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In celebration of World Wildlife Day<\/a>, the Department of the Interior announced Friday that it\u2019s launching an ambitious new program to restore American bison and vital grassland ecosystems. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland<\/a>\u2019s order empowers the DOI\u2019s bureaus and partners to work with Indigenous leaders and communities to bring back wild bison populations in the central U.S. The program will receive more than $25 million in federal funding from the Inflation Reduction Act.<\/p>\n As the DOI points out in Friday\u2019s announcement<\/a>, bison recovery in the 20th<\/sup> century is already one of America\u2019s greatest conservation success stories. Rebounding from an all-time low of a few hundred animals in 1889, the nation\u2019s wild bison herds now number greater than 15,000. The vast majority of these\u2014around 11,000 of them\u2014are spread across 4.6 million acres of public land in 12 states.<\/p>\n This number, however, represents a tiny fraction of the roughly 60 million bison that roamed across pre-colonial North America. Bison are still \u201cfunctionally extinct\u201d on the larger grassland systems they coevolved with, according to the DOI, and the loss of this keystone species has been both culturally and ecologically devastating. By working to expand bison herds and steward the habitats they rely on, the DOI aims to improve the overall health of America\u2019s heartland.<\/p>\n \u201cThe American bison is inextricably intertwined with Indigenous culture, grassland ecology and American history,\u201d Haaland said in Friday\u2019s press release. \u201cWhile 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.\u201d<\/p>\n The order outlines a framework for bison restoration in the U.S. by formally establishing a Bison Working Group. The BWG will include representatives from the five DOI bureaus that already manage lands with bison on them: the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and the U.S. Geological Survey. \u00a0<\/p>\n Read Next:<\/strong> Bullet Fragment Grazes Tribal Hunter in \u201cFreak Accident\u201d During Bison Hunt Near Yellowstone<\/a><\/p>\n These partners will develop a long-term stewardship plan to establish new bison herds, restore native plant communities, and strengthen existing conservation partnerships. Importantly, the DOI says that \u201crobust engagement with Tribes\u201d is at the core of these efforts. Tribally led organizations will play a leading role in the management of current and future herds, according to the agency, which seems only natural considering their vast well of knowledge and the deep cultural ties they have with American bison.<\/p>\n The Interior Department is committing more than $25 million to these ends. This funding comes from the Inflation Reduction Act<\/a>, which the current administration describes as \u201ca historic and transformational investment\u201d in tackling the climate crisis while creating good-paying jobs and lowering the cost of living for working Americans.<\/p>\n While the federal government\u2019s ultimate vision is to bring back a portion of the once-thundering herds that roamed the Great Plains, this can only be achieved by improving the health of the grasslands these animals rely on. According to some estimates, more than two-thirds of these habitats have been eliminated over the years. Restoring America\u2019s imperiled grasslands<\/a> will help the free-range ruminants regain their footing. It will also provide benefits that extend far beyond increasing bison forage.<\/p>\n Stronger, healthier grasslands enhance soil quality and benefit countless other species, from mule deer to migratory birds to pronghorn and pollinators. On a landscape level, America\u2019s prairies are also one of our most important tools in building climate resiliency.<\/p>\n Read Next:<\/strong> The Grasslands Conservation Act Just Hit the Senate. Here\u2019s What it Means for Hunters and Wildlife<\/a><\/p>\n Thanks to the deep root systems of native, perennial grasses\u2014which evolved, in part, due to the constant grazing of bison\u2014these ecosystems can store vast amounts of carbon over time. Even though trees get most of the attention when we talk about \u201ccarbon sequestration,\u201d studies have found<\/a> that grasslands in fire-prone regions can actually be more reliable carbon sinks than forests. (This is because deep-rooting grasses store carbon underground, while trees store it in their trunks and leaves\u2014where it all gets released back into the atmosphere during wildfires.)<\/p>\n Bringing back bison while restoring grasslands and bolstering climate resiliency are goals that align with much of the larger conservation community. Several of these groups, including Backcountry Hunters and Anglers<\/a>, have already voiced their support for the strategic investments that are being prioritized under Secretary Haaland\u2019s Order.<\/p>\n \u201cToday\u2019s announcement by the administration outlines the most pressing conservation issues in our great country,\u201d BHA President and CEO Land Tawney said Friday<\/a>. \u201cWe applaud their commitment and look forward to helping advance the work that will anchor our public lands conservation both immediately and in the longer term.\u201d<\/p>\n The DOI\u2019s plan to restore bison will no doubt be met with criticism, particularly from the cattle industry, which has largely benefited from the disappearance of bison in the U.S. by overtaking the same grasslands that bison once dominated. Cattle grazing is now the single largest use of federally owned lands in the West. According to some group\u2019s estimates<\/a>, there are currently around 1.5 million cows grazing on public land across 13 Western states.<\/p>\n Accordingly, politicians with ties to the cattle industry have been some of the most outspoken opponents of bison restoration in recent years. In December, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte appealed a BLM decision<\/a> that granted a 10-year bison grazing permit on state-owned lands managed by the federal agency. Gianforte has argued that bison conservation undermines the health of rural livestock, and that public lands within the state should only be leased to commercial livestock producers.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nThe Important Role of Tribes in Restoring Bison<\/h2>\n
The Power of Prairies<\/h2>\n