WASHINGTON
(April 27, 2016) The Vote Bison Coalition is proud to celebrate
the House and Senate passage of the National Bison Legacy Act, which
when signed by the President will officially make bison the National
Mammal of the United States.
The House of Representatives passed its version of the National
Bison Legacy Act late Tuesday night and the Senate passed its version
of the bill last December. The Senate sponsors expect the Senate
to adopt the House bill later this week and send the legislation
to the president to be signed into law.
The bills passage is the culmination of four year effort
by the coalition, a group of more than 60 organizations, tribes
and businesses led by the Inter Tribal Buffalo Council, National
Bison Association, and Wildlife Conservation Society, to officially
commemorate the ecological, cultural, historical and economic contribution
of bison. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND), Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM),
Rep. William Lacy Clay (D-MO), Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), Rep.
Kristi Noem (R-SD), and Rep. José Serrano (D-NY) championed
the bill in Congress, along with many co-sponsors from both parties.
As the national mammal, bison will now join the oak (national
tree designated 2004), the rose (national floral emblem
designated 1998) and the bald eagle (national emblem designated
1782 at the 2nd Continental Congress) as official symbols of America.
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Bison
on the Great Plains
On
the Great Plains Lewis wrote of immense [bison] herds
... in every direction, and says the bison were so
gentle that we pass near them ... without appearing to excite
any alarm.
An
estimated 60 million bison roamed the pre-Lewis and Clark
plains. By 1900 white sportsmen had reduced their number
to fewer than 300 in the United States. Today there are
some 250,000 bison on the plains.
Photograph
by Mark Thiessen - National Geographic
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The bison, North Americas largest land mammal, has an
important role in Americas history, culture and economy. Before
being nearly wiped from existence by westward expansion, bison roamed
across most of North America. The species is acknowledged as the
first American conservation success story, having been brought back
from the brink of extinction by a concerted effort of ranchers,
conservationists, tribes and politicians to save the species in
the early 20th century. In 1907, President Teddy Roosevelt and the
American Bison Society began this effort by shipping 15 animals
by train from the Bronx Zoo to Oklahomas Wichita Mountains
Wildlife Refuge. Many Native American tribes revere bison as a sacred
and spiritual symbol of their heritage and are restoring bison herds
on tribal lands throughout the West. Bison now exist in all 50 states
in public and private herds, providing recreation opportunities
for wildlife viewers in parks, refuges, zoos, and grasslands while
sustaining a multimillion dollar sector of American agriculture.
John Calvelli, WCS Executive Vice President of Public Affairs,
said: The adoption of bison as our National Mammal represents
a validation of the many meaningful ways this animal represents
America. As an ecological keystone, cultural bedrock and economic
driver, the bison conveys values such as unity, resilience and commitment
to healthy landscapes and communities. Bison takes a place alongside
the bald eagle as a national symbol to be revered.
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Buffalo
in the Snow by John Nieto
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Jim Stone, Executive Director of the Inter Tribal Buffalo Council,
said: The recognition of the buffalo as the National Mammal
shows the cross cultural stature of this iconic animal and for tribes
will allow us to expand our work on reintroducing buffalo into our
day to day lives. The buffalo has had a special place in the lives
of tribal people since time immemorial and played important roles
in our culture, religion and lifestyle. Now buffalo have become
a part of the fabric of tribal life once again, created the foundation
for an economic movement based on healthy food choices and provided
conservation groups opportunities to expand the habitat for the
species.
Dave Carter, Executive Director of the National Bison Association,
said: The National Mammal declaration not only recognizes
the historic role of bison in America, it celebrates the resurgence
of bison as an important part of the American environment, diet,
and an emerging part of the agricultural economy.
Keith Aune, WCS Senior Conservationist and Bison Program Coordinator,
said: Finally we are placing this symbolic creature in proper
perspective by recognizing its many values to the American people
both past and present. The passage of this bill not only recognizes
the historic significance of bison but signals the beginning of
a grand American adventure to carry out ecological, economic and
cultural restoration of American bison into the future. The National
Bison Legacy Act assures that bison stories will be shared each
year to inspire future generations. The American bison truly stands
out among all North American mammals and deserves to be our National
Mammal.
