Posted on Oct 30, 2022
Buffalo are being restored to tribal lands throughout the Midwest
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Hundreds of buffalo raised in preserves throughout the Midwest will soon begin their journey to tribal lands across the country.
It’s part of an effort led by the InterTribal Buffalo Council, a network of 79 tribal nations that work together to distribute buffalo. This year the group plans to relocate some 1,500 buffalo to member nations through its Surplus Buffalo Program.
ITBC Executive Director Troy Heinert, who is Sicangu Lakota from the Rosebud Sioux reservation in South Dakota, has spent the past decade overseeing the restoration effort.
“We've shipped over 20,000 buffalo in our 30 years,” he said.
At their peak, millions of buffalo roamed throughout much of what is now the United States and Canada. By 1900, it’s estimated that only about 400 buffalo were left. The near demise of North America’s largest mammal was driven by the U.S. Army in the 1800s — a deliberate policy to weaken Native American tribes through starvation.
That’s why restoring buffalo, particularly under tribal management, is so important to Heinert.
It’s part of an effort led by the InterTribal Buffalo Council, a network of 79 tribal nations that work together to distribute buffalo. This year the group plans to relocate some 1,500 buffalo to member nations through its Surplus Buffalo Program.
ITBC Executive Director Troy Heinert, who is Sicangu Lakota from the Rosebud Sioux reservation in South Dakota, has spent the past decade overseeing the restoration effort.
“We've shipped over 20,000 buffalo in our 30 years,” he said.
At their peak, millions of buffalo roamed throughout much of what is now the United States and Canada. By 1900, it’s estimated that only about 400 buffalo were left. The near demise of North America’s largest mammal was driven by the U.S. Army in the 1800s — a deliberate policy to weaken Native American tribes through starvation.
That’s why restoring buffalo, particularly under tribal management, is so important to Heinert.
Buffalo are being restored to tribal lands throughout the Midwest
Posted from news.stlpublicradio.orgPosted in these groups: 
Wildlife
Native Americans
Wildlife Native Americans
Posted 2 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel Excellent! The only time I ever saw a buffalo was in the zoo. Hopefully one day I will travel the Great Plains and see some in their natural habitat.
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LTC David Brown
Go to Yellowstone National Park. There used to be as many as 60 million on the prairie.
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Cpl Vic Burk
LTC David Brown - One day! My wife's health condition prevents us from traveling to far and Yellowstone is long, long way from East Tennessee!
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