Noelle: [00:00:00] It is such a uniquely emotional experience to see buffalo returned onto lands where they haven't been since the late 1800s.

Dennis: Being at a bison release, you feel entirely welcome and embraced.

And those communities, after all that's happened, they embrace outsiders in those moments.

When the gates actually open and the bison flood out onto the landscape, you feel such joy in that moment.

Alexander: The American bison is more than just the national mammal of the United States. They are keystone species that play crucial roles in the health of their ecosystems. They shape their environment, and they also hold significant cultural and spiritual importance for many Indigenous and native peoples throughout the Great Plains of North America. Welcome and thank you for joining World Wildlife Fund's Wildlife Café.

In this series, we explore some of the most powerful, inspiring, and impactful wildlife conservation stories with the passionate people who are helping make it all happen.

In this episode, I chat with WWF's Dennis Jorgensen and Noelle Guernsey, who've been at the [00:01:00] forefront of WWF's bison restoration and community engagement work for many years. We'll talk about why bison are considered to be ecological and cultural keystone species, to how WWF and the larger conservation community have been partnering with Native Nations and communitiesto restore bison, and much more. Thank you for joining the conversation and make sure to subscribe to catch up on more episodes of Wildlife Café.

Alexander: It's so great to see you both, Dennis and Noelle.

Noelle: Great to be here.

Dennis: Great to see you, too, Alexander.

Alexander: I'm really happy to be talking to you both and to hear more about all the work that you've been doing for quite some time now as it relates to bison conservation and restoration. But I had a first question that I wanted to ask. I've heard bison referred to as ecological and cultural keystones, but what does that mean exactly?

Dennis: I think if you think about bison and the fact that they were the most widespread mammal in North America, that they were the dominant grazer. Before there were cattle on this landscape, bison were [00:02:00] the dominant grazer. They shaped the landscape, they shaped habitats across the continent.

If you think about all of the prairie species that they co-evolved with, some might prefer, for example, grassland birds, some prefer short grass, some prefer tall grass. So the places where bison really loved grazing was grazed to the ground. The places that they didn't come back to for years were taller grass.

And so that created all of these variety of habitats and then bison behaviors as well, like wallowing created entire wetlands, as well as potholes that could hold water where amphibians would lay their eggs and tadpoles would swim until they were ready to venture out. And so in terms of being an ecological keystone, that was their role was to shape that entire North American landscape. And in terms of being a cultural keystone species,

I think for the people of the Plains, the Indigenous people of the Plains,I've heard [00:03:00] an analogy that is something that might resonate with people today. Some native people say that they were their Walmart, and they mean that in the sense that really you could find everything that you needed in buffalo.They were central to their culture, to their spirituality, totheir tipis were made of buffalo hides.

Their hide scrapers were made of buffalo bones. The way that they carried water was using the bladder of a bison. It really, it was just a matter of that, everything that they needed was in the buffalo. Their clothing, and then, of course, their spiritual stories, and their creation stories related back to the buffalo as well.

So the buffalo and the people were one, they are relatives. So that's really the ecological and cultural keystone, that role that bison played.

Alexander: You were just referring to them as bison and buffalo too, so I have heard the name used, both names used to talk about the [00:04:00] same animal, and so I, I did want to ask, is there a difference between the two or when and where do you find these differing terms used?

Noelle: So great question.

Bison is the scientific name for this species. However, bison and buffalo are often used very interchangeably. True buffalo are really found as Cape buffalo in Africa and water buffalo species in Asia. However, buffalo has been used for a very long time to describe bison.

Particularly, I feel like you often hear the term buffalo with a lot of Indigenous and rural communities. So you will probably notice that we often use both bison and buffalo, but we are speaking of the same incredible species.

Alexander: Great. Thank you. The historical range for the bison and the buffalo was vast, including the Great Plains. And currently they number in the tens of thousands in conservation and tribal herds, I believe. But there was a [00:05:00] time when tens of millions of these animals roamed much of North America just a little over a hundred years ago.

But could you share a bit more about how we got to where we are and the importance then of restoring and bringing back bison and what that actually means?

Noelle: Yeah, so bison, prior to colonization and settlement of North America, bison was the most far-ranging large herbivore in North America.

If you imagine prior to Western settlement, bison were found in what is today known as Alaska and Canada through much of what is now the United States, minus really just the coasts. And then they extended all the way down South into Northern Mexico. And so they had this really wide range, and the Great Plains were absolutely one of the strongholds for this species.

