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The bison, or buffalo, once totaling around 30 million in number, were kings of the prairie. These magnificent animals can be up to six feet high at the shoulders and weigh a ton or more - so huge that early settlers thought it was the bison that had cleared the trees from the prairie. They roamed the range in herds of dozens to millions, never overgrazing, always moving, granting the land time to recover. Like fire, they were a mainstay within a delicately balanced ecosystem.
Bison grazing on the Tallgrass Prairie
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In the late 1800s the bison were almost entirely eliminated, with less than 1000 individuals left at the lowest point. Today their numbers have rebounded to about 350,000 - only about 1% of their original numbers, but enough so that the bison are no longer in danger of extinction. About 15,000 reside on public lands in the US, the rest are private herds, such as those maintained by The Nature Conservancy.
The Nature Conservancy has reintroduced bison at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve as a critical part of the restoration of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem. Visitors to the preserve can usually see one or more small herds of bison by driving the 10-mile bison loop, though bison are constantly on the move and may be hidden by the rolling prairie terrain. |
