Thousands of bison return to their Native lands for total rejuvenation of the Great Plains ecosystem: “it’s come full circle”

Millions of buffalo, or American bison, once roamed North America from Canada down to Mexico. They were an integral part of Native American societies that lived on the Great Plains providing food as well as the raw materials for clothing, shelter and more.

However, a program of mass slaughter by settlers and the US government to weaken resistance to expansion into Indian territories caused their numbers to plummet. Fortunately, efforts to preserve these majestic animals that began in 1905 have paid off and there are now between 150,000 and 200,000 buffalo throughout North America.

Over 2,500 buffalos returned to Native lands

A decade ago an Indigenous-led initiative was started which seeks to rematriate bison within Native lands to revitalize communities and the environment. The partnership between the Inter-Tribal Buffalo Council (ITBC), Tanka Fund and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has now relocated more than 2,500 head of buffalo that now roam 100,000 acres of land across ten states. These include Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Oklahoma.

Buffalo are a keystone species and their presence is “essential to restoring the ecosystem,” says Dwan Sherman, a founding board member and executive director of Tank Fund. Bison, which can weigh up to 2,400 pounds, significantly influence the ecosystem that they inhabit helping to maintain a balance and regulate populations of other species of animals and plants.

“Bringing the buffalo back to the land and to our people, helps restore the ecosystem and everything it supports from the animals to the plants to the people,” she told the Native Sun News. “It’s come full circle.”

One example of the impact that buffalo have on the environment include grazing the grasses in the prairies which provides nesting grounds for birds. In the winter months, the mighty beasts plow through the deep snow opening access to the grass below for other animals like pronghorn antelope and elk which wouldn’t be able to reach it otherwise.

Additionally, as they roll around on the ground, the immense weight of their bodies packs the earth creating depressions called wallows. These fill with rainwater which in turn provides breeding grounds for amphibians, drinking water for other wildlife and the specialized habitat that medicinal and rare plants need. Furthermore, they carry seeds in their fur which helps them spread across the plains.

Sherman says that portions of the ecosystem have already been seen to return where bison have been reintroduced. Currently only about one percent of the prairie has never been plowed or tilled and is still in a virgin state.

“A little over half of that is owned by Indigenous peoples and has stayed in that original prairie state,” Sherman explained. “So, the more animals that we can get the more of that prairie we can restore. We can help restore the land that has been plowed and has been leased out to cattle ranchers.”

“It’s exciting to see buffalo go back on that land and see the ranchers caring for the soil, the plants and the animals and watching them restore their piece of property back to the natural state,” she added.

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