Then, in less than a [00:06:00] hundred years, they went from tens of millions of animals down to less than a thousand individual surviving animals. I feel like we are incredibly fortunate that this animal did not go extinct and that we have the opportunity to support efforts to bring them back and restore them.

Today, we have a little less than half a million bison on the landscape. However, it's important to know that the majority, over 90 percent of those animals, are raised in a livestock production framework. And that for herds that are restored as conservation herds and as wildlife, as well as those that are being restored to Native Nations and tribal herds, those probably number in the tens of thousands.

So if we think about the different conservation herds and the tribal [00:07:00] herds that we have, that are probably somewhere under 50,000 individual animals, the reason we got to this point of tens of millions of animals down to less than a thousand surviving animals was that there was a very concentrated effort to eradicate bison.

That was done in part to subjugate the Indigenous peoples that were so reliant and tied to that species. There was also a lot of sport hunting, just mass slaughter of bison for fun, as well as a lot of overharvesting of bison for their pelts and other parts that were really fueling parts of industry.

And so that all rapidly happened in just under 100 years on this North American continent.

Alexander: It really is then an incredible feat to think of like the recovery of the buffalo and getting to where we are today. And it's thanks to a [00:08:00] lot of people who've been working really hard to do that.

And WWF and the larger conservation community have been partnering with native communities for many years, who are seeking to restore bison to their lands. And those native nations are really leading the way in this work. But what does that partnership look like? Where do WWF and other conservation groups come in then as a partner to support their work?

Noelle: Native nations are sovereign nations, and one thing that we see is that every buffalo program has very unique and distinctive goals, visions, and ways that they want to see bison returned to the landscape and their communities. And with partners like WWF and other conservation organizations, really to be a good partner we should be supporting efforts and realize that every program will have different approaches and different needs.

We feel very lucky to be invited to support different buffalo programs in [00:09:00] their goals. And one of the most fun things about this job is that, you know, we are really able to support bison restoration in so many different ways. Some of the ways are going to be very obvious, like helping fundraise to access new lands for putting bison on.

So through leases, and also the infrastructure that's needed to bring bison back. So that can look like bison fencing that's wildlife friendly, as well as the equipment that's needed to manage a bison herd. But then there's a lot of other cool things that we get to support that may not be as obvious.

And that is anything from supporting language immersion schools that are really making connections between the restoration and return of buffalo to the Indigenous languages of different nations. We also are able to support a lot of community groups that are interested in really seeing [00:10:00] bison touch back down on the lands but also to their communities and the ways that they want.

And so with these community groups that are leading the way, often they are asking their community members, "what is it that you want to see with your bison herds?" And, just as examples of things that have been supported, or things like, how do you increase access where school children and elders and other adults can get out and actually see the bison herds?

Some communities want to see more access to affordable meat from bison through their food sovereignty efforts. Other really cool things that we get to support are some people really also want to see ecological monitoring to help understand what is best for the land and for the bison that are on those lands.

So I feel very lucky that we are able to do so many things, including a lot of the storytelling from people themselves that are showing through photos or their own [00:11:00] voices of what the return of the buffalo really means.

Alexander: The partnership and like the diversity of the partnership just sounds incredible, just the diversity of programs and initiatives that are being done. But what then does a typical tribal or native-led buffalo program look like?

Dennis: I think as Noelle said the buffalo programs really vary quite a lot, and the partners and the leaders in those efforts in each community, of course, can look very different.

But often we work with tribal government bison programs, which are programs of the tribe. And in those instances, generally those programs have been in existence for in some cases, 20 or 30 years, in some cases, 40 or 50 years, even, and those programs are providing meat for things like wakes and funerals.

They are beginning to look more at both how they can donate meat to good causes in the [00:12:00] community, like seniors programs, school lunch programs, and things like that, as well as how they can have affordable meat sales for community members to make bison more accessible. As Noelle also said, there's interest in seeing the buffalo.

And, really one thing to understand about all of these tribal buffalo programs is that they've been under resourced for decades. When you think about the fact that the bison were wiped out and that tribes have been working hard to bring them back. When there are crises of health and education on reservations, there isn't necessarily a lot of investment in bringing buffalo back.

They do what they can, but, really, that's a big part of the collaboration that WWF is engaged in and working on now is to try and bring far more resources to bringing bison back, so that the programs can deliver on in all the ways that the community would like to.

