Nature Science

WE’RE THANKFUL FOR BEARS & BISON NOW

Herd of wild bison walk toward us across the plains.

by Neal Herbert. Bison on the Move, Lamar Valley. Wyoming. Courtesy of Yellowstone National Park.

We have a deep appreciation for Native Americans. One of the many reasons is that they are helping to restore populations of endangered animals in the United States, which have important impacts for us all.

Two wild bison graze on wild flowers.

BISON

Bison have been integral to life for many Native Americans. Not only were they an important part of Native American diet, but they were central to their spirituality.

That is precisely why the “new Americans” slaughtered more than 60 million of these beautiful beasts. Also known as American buffalo, bison were almost rendered extinct in the 1800s.

Herd of brown wild buffalo graze and rest on the prairie.

Now, thanks to many Native Americans, bison have been making a comeback. It has not been an easy quest. Because although the slaughter has stopped, extreme drought, floods, blizzards, and fire, caused by climate change, have damaged the land upon which the bison roam.

Majestic horned brown buffalo stands proudly on the hill against a blue sky with white clouds.

The InterTribal Buffalo Council (ITBC), located in Rapid City, S.D., works to help tribes on 9 reservations to re-establish healthy buffalo populations, helping them to prepare for drought and mitigate its effects.

Mist rises off the sunlit river around a wading wild bison with trees in the background.

By restoring the bison, members of the tribe are now eating healthier. They are also reconnecting to their cultural traditions.

Similar programs have begun in pockets of land across the western plains and the southwest.

Brown bear head closeup with trees and mountain in background.

GRIZZLY BEARS

Native Americans have been fighting to protect and restore the populations of grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park who have lost their numbers to trophy hunting and human encroachment.

Gorgeous brown bear dries off on the riverbank after a swim.

Grizzlies were put on the Endangered Species List in 1975, when there were only 135 of them remaining. Since then, their population has rebounded and there are now about 750 bears living in Yellowstone.

Three grizzly bears walk on grass and wildflowers on hillside, with mountains in the background.

The United States Fish & Wildlife Service moved to delist grizzly bears. But local tribal groups consider the bears to be part of their spiritual and cultural heritage and want the protections to remain in place. Recently, WildEarth Guardians sued the USFWS, challenging the agency's flawed rule for stripping grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem of Endangered Species Act protections. The premature removal of crucial federal safeguards undermines the recovery of the species as a whole, while subjecting grizzlies to state-sanctioned trophy hunting. WEG's lawsuit challenges the service's final rule removing Endangered Species Act protections from grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in U.S. District Court for the District of Montana.

Beautiful brown grizzly bear looks at us.

Native Americans argue that any proposal to remove protections or trophy-hunt the animals ignores tribal sovereignty and culture. Some believe that it would be tantamount to cultural genocide.

Big brown grizzly bear looks up as he stands in a field of golden grasses in Denali National Park, Alaska.

Guardians of Our Ancestors’ Legacy, a coalition of nearly 50 tribes from 6 states, came together to oppose the grizzly bear delisting. They will continue to fight.

Brown bear walks on stone ledge under a rainbow.

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Beautiful furry brown grizzly bear stands on a rock overlooking a valley with snow-capped mountains in background.

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Wild brown bison walks through snow.

IMAGE CREDITS:

Image: by Neal Herbert. “Bison on the Move.” Lamar Valley. Wyoming. Courtesy of Yellowstone National Park.
Image: by Thomas. “Tatanka.”
Image: by Jean (Klue) Hirsch. “The Sand Wallow.”
Image: by Dan Dzurisin. “American Bison.”
Image: by Michael Matti. “Bison in the River in Yellowstone.”
Image: by Princess Lodges. “Grizzly Bear.” Alaska.
Image: by Jayson. “Ursus Arctos Horribilis.”
Image: by Gregory "Slobirdr" Smith. “Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos ssp)”
Image: by Scott Calleja. “Grizzly Bear.”
Image: by Diliff. “A Grizzly in Denali National Park.” Alaska.
Image: by Valerie. “Rain - bear - bow.”
Image: by Erwin and Peggy Bauer. Grizzly Bear on a Rock Overlooking. Courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Image: by Lorne Sykora. Yellowstone in Winter 2009 - Bison in Snow.Image: by Lorne Sykora. “Yellowstone in Winter - Bison in Snow.”