RESOURCES
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ARTICLES, BOOKS, & WEBSITES
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Articles
​Restoring Bison to Yellowstone Has ‘Reawakened’ the Ecosystem as the Large Animals Migrate, Study Suggests
​Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, September 3, 2025
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“Researchers looked at the impacts of large, migrating bison herds on Yellowstone’s landscape and found that the animals play a key role in the nitrogen cycle... The findings were published in the journal Science on August 28.
Some experts believe the animals should be constricted to certain areas because they can contribute to overgrazing and disease. ‘Yet, we found pretty much the opposite,’ says Jerod Merkle, a biologist and study co-author… Their data revealed increased plant diversity along the migration corridor, and soils were able to sustain nutrient storage.”
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​​​​​smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/restoring-bison
Photo: Jacob Frank, NPS
​Bison Comebacks That Turned Abandoned Farmland Into Thriving Ranges ​
Stacey Brenton, Exploring Animals, June 3, 2025
“Bison don’t just return—they rewrite the land. Once nearly wiped from the continent, these colossal grazers are thundering back, not just as survivors, but as ecological powerhouses. Where there was once dry, abandoned farmland, bison now roam—and the results are nothing short of wild magic...
This post dives into 10 jaw-dropping stories where bison didn’t just move in—they revived entire ecosystems. It’s a comeback you can hear, feel, and see in every blade of grass.” ​​
exploringanimals.com/bison-comebacks​
Photo: Exploring Animals
​The American bison: How this powerful icon is restoring the prairie
​Lindsey Jean Schueman, OneEarth, May 12, 2025
“In North America, stretching from southern Canada into Texas, spanning between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, lies an abundant landscape. The Great Plains contain an assortment of habitats including prairies, steppes, and grasslands. It is home to a variety of biodiversity, but one keystone species makes this ecosystem thrive.
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The American bison (Bison bison) or American buffalo, is an essential grazer, helping maintain the balance of vegetation and therefore all life on the prairie” ​
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“An American bison bull stands strong in the Badlands National Park, South Dakota. Image credit: © Geoffrey Kuchera | Dreamstime” via OneEarth
Books​​​
The Ecological Buffalo: On the Trail of a Keystone Species
Wes Olson and Johane Janelle, University of Regina Press, 2023
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During the mid-1800s, buffalo populations plummeted from more than 30 million to just 23, and with them went all of the intricate food webs, the trophic cascades, and the inter-species relationships that had evolved over thousands of years.
Despite this brush with extinction, the buffalo survived, and isolated populations are slowly recovering. ..the relationships the animals once had with thousands of species are being re-established in a remarkable process of ecological healing.
Based on author Wes Olson’s 35 years of working intimately with bison—and featuring 180 stunning, full-color photographs by Johane Janelle.
Buffalo Nation
Ken Zontek, Bison Original, 2007
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Interspersing scientific hypothesis with Native oral traditions and interviews, Buffalo Nation provides a brief history of bison and human interaction from the Paleolithic era to present...
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Beginning in the 1870s, Natives established successful captive bison breeding programs despite the Wounded Knee Massacre and a massive onslaught on Native cultural and religious practices. ...A significant percentage of bison today carry the bloodlines of these original Native-sponsored herds.
In 1992 more than 50 tribes formed the Intertribal Bison Cooperative, and made significant progress in restoring U.S. bison, while Canadian First Nations work with national parks and other government entities to select and manage free-ranging herds.
Re-Bisonizing the West: Restoring an American Icon to the Landscape
Kurt Repanshek, Torrey House Press, 2019
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Kurt Repanshek traces the history of bison from their near extinction to present-day efforts to bring them back to the landscape--and the biological, political, and cultural hurdles confronting these efforts. Repanshek explores Native Americans' relationships with bison and presents a forward-thinking approach to returning bison to the West and improving the health of ecosystems.​​
Websites​​​
All About Bison
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"All About Bison ®. offers information facts, history, and current news, links to informational websites, American Buffalo, North American Wood and Plains, and European. We hope to get it all, get it right, and provide a resource to any and all interested persons, groups, or organizations that have an interest in this intrinsic native to the American landscape. "
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