US to focus bison restoration on expanding tribal herds

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

DENVER (AP) — U.S. officials will work to restore more large bison herds to Native American lands under a Friday order from Interior Secretary Deb Haaland that calls for the government to tap into Indigenous knowledge in its efforts to conserve the burly animals that are an icon of the American West.

Haaland also announced $25 million in federal spending for bison conservation. The money, from last year’s climate bill, will build new herds, transfer more bison from federal to tribal lands and forge new bison management agreements with tribes, officials said.

American bison, also known as buffalo, have bounced back from their near extinction due to commercial hunting in the 1800s. But they remain absent from most of the grasslands they once occupied, and many tribes have struggled to restore their deep historical connections to the animals.

As many as 60 million bison once roamed North America, moving in vast herds that were central to the culture and survival of numerous Native American groups.

https://apnews.com/article/bison-restoration-tribes-haaland-6f5ad9227c70377a94a2a4efc809f3d8

[werdna]

1. "their near extinction due to commercial hunting in the 1800s."

The extermination of the bison was part of the official U.S. governments genocide of the indigenous peoples based on systemic, inherent white supremacy.

In order to clear that land for white settlers, the US Army engaged in violent scorched-earth tactics against the Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains. One big part of that campaign was to eliminate their crucial food source: the bison

- https://www.vox.com/2021/8/2/22605868/us-army-exterminate-bison-buffalo