Conserving the Mighty American Bison

Conservation should not mean domestication.

A note to our readers: Before we get into the heat of the upcoming legislative session here in Arizona and all of the drama, politicking, and wonking out that will take place, we thought we’d give you a substantive but broader column that highlights an important Western issue — conservation — and sets the stage for the ethos of our publication. Next week, we will be publishing a wonkier piece from another guest writer (one of Arizona’s most prominent political data analysts) on Arizona’s political demographics, as well as a surprise column from a national opinion writer. 

Our piece today comes to us from Judah Waxelbaum, an Arizona policy wonk and right-of-center tree hugger. Enjoy today’s read, and we’ll see you next week!

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For millennia, bison were the sight as far as the eye could see once you crossed the Mississippi River heading west. American Plains Bison stood supreme, with populations in the millions spanning billions of acres from the Canadian arctic woodlands to the Mexican frontier. Native peoples held a deep connection to these beautiful creatures, following the migration of herds, and using every feature of a successfully hunted bison for day-to-day life. 

Bison wool could be fashioned into clothing or shelter, and horns into tools, with enough meat to feed communities with ease. The Lakota people who call the modern Dakotas home prayed to a buffalo spirit, known as Tatanka. Tatanka Iyotake, better known as Sitting Bull (who famously defeated General Custer at Little Bighorn in 1876), more accurately translates to unmovable spirit or resolve, paying respect to the treasured Lakota deity.

While glorious, these giants of nature were no match for waves of American exploration, which brought with it horses, guns, and eventually railways. American expansion required new lands and pathways that directly cut through ancestral lands of not only people, but of bison. Bison often do not scatter in the face of danger, making an easy target for firearms. Single shooters could kill dozens, far more than they could field dress or transport, leaving fields of rotting bison in the new American West. 

The efficiency of bison hunting, while incredibly profitable for market hunters, also had political intent. By eliminating herds, the tribal connection to the land was deeply damaged. The U.S. Army contributed to hunting efforts and facilitated private hunters seeking to hunt on agreed upon tribal lands. A U.S. Army officer during a 1867 campaign is said to have ordered his men to “Kill every buffalo you can! Every buffalo dead is an Indian gone.” By eliminating the ability to live off of herds, tribes lost the tools to carry out long term resistance.

In 1872, R.C. McCormick, Arizona’s territorial delegate to Congress, knew the bison were on a path of destruction. McCormick introduced the first legislation seeking protections for America’s bison population on federal lands. While McCormick’s legislation was unsuccessful, it stands out, having been introduced 20 years before Congress moved to protect the Yellowstone herd.  

By the late 19th century, bison outside Yellowstone National Park faced extinction, numbering in the dozens. Through actions such as President Theodore Roosevelt dedicating wildlife preserves and establishing wildlife advocacy groups -- like the Boone and Crockett club -- bison began rebounding. Carrying this momentum forward, advancements in science and incentives to promote private bison herds have allowed populations to reach the hundreds of thousands. While this is an extraordinary conservation success story, we continue to risk unsustainable and ecologically threatening practices in maintaining America’s national mammal.

Throughout North America, only two bison herds are left to navigate unfenced. Fencing assures that bison herds will not wander into farmland or mingle with neighboring cattle populations. While this, in theory, helps with brucellosis, a disease that can be fatal to cattle or bison, and many attribute cattle transmittal to bison, the result is herds that have real restrictions on mobility and population. 

Culling is regularly utilized to keep populations within land capabilities. A significant issue with population-based culling is that it lacks genetic considerations. Bulls face chances of euthanasia once they reach ages of aggression, disregarding standard evolutionary traits such as cows preferring older, sturdier bulls for reproduction. We risk turning bison into domesticated livestock by removing bulls based on characteristics that translate into a more robust, independent species. 

A more docile, maintainable species has an obvious attractiveness to landowners: By cutting down on potential aggression or uncontrollable characteristics, you can significantly reduce risk to humans and property. The fundamental issue with this strategy is that it creates a species that relies on humans for survival. Wildlife recovery that generates populations that must be fed and housed is not wildlife. If the goal is bison for meat production, that is a category outside of conservation. 

