Back Home on the Range

Wayne Frederick, a rancher and member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, has spent his whole life around bison. He grew up listening to the huge, woolly animals snort and grunt as his tribe’s herd thundered across their 7,000-acre canyon in South Dakota. Today Frederick manages his own herds. For him, raising bison is more than a job—it’s a cultural responsibility. “The honor of raising bison is something I really cherish,” he says.

Bison are the largest living animal native to North America. Vast numbers once roamed the continent (see “Shrinking Herds”). For thousands of years, Indigenous people living across what is now known as the Great Plains—including members of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe—relied on bison for food. They also used the animals’ skins for clothing and shelter, and their bones and horns for tools.

Wayne Frederick has spent his whole life around bison. He’s a rancher and member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. Frederick grew up to the sounds of his tribe’s herd in South Dakota. The huge, woolly animals snorted and grunted as they thundered across their 7,000-acre canyon. Today Frederick manages his own herds. For him, raising bison is more than a job. It’s a cultural responsibility. “The honor of raising bison is something I really cherish,” he says.

Bison are the largest living animal native to North America. Vast numbers once roamed the continent (see “Shrinking Herds”). Members of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and other Indigenous people lived across the area that is now called the Great Plains. For thousands of years, they relied on bison for food. They also made clothing and shelter from bison skins. And they used the animals’ bones and horns for tools.

But in the 19th century, settlers expanding westward slaughtered millions of bison to sell their hides. The destruction of bison also made it easier to force Native people onto reservations. By the late 1800s, fewer than 325 bison remained in the wild, and countless Native people had lost a vital source of food, culture,  and connection to their traditional way of life.

For decades, scientists and tribe members like Frederick have worked to revive the Great Plains’ bison population. And their efforts are paying off—helping restore a cultural symbol and way of life for Indigenous peoples.

But in the 19th century, settlers moved westward. They killed millions of bison to sell their hides. It was also easier to force Native people onto reservations with bison gone. By the late 1800s, fewer than 325 bison remained in the wild. Countless Native people had lost a vital source of food, culture, and connection to their traditional way of life.

Scientists and tribe members like Frederick want to bring back the Great Plains’ bison population. For decades, they’ve worked on the problem. Their efforts are helping restore a cultural symbol and way of life for Indigenous peoples.

The Great Plains are covered in grasslands called prairies. Bison are an important part of a prairie’s ecosystem—a community of organisms interacting with their environment. As a keystone species, bison help maintain the ecosystem that other prairie animals and plants depend on to survive. For example, bison love to take dirt baths, a behavior called wallowing, says Olivia Cosby. She’s an ecologist at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s Great Plains Science Program. When the enormous creatures roll around, they create shallow dips in the soil. Water collects in these spots, creating puddles—temporary habitat for insects and amphibians. That’s just one of the ways “the landscape evolved alongside bison,” says Cosby.

Bison also graze in an unusual pattern, says Jessica Alexander, a wildlife biologist who also works at the Great Plains Science Program. Unlike cattle, which graze fields evenly, bison munch small clumps of grass before moving on. That creates a patchwork of long and short grass. This boosts biodiversity—the variety of living things in an ecosystem. Some plants and animals prefer the moist soil and protection of long grass, while others prefer bright, open fields of short grass. And of course, massive bison leave behind massive poop, which fertilizes soil and spreads seeds from the plants they’ve eaten, boosting plant growth.

The Great Plains are covered in grasslands called prairies. Bison are an important part of a prairie’s ecosystem. That’s a community of organisms, along with their environment. As a keystone species, bison help maintain the ecosystem. Other prairie animals and plants depend on them to survive. For example, bison love to take dirt baths, says Olivia Cosby. She’s an ecologist at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s Great Plains Science Program. This behavior is called wallowing. When the huge creatures roll around, they create shallow dips in the soil. Water collects in these spots to form puddles. And the puddles are temporary habitat for insects and amphibians. That’s just one way “the landscape evolved alongside bison,” says Cosby.

