Bringing Bison Home

Overview

A person stands in a sepia-toned space with a big bison outline on fabric behind them

Since 2005, WWF has been committed to returning plains bison to the Northern Great Plains. Today, this work is led through partnerships with the region’s Native Nations for whom these grasslands have been home for thousands of years. Plains bison—commonly called buffalo—hold tremendous cultural and spiritual significance. They are considered relatives among many of North America’s Indigenous people who historically relied on them for food, shelter, and clothing.

Tens of millions of plains bison once roamed North America’s grasslands, benefiting numerous plant and animal species thanks to their unique foraging behaviors. In the 1800s, European Americans traveling west across the Great Plains decimated plains bison populations in an attempt to subjugate Native people, take ownership of their territories, and provide hides and other products for industry. After plains bison were no longer present, the land and the region’s Indigenous societies were fragmented by colonization in ways that people are still trying to understand and repair.

Fortunately, plains bison are making a comeback. The species' population has grown to nearly half a million from fewer than 1,000 animals in the late 1800s. However, most of today’s plains bison are not considered wildlife but are instead privately owned and managed as livestock. Fewer than 50,000 are managed as wildlife or for cultural purposes. As a result, the species remains largely “ecologically extinct," meaning they are not contributing to their native ecosystems as they did previously, or providing benefits to the soil, plants, and other wildlife species.

Slowly but surely, however, this is beginning to change as bison are restored in greater numbers on dozens of Native-managed landscapes including the following reservations where WWF works: Rosebud in South Dakota; Fort Belknap, Fort Peck, and Blackfeet in Montana; and Wind River in Wyoming.

WWF’s bison restoration efforts are guided by and conducted primarily through partnerships with Native Nations who seek to return bison not only to the land but to Native lifeways and culture. Tribal bison program herd managers have identified cultural restoration as their work's most important guiding principle. This “eco-cultural” approach to bison restoration contributes to the health and prosperity of Indigenous communities by creating opportunities to renew traditional lifeways, improve access to local food, and develop new bison-centered economic opportunities, while also restoring the health of the land, wildlife, and plant communities.

WWF has raised and invested significant funding to support establishing and expanding Native-led bison programs throughout the Northern Great Plains. Based on the vision and priorities of each program, these wide-ranging projects have resulted in new bison herds, growth of existing herds, habitat expansion, bison-related jobs and training, and the necessary infrastructure development. As a result, many Native Nations have seen greater opportunities for community members to view and interact with bison, participate in hunts, access locally produced food, and increase revenue generation and tourism development.

Native Nations lead the way to returning bison to their traditional homelands

Native Nations seeking to restore bison to their lands remain the cornerstone of the species’ recovery. Since 2014, WWF has partnered with Native Nations throughout the Northern Great Plains in support of their efforts to conserve and restore grassland ecosystems within their communities and stands behind local visions and strategies that aim to bolster ecological, economic, and community benefits.

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TJ Heinert stands for a portrait in front of a barn at the Wolakota Buffalo Range on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota

Why It Matters

Bison are culturally significant to Native Nations

Many Native Nations consider the return of plains bison to be a critical component of restoring cultural practices and values that were lost when plains bison were wiped out. Their work to bring bison back has as much to do with restoring culture and community as it does with returning a wildlife species to the grasslands.
The plains bison is a keystone species

The grazing and movement habits of bison help a range of native wildlife and plants. Prairie dogs prefer to dig their burrows where plains bison graze because they prefer shorter grasses for better visibility. Pronghorn antelope and elk rely on "highways" bison create in the winter by moving through the snow. Many animals rely on rainwater collected in the depressions in the ground created by bison rolling around and packing down soil.
Bison provide food sovereignty

Returning plains bison improves food availability and food sovereignty in some of the most food-scarce areas of the United States. This is both an environmental justice issue and a conservation issue.

What WWF Is Doing

Our primary focus is working with partners who embrace the return of bison with the aim of stabilizing, expanding, and establishing 10 or more ecologically and/or culturally important bison herds on at least 300,000 cumulative acres within the Great Plains.

WWF recognizes that Native Nations are leaders in bison restoration. Our organization makes a conscious effort to respect each nation’s values and definition of bison restoration. Native Nations with whom we partner with identify opportunities where bison can thrive while supporting a cultural reconnection and an “eco-cultural” revitalization through new bison-related jobs, infrastructure, equipment, employee training, community access to locally produced bison-based foods, and educational opportunities.

In partnership with Native-led bison programs and local organizational leadership, WWF has conducted surveys of citizens of Native Nations at Fort Peck, Fort Belknap, and Pine Ridge reservations to understand their values, needs, and aspirations for bison restoration. These surveys have revealed strong support for bison restoration and the many values they offer Native people.

Wolakota Buffalo Range, Rosebud Reservation

The Wolakota Buffalo Range of the Sicangu Lakota Nation is one of the most recent success stories in plains bison restoration. Located on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, this new plains bison program began with the reintroduction of 100 bison in 2020, the result of a partnership between Sicangu Co—a branch of the Rosebud Sioux Tribal government—and WWF. Three years later, this herd reached the milestone of 1,000 bison due to additional plains bison reintroductions each year and because of calves being born into the herd.

WWF worked with Sicangu Co to develop a comprehensive plan for the staffing, equipment, and infrastructure needs to establish and grow a plains bison herd. Together, we raised the required funding to put the plans into action. Since the establishment of the herd in 2020, WWF has supported annual ecological monitoring that guides management and tracks the recovery of the land. We are measuring plant diversity at 13 sites throughout the property. As an example of recovery, one site began with a baseline of 20 plant species in 2020 (prior to the reintroduction of bison), and in 2022 and 2023 the team detected 53 and 47 species, respectively. The Sicangu Co team has worked to develop educational and connection opportunities for the local Sicangu communities, including with the Wakanyeja ki Tokeyahci, the local Lakota language immersion school.

