The Bureau of Indian Affairs and Department of the Interior has allocated $5 million to support restoration of bison populations and grassland ecosystems in Tribal communities, according to a press release. The funding comes from President Joe Biden's Investing in America agenda.
“The Interior Department recognizes the crucial role of utilizing indigenous knowledge in our biggest resource conservation and management challenges, including our work to preserve and enhance Tribal bison herds," Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland said. “Through historic funding from the Biden-Harris administration, we can support tribes in maintaining and rebuilding their herds, which are central to their cultural, spiritual and nutritional traditions, while also improving and preserving the ecosystems that sustain both bison and Tribal communities.”
The Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute said a mature bull bison can reach heights of 5.5 to 6.5 feet at the hump and be up to 12 feet in length. Female bison could be 5 feet high at the hump, and 7-10 feet in length. The Smithsonian also notes that the lifespan of an American bison can be 20 years.
“The American bison is inextricably intertwined with Indigenous culture, grassland ecology and American history. While the overall recovery of bison over the last 130 years is a conservation success story, significant work remains to not only ensure that bison will remain a viable species but also to restore grassland ecosystems, strengthen rural economies dependent on grassland health and provide for the return of bison to Tribally owned and ancestral lands. This new funding from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda will help support Tribal efforts to restore this iconic species and integrate indigenous knowledge into the Department’s shared stewardship goals,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said.
There were once 60 million American bison in North America, although by 1889, only a few hundred wild bison were left, according to the release. With President Theodore Roosevelt’s support, in the early 20th century, an effort to restore the bison began, and now there are more than 15,000. The Interior Department manages 11,000 bison herds in 12 states, working with Tribal wildlife and livestock managers to ensure the populations stay healthy.
The National Park Service said that approximately 30,000 bison live in public and private herds, with 400,000 raised as livestock. The NPS notes that “Yellowstone is the only place in the United States where bison have lived continuously since prehistoric times.” It also explains that bison are mostly consumers of grasses and sedges and that it is due to a campaign by the U.S. Army to eliminate the bison in the 1800s that the bison at Yellowstone were protected.