Bison also graze in an unusual pattern, says wildlife biologist Jessica Alexander. She also works at the Great Plains Science Program. Cattle graze fields evenly, but bison are different. They munch small clumps of grass and move on. That creates a patchwork of long and short grass. This boosts biodiversity, the variety of living things in an ecosystem. Some plants and animals prefer the moist soil and protection of long grass. Others prefer bright, open fields of short grass. And massive bison leave behind massive poop. It fertilizes soil and spreads seeds from the plants in their diet. That boosts plant growth.

People have been working to save bison ever since they realized the animals were going extinct. In 1884, Michel Pablo, an Indigenous man from Montana, started a herd of just a few dozen bison. Over 20 years, that herd grew to 800 bison—helping to more than triple the national population. Eventually, the U.S. government seized this land and turned it into the National Bison Range, a conservation area that still exists today.

Throughout the 1900s, small populations of bison grew on protected lands in places like Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and on private ranches across the country. But recovery was slow, says Rosalyn LaPier. She’s a member of the Blackfeet and Métis tribes of Montana, and an environmental historian at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Populations only started to rebound during the past few decades. Native Americans were crucial in leading this effort, working with the U.S. National Park Service to transfer bison from national parks to tribal lands.

When people saw that bison were becoming extinct, they started working to save them. Michel Pablo was an Indigenous man from Montana. In 1884, he started a herd of a few dozen bison. Over 20 years, that herd grew to 800 bison. It helped to more than triple the national population. Eventually, the U.S. government seized this land and turned it into the National Bison Range. This conservation area still exists today.

Small populations of bison grew during the 1900s. Some lived on protected lands in places like Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Others lived on private ranches across the country. But recovery was slow, says Rosalyn LaPier. She’s a member of the Blackfeet and Métis tribes of Montana. She’s also an environmental historian at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Populations only started to rebound during the past few decades. Native Americans took a vital lead in this effort. They worked with the U.S. National Park Service to move bison from national parks to tribal lands.

Today there are about 545,000 bison living across the U.S. “They’re no longer on the verge of extinction,” says LaPier. Although populations are just a tiny fraction of their original size, this is a massive conservation success, she adds.

But there’s a big difference between today’s bison and those of the past. “There are really no free-roaming herds left,” says LaPier. Modern bison are all “contained in a park or behind a fence.” Because the bison of the past weren’t confined, they likely impacted their ecosystems in different ways. “Where would they migrate, and what would they do there?” asks LaPier. “We don’t have the answers to these questions yet.”

Although Native people had extensive knowledge of bison, much of it was taken from them when they were forced onto reservations. Today some Native Americans like Frederick are rebuilding their connections to the species, while scientists like Cosby and Alexander at the Great Plains Science Program are working to learn how free-roaming bison might have acted and affected their surroundings. Others are studying what it might look like if free-roaming herds were established once again.

But even behind fences, bison are having positive effects on their surroudings, says LaPier. Where bison are reintroduced, different kinds of plants grow. Birds, bugs, and amphibians also return to plains and prairies. And for Native ranchers like Frederick, it’s powerful to be around bison once more. “You’re bringing buffalo back to the people,” he says.

Today about 545,000 bison live across the U.S. “They’re no longer on the verge of extinction,” says LaPier. Populations are just a tiny fraction of their original size. But this is a massive conservation success, she adds.

But something is different about today’s bison. “There are really no free-roaming herds left,” says LaPier. Modern bison are all “contained in a park or behind a fence.” The bison of the past weren’t confined. So they likely affected their ecosystems in different ways. “Where would they migrate, and what would they do there?” asks LaPier. “We don’t have the answers to these questions yet.”

Native people had extensive knowledge of bison. But much of it was lost when they were forced onto reservations. Today some Native Americans are rebuilding their connections to bison. Frederick is one of them. Some scientists are studying how free-roaming bison might have acted and affected their surroundings. They include Cosby and Alexander at the Great Plains Science Program. Others are studying what might happen if free-roaming herds are formed again.

Bison may live behind fences. But they’re still having positive effects on their surroundings, says LaPier. Where bison are restored, different kinds of plants grow. Birds, bugs, and amphibians also return to plains and prairies. And for Native ranchers like Frederick, being around bison again is powerful. “You’re bringing buffalo back to the people,” he says.