Similar issues arise when evaluating how brucellosis is managed among bison. With both fenced and unfenced herds, bison that test positive for brucellosis and are designated for transfer or wander outside park boundaries are slaughtered. A massive issue with this strategy is bison test positive for brucellosis even if they have fully recovered and are no longer a risk, destroying all chances for natural selection to generate more resistant offspring to thrive. 

Natural selection plays a pivotal role in the future success of bison. All modern bison in the U.S. today, outside of the Yellowstone herd, can have their genetic history traced back to the small surviving herds of the late 19th century. While private herds have been blended into this population along with species from Canada and Mexico, the biodiversity of these animals is nowhere near a natural state. Many bison even carry cattle DNA from previous attempts at cross breeding to restore populations. 

Regarding the locations of bison herds, they are void of the landmass necessary to carry out standard migratory lifestyles. By placing bison conservation efforts in areas too wooded or cold for human development, we have also deprived bison of the plains and food sources they are accustomed to. Many fenced herds require feed and outdoor shelter as an unfenced herd would move to warmer climates for grasslands. 

Species restoration should encompass wildlife maintaining its wild characteristics. We can advance healthy and natural bison recovery by expanding conservation overpasses and underpasses, investing in testing technology, and increasing the number of hunting permits we issue. Building safe passages for wildlife allows for migration that does not interfere with motorists. Granting hunters a seat at the table will reduce conflicts with agriculture by coordinating efforts to restrict bison straying too far from grazing lands while helping increase human comfort with the reintroduction of bison. 

The goal of wildlife recovery must take coexistence with humans into account. It is impractical to suggest unfence animals can be limited to preserve lands or kept far enough from humans to prevent interactions. Promoting safe interactions such as hunting will familiarize communities with growing animal populations. Similar systems are why rural communities do not question the presence of deer or moose. 

Hunting outside of national parks may sound taboo, but it is a practice that dates back to the origins of the National Park System. Currently, Montana allows hunting in areas outside of Yellowstone National Park. An integral aspect of this system are the laws which discourage people from leading animals out of parks. These buffer zones where hunters can hunt game outside of the Park create a more natural form of culling as older and stronger bison tend not to leave the park, having learned safe boundaries. 

The methodology behind buffer zones can be streamlined. Simply allowing for bison to become game the moment they cross a border creates overcrowding in specific spots outside of the park. Tying the hunting permits to quadrants or staggering permit usage would reduce the issue of too many individuals targeting the same bull or cow. In the process of conserving wildlife, there is nothing admirable about a dozen hunters firing upon the same target the moment it clears park boundaries. 

Allowing for expanded bison movement with investments in brucellosis testing and education will generate future bison populations that are not codependent on humans. Understanding how rare it is for cattle to receive a transmission from a bison and that bison can carry brucellosis antibodies will reduce tension with farmers. In fact, elk deer are far more likely to carry brucellosis than bison, but have much more extensive support in the gaming community. 

A developed movement strategy benefits the bison and hundreds of other species and plants that rely on bison. Bison roll around on the ground, creating divots that creatures such as prairie dogs burrow in and germinate seeds through their droppings. By promoting herds with natural characteristics, we also gain the rewards of a healthy ecosystem. The same creatures that live symbiotically with bison cut down on overgrown vegetation along with pest insects, and generate vibrant fields of biodiversity.

We must not only strive to save America’s national mammal, but also strive for wild bison. Domestication is not conservation. We are capable of species recovery that allows for fun drives through Yellowstone while also not stripping bison of their individuality. The National Park Service does a great job at making clear that the animals are not in a petting zoo, and that these are dangerous living beings. An understanding of co-existence is paramount to successful conservation efforts. 

In that same vein, we can advance our American and Western identity through the deepening of our bond with one of our most magnificent native creatures. We are blessed to be home to some of the most beautiful nature the world has to offer, so why not restore some of its original creatures to their former glory?

Judah Waxelbaum is the Co-Chair of the Arizona Young Professionals Branch of the American Conservation Coalition. He is an Arizona State University-Watts College of Public Service Master of Public Policy (Environmental Policy) graduate. You can follow him on X/Twitter at @JudahWaxelbaum.