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The Interior Department announced a collaborative 10-year plan to conserve the American bison, an iconic species that made it back from the brink of extinction. The newly established Bison Conservation Initiative (BCI) will build on the work initiated by Interior's Bison Working Group to further coordinate conservation strategies between the agency's bureaus as well as states, tribal nations, and nongovernmental organizations.
One of the first actions to be taken by the BCI is to transfer bison from the herd at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado to Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota to promote genetic diversity across herds. The next project will be a collaboration with the Rosebud Economic Development Corporation to establish a new herd on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota to support ecological restoration, cultural practices, economic development, food security, and public education.
Cristina Mormorunni, director of U.S. conservation for the Wildlife Conservation Society said in a statement, "Launching a collaborative strategy for the ecological and cultural recovery of our national mammal, a symbol of unity, resilience, and health, could not come at a better time for the American people and our unique natural heritage." Congress designated the American bison as the national mammal in 2016.
Podcast: How (and when) should national parks reopen?
The latest episode of CWP's "Go West, Young Podcast" includes a conversation with Phil Francis, the chair of the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks, and Joan Anzelmo, a longtime spokesperson for numerous National Park Service units, about Interior Secretary David Bernhardt's rush to reopen national parks despite warnings from career NPS staff about risks to employees and the public.
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We are doing something that has never been done. It shows what is possible when business, philanthropy and government work together to create multiple bottom line initiatives supporting the environment, people, fiscal responsibility and Native nation building.”
