The Indian Buffalo Management Act would establish a permanent buffalo program in the U.S. Department of the Interior.
To the sound of drums and songs, truckloads of buffalo race down dirt slopes toward Sagebrush on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. For the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho people who gathered to watch, the atmosphere was alternately joyful and tearful.
This is more than releasing wild animals. It is the return of relatives who have supported the tribe's way of life for thousands of years. For the dozens of tribal nations that host buffalo herds, each release reinvigorates the deep bond between their people and this vitally important species. That bond was largely severed after the buffalo were nearly wiped out at the hands of the federal government in the 1800s.
Two buffalo graze at TNC's Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Grassland Preserve in Oklahoma.march … [+]
Tatanka (Buffalo)
Before North America was colonized, as many as 60 million buffalo (scientifically known as bison) roamed from the Arctic Circle to Mexico, and their grazing lands were covered by hundreds of tribal nations with deep ties to buffalo. It reflected the territory. The buffalo cared for the people by providing food, clothing, shelter, and cultural and spiritual connections that guided their way of life.
Today, there are no truly free-roaming buffalo left. The 60 million people were reduced to just a few hundred by the mid-1800s due to human intervention. In his one of the great conservation stories, a small number of individuals, tribal people, and the Department of the Interior came together to reverse this ecological and human tragedy. Of the approximately 500,000 buffalo currently estimated to inhabit North America, approximately 15,000 live on public lands in the United States, with the remainder in private herds such as those managed by The Nature Conservancy (TNC). It is maintained.
The Nature Conservancy, of which I am a global director, has long recognized and exploited the ecological importance of the American bison, first reintroducing the species to protected areas in 1978. Nearly 40 years later, the organization is beginning to understand and appreciate the ecological importance of the American bison. cultural The importance of buffalo. And I believe that it is this place where these ecological and cultural worlds meet that is so fascinating and so important to all of us. Across the United States, more buffalo are returning to tribal lands each year. And when they return, they bring back a host of positive impacts and benefits, including improved biodiversity, grassland health, strengthening tribal culture, and strengthening tribal sovereignty.
Why should we all care?
What does all this mean? Why should we care? Is there a role for all of us to play? To better answer these questions and determine the next major steps to take to strengthen our commitment to conservation and better ways of life, I recently conducted a study with the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. I visited Joseph H. Williams of TNC. The Tallgrass Grassland Preserve is home to one of the organization's largest buffalo herds.Herd of free-ranging tallgrass prairie There are approximately 2,300 buffalo on 24,400 acres. What I discovered is that this amazing animal is more than just a romantic species. Buffalo are the cornerstone of our nation's grassland ecosystems, transforming the health of our grasslands and truly central to our nation's heritage.
Personal revelations and background
My personal interest in Buffalo began as an amateur coin collector as a boy and grew over time. Why is a buffalo depicted on the back of a nickel coin? For years, that single curiosity has been fueled by Hollywood's not-so-accurate and sentimental portrayals of this majestic creature in early American history. I'm here. It was then nurtured by a few days of visiting a buffalo herd overseen by a fellow TNC executive, and then by the release of a film by friends Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan. american buffalo, hosted by my wife Tracy at the historic Franklin Theater in Franklin, Tennessee (yes, buffalo used to roam in abundance in Tennessee). Ultimately, it culminated in an intimate look at the deep spiritual role buffalo play in the Lakota Sun Dance Ceremony, which Tracy and I have been invited to attend multiple times in South Dakota. These experiences formed the basis of my knowledge prior to my recent visit to Osage County, Oklahoma.
I spent three days in and around Pawska, Oklahoma, absorbing knowledge and wisdom from a team of TNC staff, Native American partners, and, of course, buffalo. A visit to the Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Grassland Preserve (39,000 acres in northeastern Oklahoma, comprising the largest protected tallgrass prairie in North America) is a journey through centuries of sustained grazing balance. It opened my eyes to the delicate ecological balance that exists. Buffalo habitat, climate, and regular fires maintained natural land health. Tallgrass prairie as an ecosystem ceased to exist with the extinction of buffalo in the 1800s. With the recent return of TNC-managed buffalo and the use of prescribed fire (on the last day of our visit, we observed a prescribed burn with the participation of volunteers from over 5,000 acres of the surrounding area!), we is witnessing the resurgence of buffalo. It is the only functional, thriving tallgrass prairie ecosystem in the world.
