Support for restoring bison to part of the Great Plains is growing, and money is flowing into the effort.
Here is the story in Wildlife Conservation Magazine.
Ralph Maughan
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University with specialties in natural resource politics, public opinion, interest groups, political parties, voting and elections. Aside from academic publications, he is author or co-author of three hiking/backpacking guides, and he is past President of the Western Watersheds Project and the creator of The Wildlife News.
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First off, it’s a real stretch to consider Ted Turner as a bison conservationist. His bison are in no way wild. Sorry. As far as ranchers go, he’s a touch more concious than others, but still. The sucess of the ranching industry has been used as a smoke screen to draw attention away from the dire situation that wild bison face in North America. I call it a false abundance.
Second, I fully support the efforts of the Intertribal Bison Council. Bringing buffalo back to a people who suffer from epidemic rates of diabetes is critical. The current model for restoration in North America, ie translocation from one habitat to another, should only be a transitional measure until we can create corridors for bison to migrate freely and naturally.
The Buffalo Commons is a great idea, but is seriously lacking without an element of true wild bison in the equation. The sucess of these groups should not be allowed to overshadow the efforts to free the bison of YNP and Wood Buffalo National Park and allow them to naturally repopulate their native habitats. These herds are the wellspring of the buffalo nation and are critical to the future of wild bison. I welcome all those interested in bison restoration to embrace the bigger picture herd; which I see as allowing the existing wild herds to reconnect naturally. Listen to the buffalo. They will tell you where they want to go. We just need to get out of their way.
They will come back. Now or later. Read James Lovelock’s
Revenge of Giai…We are past the earths carrying capacity and the Earth has a habit of not liking that…The “Time of Insanity” will come to an end soon & with it will go most of the evil scourge that humanitiy has wrought on the planet.
GO BUFFALO!