For the past four years, the Vote Bison Coalition has joined
people across the country to celebrate National Bison Day on the
first Saturday of November. Native American tribes, bison producers,
conservationists, sportsmen and women, educators and other public
and private partners commemorated the day by hosting events celebrating
bison in their communities in dozens of states and participating
on social media. The U.S. Senate has for the past three years recognized
National Bison Day with an official resolution.
About the American Bison, a National Icon
The bison, North Americas largest land mammal, once roamed
the continent freely, helping sustain plains and prairie ecosystems
as a keystone species through foraging, fertilization, trampling
and other activities. Bison shaped the vegetation and landscape
as they fed on and dispersed the seeds of grasses, sedges, and forbs.
Several bird species adapted to or co-evolved with types of grasses
and vegetation structures that had been, for millennia, grazed by
millions of free-ranging bison. WCS today works to support bison
recovery in the American west, through the expansion of existing
herds and reintroduction of bison to new large landscapes to avoid
ecological extinction.
Before being nearly wiped from existence by westward expansion,
bison ranged from Alaska to Mexico, from Oregon to New Jersey, and
south as far as Georgia. Bison were hunted down to approximately
1,000 at the turn of the 20th century, and were brought back from
the brink of extinction by a concerted effort of ranchers, conservationists
and politicians to save the species. In 1907, President Teddy Roosevelt
and the American Bison Society began this effort by shipping 15
animals by train from the Bronx Zoo to Oklahomas Wichita Mountains
Wildlife Refuge. Soon after, bison were transferred to South Dakotas
Wind Cave National Park.
This early campaign to spare the last few hundred bison evolved
into the first major wildlife recovery in world history. The small
population secured in states like South Dakota, Montana, and Oklahoma
spawned todays 2,500 privately ranched herds of bison that
provide meat, wool and leather to growing markets. Native Americans
are regaining opportunities to re-center their way of life on the
buffalo. Zoos, parks, refuges and tribes are working together to
increase bison genetic integrity and numbers. While less than 5
percent of bison truly run wild these days, wherever they roam they
help recover lost grasslands and biodiversity.
Bison are profiled on U.S. coins, portrayed on two state flags
along with several federal and state emblems, and featured on logos
of sports teams, businesses and academic institutions nationwide.
In addition, bison have been adopted as the state mammal of Wyoming
and the state animal of Oklahoma and Kansas. The bison is the nations
most culturally recognizable mammal and as such deserves recognition
through adoption and celebration.
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A
buffalo calf runs along with its mother in a pasture at the
P.D.H. Buffalo Farm in Sempronius, NY. (photo by Mike Greenlar
- The (Syracuse, NY) Post-Standard
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Bison, often called buffalo by Native people, continue to sustain
and provide cultural value to Native Americans and Indian Tribes.
More than 60 tribes are working to restore bison to over 1,000,000
acres of Indian lands in South Dakota, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Montana,
and other states. Today, bison remain integral to the traditions
and lifestyles of Native Americans through cultural practices, social
ceremonies and religious rituals. Tribes are returning bison to
Indian lands in order to regain lost culture, access locally-available
and healthy traditional food, expand economic potential for poor
reservations, and to right past wrongs against the Native American
people related to the intentional decimation of bison herds. Recently,
87 bison were transferred from Elk Island National Park in Canada
to the ancestral bison territory of the Blackfeet Nation reservation
near Browning, Montana, in a culturally and spiritually meaningful
homecoming.
Bison production on private ranches is in its strongest economic
condition in more than a decade. The total value of privately owned
bison on more than 2,500 bison ranches in the U.S. was estimated
to exceed $336 million in 2014. Bison are being raised on American
farms and ranches in nearly every state, which create jobs, provide
a sustainable and healthy meat source, and contribute to our nations
food security.
The Vote Bison Coalition, led by steering committee members
the Inter Tribal Buffalo Council, National Bison Association and
Wildlife Conservation Society, formed in 2012 to make bison the
National Mammal and to celebrate National Bison Day annually on
the first Saturday of November. The coalition counts more than 60
businesses, tribal groups and organizations who have banded together
to support efforts to celebrate bison. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper,
Chief Earl Old Person of the Blackfeet Nation, and Ted Roosevelt
V, great-great grandson of President Roosevelt, serve as the Advisory
Council to the coalition.
For more information on the Vote Bison Coalition, please visit
VoteBison.org
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