|
For the past 29 years, scientists have counted the plant species on specific sections of Kansas tallgrass prairie as part of a study on the impact of bison grazing. They did the same count on prairie with and without bison grazing, and they came to a resounding conclusion: bison boosted native plant species richness by a whopping 86 percent over the past three decades, according to a study published yesterday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
These results are important, not just because they affirm that reintroducing the native Bison bison benefits ecosystems, but because tallgrass prairies—which are dominated by (you guessed it) tall grasses and herbaceous flowering plants called forbs—are imperiled.
The researchers found that cattle grazing on tallgrass prairie also benefited native species by about 30 percent. But American bison, also called buffalo, provided nearly three times the environmental benefit as cows, and researchers aren’t yet sure why.
“We’re still kind of surprised at just how large of an effect bison had,” study leader Zak Ratajczak told National Geographic. “I don’t think anyone would have predicted this ahead of time.”
Jason Baldes, tribal buffalo program manager for the National Wildlife Federation’s Tribal Partnerships Program, celebrated the findings.
“As Native people, as we restore this connection to the buffalo, it heals us. And that buffalo, by its presence on the land, heals the land,” he said. “And that is something that we can all learn, understand, and benefit from.”
Documents show Interior may support Willow Project
Records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request show that, as recently as June, the Bureau of Land Management indicated that it was leaning toward approving the Willow Project, a $6 billion drilling proposal in the National Petroleum Reserve of Alaska.
The BLM released a new draft supplemental environmental impact statement for the project last month, laying out several alternatives without specifying a preference. According to the statement, Willow could emit as much as 284 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over 30 years, and would encroach on the habitat of the millions of migratory birds as well as over 80,000 caribou.
The Biden administration will issue a final decision on Willow in the coming months.
|
People need to come forward and take action when they see something that isn't right or needs to be changed, because one person can make a difference, and this shows how that is so true.”