Jean Glendening (TNC Regional Managing Director), Renee Sans Souci (Omaha Tribe of Nebraska), Tokara … [+]
What can you do?
From my years as a senator, I know that policy matters. It is a public, shared tool that can accelerate beneficial change and, with active support, each of us can make a difference.
The proposed Indian Buffalo Management Act (IBMA) is a step toward restoring buffalo on tribal lands and, by extension, healing some of the historical sins levied against Native American tribes across what is now the United States. It's also a step. The bill, introduced last September by Sen. Martin Heinrich (D.M.) and Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), would create a permanent Buffalo Program within the U.S. Department of the Interior. be. This program facilitates tribes' ability to manage and expand their existing buffalo herds and assists tribes who wish to start new buffalo herds. Additionally, the bill would authorize the federal government to partner with and award grants to tribes to develop and maintain buffalo management and restoration programs.
“The IBMA solidifies the federal government's 'fiduciary responsibility' to assist tribes in buffalo restoration,” said John Rivera, executive director of the Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative, which has established TNC's Trust Responsibility. said Jason Valdez, who is also a director of the Inter-Tribal Buffalo Council. Partner. Fiduciary responsibility, also known as the fiduciary doctrine, refers to the government's legal responsibility to protect the welfare of tribal nations pursuant to treaty agreements and long-standing legal precedent.
If passed, the Indian Buffalo Management Act would demonstrate that the current U.S. federal government is serious about restoring buffalo on tribal lands. But without continued funding, “we're going to have to go back to Congress every year and lobby for a scrap,” Valdez said.
The Interior Department has provided nominal funding for tribal buffalo management for the past 20 years, but that funding has been erratic, piecemeal, and dependent on the then-head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. In response, many tribes are stepping up and taking the initiative to take matters into their own hands. For example, the Intertribal Buffalo Council has been working on buffalo recovery for more than 30 years, and currently represents more than 85 member states and facilitates management of 20,000 buffalo in 65 herds nationwide. I am.
“It's 65 different stories, different experiences, different songs and languages, and stories and connections,” Valdez says. “It's so diverse. The number of people who are still essentially evaluating what this animal meant to our ancestors and what it means to us today.”
Buffalo and Canadian hill cranes at the TNC Preserve in Colorado.
There are many virtues
Having buffalo on tribal lands has many cultural, spiritual, environmental, and culinary benefits. Wild buffalo meat is one of the healthiest proteins available, a huge benefit in areas where access to fresh, affordable food is difficult. Children who are taught how to hunt and process buffalo not only get a healthier diet, but also develop a deeper sense of cultural identity. And we found that Native and non-Native children alike loved learning about buffalo. Reconnecting today's children with this kin and land brings healing to both current and future generations.
Buffalo play a central role not only in the health of our tribes, but also in the health of our nation's grasslands. Buffalo, North America's last truly large herbivore, is the engineer who maintains our grasslands. Preferring to eat grasses rather than wildflowers, they can double plant diversity and thus support many bird and pollinator species. Their feces and urine create lush “lawns” that feed other herbivores, and their rain-filled purrs create watering holes in arid landscapes. The buffalo's hairy fur carries seeds over long distances, and its stirring hooves help plant them. Birds, butterflies, flowers and frogs all benefit from the buffalo's return.
With the expertise and determination of tribes, and with the help of laws such as the Indian Buffalo Management Act, buffaloes can and will reclaim their ancestral homes. “The buffalo took care of us,” Valdez said. “Now it's our turn to take care of the buffalo.”
A simple note of support to your senators and congressmen could lead to passage of this bill. The world changes when good people support good policies.