The Wolakota bison herd now roams across 28,000 acres of Native-owned grasslands of the Rosebud Reservation, bringing cultural, ecological, and economic benefits to the Sicangu Lakota people.

A portion of the Wolakota Buffalo Range's herd—including some of the first calves born—graze on the more than 28,000 acres of habitat that was returned to bison on the Rosebud Reservation by Sicangu Co, of the Sicangu Lakota Nation.

Wolakota Buffalo Range, Rosebud Reservation

The Wolakota Buffalo Range of the Sicangu Lakota Nation is one of the most recent success stories in plains bison restoration. Located on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, this new plains bison program began with the reintroduction of 100 bison in 2020, the result of a partnership between Sicangu Co—a branch of the Rosebud Sioux Tribal government—and WWF. Three years later, this herd reached the milestone of 1,000 bison due to additional plains bison reintroductions each year and because of calves being born into the herd.

WWF worked with Sicangu Co to develop a comprehensive plan for the staffing, equipment, and infrastructure needs to establish and grow a plains bison herd. Together, we raised the required funding to put the plans into action. Since the establishment of the herd in 2020, WWF has supported annual ecological monitoring that guides management and tracks the recovery of the land. We are measuring plant diversity at 13 sites throughout the property. As an example of recovery, one site began with a baseline of 20 plant species in 2020 (prior to the reintroduction of bison), and in 2022 and 2023 the team detected 53 and 47 species, respectively. The Sicangu Co team has worked to develop educational and connection opportunities for the local Sicangu communities, including with the Wakanyeja ki Tokeyahci, the local Lakota language immersion school.

The Wolakota bison herd now roams across 28,000 acres of Native-owned grasslands of the Rosebud Reservation, bringing cultural, ecological, and economic benefits to the Sicangu Lakota people.

Fort Peck Buffalo Program, Fort Peck Reservation

Robbie Magnan wears a black baseball hat standing in front of a dirt road in a field

Fort Peck Tribes' bison program has expanded since it began in 2000. Today, two plains bison herds number about 700 and roam 24,000 acres of Tribal lands at Fort Peck Reservation in northeastern Montana. Fort Peck is also an integral part of the Yellowstone bison transfer program, where surplus bison from Yellowstone National Park are transported for final health monitoring before being sent to various Native-led bison programs across the country. WWF has supported Fort Peck's bison program for many years. In 2018, we assisted the Tribal Fish and Game Department with establishing an online hunting permit system which now raises additional revenue, improving the financial sustainability of the plains bison program.

We have also provided support to the Pté Group—a Native-women led community group that supports the bison program and helps bring benefits to the people, lands, and wildlife of Fort Peck as envisioned by the community. The mission of the Pté Group is to advocate for the Tatanka Oyate/Tatanga Oyade or Buffalo People, by developing, enhancing, and perpetuating the people’s relationship with the buffalo through education and the sharing of cultural information. Through collaboration with the Pté Group and Fort Peck's Fish and Game Department, WWF completed a survey of Tribal members' interest in the bison program, finding very strong support. We continue to support ongoing bison pasture expansions when opportunities arise to lease and fence new lands.

The Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, with support from the Pté Group, are also among the original eight Native Nations that came together in 2014 to sign the Buffalo Treaty. The treaty calls for Indigenous Peoples and bison to once again live together in relationship with the land, to nurture each other culturally and spiritually.

Fort Belknap Buffalo Program, Fort Belknap Reservation

An aerial view of a herd of bison in a green plain with a blue sky

The Fort Belknap Indian Community, located in north-central Montana, began returning bison to their lands in the 1970s. Since then, the herd has grown and now roams on approximately 23,000 acres. WWF has supported range expansion and infrastructure projects at Fort Belknap, including an ongoing expansion that will soon raise the total pasture area to about 35,000 acres. This expansion project includes re-seeding of 4,500 acres of former cropland back to native grasses and forbs providing additional healthy habitat for bison, songbirds, pollinators, and many other species.

Additionally, Fort Belknap's Aaniiih Nakoda College is leading exciting efforts to cultivate the next generation of Native leaders through the Aaniiih Nakoda Ecology program and the Tataa[ee-TA-naan TA-ta-ng-uh] (Buffalo) Research and Education Center. WWF staff members serve as faculty fellows, working with faculty and students to cultivate knowledge and skills related to bison and prairie wildlife species, the grassland ecosystem, and ecological monitoring.

Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation, Pine Ridge Reservation

Aerial view of the south unit of Badlands National Park showing tall gray cliffs with green crass at the tio

A new Native-led bison project is underway within the Oglala Lakota Nation on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation—an Indigenous-led, Oglala Lakota non-profit—is in the final stages of securing thousands of acres of habitat for a new bison herd. WWF supports Thunder Valley's bison restoration goals through fundraising and logistics. WWF also supports the Stronghold Working Group—a local, Oglala Lakota-led grassroots community organization promoting bison restoration and protection of The Stronghold, a site located within the Badlands, which holds deep significance to the Oglala Lakota people. WWF supported a Pine Ridge-wide survey under the leadership of the Stronghold Working Group, which revealed strong support for bison restoration and land and cultural preservation. The working group is now seeking additional input to ensure that all future bison restoration and land conservation actions will be based on shared priorities originating within the Pine Ridge community.