There are community groups that are interested in [00:13:00] developing curriculum for children that is in their own languages, that is teaching them their ancient relationship to bison, as well as thinking about how they can engage them now and how those individuals can become future conservation leaders and leaders in their community that have a connection to buffalo. There are immersion schools that are starting right from preschool and kindergarten, teaching their language, teaching their songs, teaching their traditions. And because bison were so central to that means that there is a connection to bison again.

So I think that can span all the way from that earliest childhood education to places like Fort Belknap, where they now have a bachelor's degree, a four year degree in Aaniiih Nakoda Ecology.

And that is intended to teach young people about the [00:14:00] ecological relationships with buffalo and all of the species that occupied their lands historically and that are being restored today. I think that these programs can look so many different ways depending on what the leaders in a community and the vision of that community is, and the wonderful thing as Noelle said is that we can support communities in all those ways.

I feel very fortunate that World Wildlife Fund has supporters who trust us and who recognize that we are supporting the reconnection with the buffalo, because durable conservation in these contexts really requires that reconnection is there that the resources are there

and that the people are part of the process of bringing the buffalo back, not just that a program on the reservation is bringing the buffalo back and that the buffalo are just somewhere out on the land, but rather that the people are part of it, and understand that the buffalo, and they are moving forward together.

Alexander: I would [00:15:00] love to hear more about the different hats that you both wear, when it comes to your work and how this diversity of work that you've both been just talking about, how you both engage in all of that and how that then facilitates the kind of change that WWF is trying to support.

Noelle: I feel that in our roles the best thing that we can really do is build relationships with partners on the ground. WWF, we support efforts when invited. And so really, a lot of the work is directly tied to developing really strong relationships with different people on the ground.

And, often the people on the ground that we are developing these relationships with are pretty wide. So that ranges from people like buffalo managers and the staff that are working directly on the ground with the bison herds to interested community members that have a voice and what they want to [00:16:00] see.

Often, we get to hear about those desires through things like community surveys and other efforts to really get a pulse of what people would like to see with the bison herds. We also work closely as Dennis mentioned with partners that are at tribal colleges or other nonprofit organizations that are also interested in making connections with the buffalo and their streams of work.

I would say one of the hats that we wear certainly is the listening hat because really listening and hearing about what are the aspirations that our partners have? And then where are the gaps?

Dennis: Building on what Noelle said, I think one thing that I feel really good about in terms of the work that World Wildlife has done and the way that we've evolved over time in this work over the past decade is that I do feel like often in the NGO space, in a [00:17:00] sense, we bring an agenda to the work, or I've seen that groups have brought an agenda to the work, and I really feel like when we started taking that approach of beginning by listening, and by asking what was needed, what was valued, and what aspirations there were in the communities, that changed a lot.

And as I said before, the fact that our supporters trust us enough to provide funding that is flexible, that allows us to support our partners in whatever ways they might need and that they might identify has changed things a lot. I really think that this space has changed a great deal, and even the way that fundraising and development and bringing resources works is changing right now, and I think that I can say that in part that has to do with the way that we've approached this work.

So it's super exciting because I think that we're on the cusp of building some amazing momentum to [00:18:00] bring far more resources to the space of tribal bison restoration, and my hope is that will mean that people who are leading the work in the communities are lifted and can do exactly what they have always dreamt of. I think that we've seen some dreams achieved in the communities that we work with, but I really think that there's going to be amazing things happening in the next several years.

There just hasn't been enough resources and, it's awesome to see how momentum is growing.

Noelle: Tying in to what Dennis just shared, I feel like the moment is changing and in a really good way, recognizing that each Native Nation is a sovereign nation and operating in a way that acknowledges and respects and honors tribal sovereignty is really important.

And I'm really glad to see that overall, I do feel like conservation is a little late, but we are [00:19:00] recognizing that. And, I hope to continue to see these inclusive and appropriate ways of working with partners on the ground, particularly with Native Nations to continue to grow and work in a good way.

Dennis: One thing I learned from a close Indigenous partner was about gatekeeping. And it was a really important lesson for me, and it was early on in my work with a new organization on Rosebud Reservation. And my friend brought up to me that they wanted to be the ones that had direct conversations with potential funders.

And that was a real shift, I think, for organizations like ours, not to say that they weren't open to it, but the fact that in the past those funders were our partners in the work, but instead what started to happen and the discussion that it [00:20:00] started and the way that it changed the work was that we made direct introductions between our Indigenous partners and our funders.

