rsg_book_2013

MammalsRe-introduction of bison to the Wind River Ranchin northern New Mexico and Native Americanlands in the western USAJim Stone 1 & Brian Miller 21 - Executive Director of the Inter-Tribal Buffalo Council, 2497 West Chicago St.,Rapid City, South Dakota, 57702 USA jstone@itbcbison.com2 - Scientist, Wind River Ranch Foundation, P.O. Box 27, Watrous,New Mexico 87753 USA brimill@desertgate.comIntroductionBison (Bison bison) were catalogued as Near Threatened by the WorldConservation Union (IUCN) in 2012. Bison, a mega-herbivore in North America,numbered around 30,000,000 when Euroamericans arrived. During the 1870sand 1880s, all but about 1,000 were slaughtered in a conscious attempt toremove the primary resource for Plains Indians, disrupt Indian lifestyle andculture, and clear the way for settlers and cattle. The slaughter also removed aspecies from the ecosystem that played a key role in the maintenance of healthygrasslands. Efforts to conserve the few remaining bison began around 1900. Thereturn of bison can reestablish hope and culture to tribes, as well as re-establishhealth to a badly abused grassland ecosystem. Even though there are presently400,000 bison in North America, 97% of them are managed for meat, not forconservation and ecological function. Since 1992, the Inter-Tribal Buffalo Council(ITBC) has restored 15,000 bison to tribal lands, yet the bison is still the onlymajor ungulate that has not recovered following the wildlife declines of the 19 thcentury. The Wind River Ranch (WRR) and the ITBC currently seek to expandresearch on the ecological role of bison in grassland health.Bull bison and cow in typical habitatGoals Goal 1: Establish aconservation herd at alevel that will allow bisonto perform their ecologicalfunction on the grassland. Goal 2: Research theecological function ofbison in grassland health. Goal 3: Analyze thegenetics and lineage ofthe animals in the herd. Goal 4: Cooperate withthe ITBC on bisonresearch, management,and cultural issues.186