparaged the nation’s third largest city as a haven for criminals and a national embarrassment. At a recent town hall, Republican presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy sat alongside ex-convicts on the city’s South Side […]

8 hours ago

FILE - Insurrections loyal to President Donald Trump rally at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan...

Associated Press

Government tries to claw back money so Jan. 6 rioters don’t profit from online appeals

Less than two months after he pleaded guilty to storming the U.S. Capitol, Tucker Carlson’s then-Fox News show and promoted a website where supporters could donate money to Goodwyn and other rioters whom the site called “political prisoners.” The Justice Department now wants Goodwyn to give up more than $25,000 he raised — a clawback […]

8 hours ago

Associated Press

Shooting at New Mexico’s Red River motorcycle rally kills 3, wounds 5

RED RIVER, N.M. (AP) — Three people were killed and five were wounded in a shooting at an annual motorcycle rally in a New Mexico town late Saturday afternoon. Red River Mayor Linda Calhoun said in a video posted on Facebook that the shooting around 5 p.m. resulted in three fatalities and five victims were […]

8 hours ago

Joshua Danjuma, 36, poses with a handcrafted riffle in Kunji Village, Southern Kaduna Nigeria, Thur...

Associated Press

In Nigeria’s hard-hit north, families seek justice as armed groups seek control

Associated Press (AP) — Christian Jonathan’s mother was holding the 9-month-old boy in her arms when she was shot dead during an attack on their village in northwestern Nigeria. The assailants cut off one of Christian’s finger and abandoned him by the side of the road with a bullet wound in his tiny leg. “They […]

1 day ago

FILE - Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., talks with former Sen. Joe Lieberman in the East Room before Presid...

Associated Press

Liz Cheney to give Colorado College graduation speech as GOP campaign speculation persists

Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney will give a graduation speech at her alma mater, an elite Colorado liberal arts college, amid questions about her political future and insistence that Donald Trump never become president again. At Colorado College’s commencement on Sunday, the Wyoming Republican is expected to touch on themes similar to those she has […]

1 day ago

Sponsored Articles

...

DAY & NIGHT AIR CONDITIONING, HEATING AND PLUMBING

Here are the biggest tips to keep your AC bill low this summer

PHOENIX — In Arizona during the summer, having a working air conditioning unit is not just a pleasure, but a necessity. No one wants to walk from their sweltering car just to continue to be hot in their home. As the triple digits hit around the Valley and are here to stay, your AC bill […]

...

OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

5 mental health myths you didn’t know were made up

Helping individuals understand mental health diagnoses like obsessive compulsive spectrum disorder or generalized anxiety disorder isn’t always an easy undertaking. After all, our society tends to spread misconceptions about mental health like wildfire. This is why being mindful about how we talk about mental health is so important. We can either perpetuate misinformation about already […]

...

re:vitalize

Why drug-free weight loss still matters

Wanting to lose weight is a common goal for many people as they progress throughout life, but choosing between a holistic approach or to take medicine can be a tough decision.

US aims to restore bison herds to Native American lands after near extinction