And that has changed everything, because who better to share a compelling vision and the amazing work that's being done than the people who are doing it, and we are still there with them. We are their allies. We're by their side in the work. But they are sharing the vision and that is bringing more people to this space, and we're seeing it every day and it's just amazing to see.

Noelle: And one of the amazing things is that if you're listening to this, there are so many amazing movies and native-led documentaries, and series, podcasts that you can listen to, to really hear from the voices of the people really leading the way with returning buffalo. It's an exciting time.

I encourage you to spend a little time searching. There's [00:21:00] really some amazing opportunities out there to learn and see what's happening on the ground.

Dennis: Recognizing the momentum that is building around tribal buffalo restoration, in the past year, World Wildlife Fund came together with Native Americans in Philanthropy, Intertribal Buffalo Council, and the Nature Conservancy, and we formed what's referred to as the Tribal Buffalo Lifeways Collaboration.

And, we're really just at the outset of that effort. But the hope is that it will bring far more resources to efforts of tribes, native-led organizations, to bring buffalo back to their traditional homelands, to reservations, and perhaps beyond, and take bison restoration with tribes to a whole new scale.

And if you want to learn more, you can go to worldwildlife.org, or you can also go to tribalbuffalo.org, and there will be information and resources, videos, documentaries, and ways in which you [00:22:00] can help to support these future efforts.

Alexander: Thinking just about buffalo restoration and recovery and what that means, what that looks like. I want to ask you both, since you've both been witness to moments of bison being released back to their home on the plains, what is it like being a part of those moments and the return of buffalo to Native Nations, which is that culmination of generations of the work of others and all these years of partnership and your own hard work?

Dennis: Being at a bison release, where that bison have not touched those lands for over a century with a community gathered with drummers and singers, with children, elders, and just wonderful gatherings.

I think that one of the things that amazes me most is the fact that you feel entirely welcome and embraced.

And typically there are ceremonies and song, before it all [00:23:00] starts. And the fact that those communities, after all that's happened after the near extermination of the bison and their near genocide, the fact that they embrace outsiders in those moments.

And that you can be there and be part of the spirit of that moment and the care and the excitement and the sadness and the happiness that they all feel.

And I think, when the gates actually open and the bison flood out onto the landscape, one thing that I've thought about, and it might sound odd, but I think as a European, you feel such joy in that moment.

But you almost don't know how to express it. And when you hear the song and the just boisterous happiness, like that people are actually, putting it out in the world, you can see that they know how to express happiness in a way that maybe we've forgotten. And it's just really amazing to be there and to be included.

So [00:24:00] I, you can't describe it. I hope that someday everyone has a chance to be at an event like that, because it really is amazing.

Noelle: It is such a uniquely emotional experience to see buffalo returned onto lands where they haven't been since the late 1800s.

But I will also say that some of the most poignant memories that I know I'll always have in my mind are also some of the smaller things too.

For example, going out with college students from Aaniiih Nakoda College to look at the different plants and the buffalo wallows that are around and seeing what insects are using those wallows is a really special thing to see as well. I think going and just watching the bison out on the prairie with all of the other species that have shared that landscape forever together is also a super special moment. [00:25:00] And, just the different experiences of watching children experience bison and just the glee that and energy that all children bring is something that's really amazing.

And I think one of the coolest memories that I'll have is, there was at the Wolakota Buffalo Range on Rosebud Reservation, there was the local Lakota Language Immersion School that came to see the bison, and watching their teacher and all of the students sing different songs and speak about the buffalo in their native language with the parents and the staff of the school all around. Those kind of moments are just something that I feel is definitely a privilege to have been part of and justI'd say the small moments as well as the really big moments of releasing bison are all part of that bigger picture of what it means to see buffalo return to the [00:26:00] lands and the different peoples that we are fortunate enough to work with.

Alexander: That is very beautiful and very poignant. And, thank you for sharing.

I hope that I can be a witness to one of those moments someday soon. And like you're saying, I hope really we all can be witness to some of these really special moments at some point in our lives. It's been an absolute pleasure as always chatting with you both.

Thank you again for joining Wildlife Café and for doing all that you're doing. I really have learned so much, and I'm sure you and so many others are inspiring so many people through the good work that you're doing. So thank you.

Dennis: Thanks, Alexander.

Noelle: Thanks, Alexander. It was fun to chat with you.