US Interior Department Seeks to Restore Bison

The Department of the Interior is taking action to restore wild and healthy populations of American bison, along with the prairie grassland ecosystem. On Friday, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) issued a Secretary's Order that allocates over $25 million from the Inflation Reduction Act to fund the restoration.

The order empowers the Interior Department's bureaus and partners to use the best available science and Indigenous Knowledge to help restore bison across the country.

"The American bison is inextricably intertwined with Indigenous culture, grassland ecology and American history. While the overall recovery of bison over the last 130 years is a conservation success story, significant work remains to not only ensure that bison will remain a viable species but also to restore grassland ecosystems, strengthen rural economies dependent on grassland health and provide for the return of bison to Tribally owned and ancestral lands," Secretary Deb Haaland said. "New historic funding from the Inflation Reduction Act will help support the Department's efforts to restore this iconic species and integrate Indigenous Knowledge into our shared stewardship goals."

https://nativenewsonline.net/currents/us-interior-department-seeks-to-restore-bison