Posted on 03/02/2010 7:08:12 AM PST by decimon
University of Calgary wildlife biologists involved in American bison international survey
The next 10 to 20 years could be extremely significant for restoring wild populations of American bison to their original range, including the Canadian Rockies; but for this to happen, more land must be made available for herds to roam free, government policies must be updated and the public must change its attitude towards bison, according to a new international study on the species co-authored by University of Calgary experts.
The publication released today by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, American Bison: Status Survey and Conservation Guidelines 2010, reports on the current status of American bison in the wild and in conservation herds, and makes recommendations on how to ensure that the species is conserved for the future.
"Although the effort to restore bison to the plains of North America is considered to be one of the most ambitious and complex undertakings in species conservation in North America, it will only succeed if legislation is introduced at a local and national level, with significant funding and a shift in attitude towards the animal," says Simon Stuart, Chair, IUCN Species Survival Commission.
This publication will provide important guidance for the Canadian Rockies Bison Initiative, a local effort that proposes to restore bison in the eastern slope watersheds of the Banff National Park. "The guidelines will have great application to local projects such as the CRBI, looking at ecological restoration of wild bison in the mountain areas west of Calgary," says U of C Faculty of Environmental Design Professor and co-editor of the study Cormack Gates, who is also co-chair of the IUCN/SSC Bison Specialist Group.
Cliff White, research director for the Canadian Rockies Bison Initiative and an adjunct professor in EVDS says that the IUCN report provides "state-of-the-art" guidelines to use science and traditional knowledge to plan the return of wild bison to an important homeland in the Rocky Mountain landscape. White anticipates greater support towards the local initiative and is currently working with several governmental and non-governmental organizations such as Parks Canada and the Eleanor Luxton Historical Foundation that have an interest in restoring bison.
Harvey Locke, spokesperson for the Eleanor Luxton Foundation, said the foundation is pleased with the comprehensive review of the status and ecology of the buffalo provided in the IUCN report. "We are very dedicated as an institution to the integrity of the history, culture and ecology of the Banff Bow Valley and will make every effort to support the reintroduction of bison there as a wild species," Locke says.
Five hundred years ago, tens of millions of American bison roamed free on the plains of North America, from Alaska to northern Mexico. Now the American bison – which includes both plains and wood bison - is listed as Near Threatened on IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species™. As of 2008, there were approximately 400,000 bison in commercial herds in North America, some 93 percent of the continental population. But little progress has been made in recent decades to increase the number of animals in conservation herds, which are managed carefully for their genetic diversity and ecological roles. In 2008, there were 61 plains bison conservation herds in North America containing about 20,500 animals, and 11 conservation herds of wood bison, containing nearly 11,000 animals.
"While substantial progress in saving bison from extinction was made in the 20th Century, much work remains to restore conservation herds throughout their vast geographical range," Gates says. "The key is recognition that the bison is a wildlife species and to be conserved as wildlife, it needs land and supportive government policies."
The survival of bison populations is affected by many factors, including limited habitat and severe winters. Yet the greatest challenge is to overcome the common perception that the bison, which has had a profound influence on the human history of North America, socially, culturally and ecologically, no longer belongs on the landscape.
"The decimation of the American Bison in the late 1800s inspired the first recovery of bison and an entire conservation movement that protected wildlife and wild places across North America," says Keith Aune, Senior Conservation Scientist, Wildlife Conservation Society. "The IUCN Status Survey and Conservation Guidelines provide a new framework for inspiring a second recovery of bison and restoring functional grassland ecosystems."
Bison have the best chance of full recovery as wildlife by being allowed to roam freely across hundreds of thousands or even millions of hectares. Making this possible poses one of the biggest challenges for restoring bison herds as both public and private landowners will need to give their support.
"The bison is the largest land mammal in North America, and yet it is perhaps the most neglected icon," says Steve Forrest, WWF Northern Great Plains Manager for Conservation Science.
"These guidelines provide a roadmap for bringing the bison back to its rightful place as a keystone of the great plains."
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Editor's notes:
American Bison: Status Survey and Conservation Guidelines 2010 was edited by Cormack Gates, Curtis Freese, Peter Gogan and Mandy Kotzman, and is the product of more than three years of cooperative effort by numerous contributors.
The production of the report was made possible with funding from several non-governmental organizations and government agencies including the World Wildlife Fund, the Wildlife Conservation Society, the University of Calgary Faculty of Environmental Design, the American Bison Society, the US Geological Survey and the US National Parks Service.
PDF version of the report and high-resolution photos are available at www.iucn.org
Bison...yum.
a Maryland bison farm: www.gunpowderbison.com and they will ship!
It really didn’t take long to destroy the herds. But there were a lot of hunters. Hides were at a premium and it created an industry for awhile.
The military also encouraged it because it took their main source of food away from the Indians, prompting them to accept treaties and go on the reservations.
We have, or had (don’t know if they still are around or not...), a bison farm not far away from us here in North-Central Illinois. I never stopped, so don’t know if they sold local or not. But I’m pretty sure it was a commercial operation, selling to a national restaurant market.
All of that red makes it look an RNC wet dream.
Explaination of the map and on the continued efforts to get the Biodiversity Treaty parts and pieces enacted one way or another:
http://www.takingliberty.us/Narrations/usa/usa/player.html
In my county in Northern CA there was a ranch that grew Bison, but because they allowed hunters to go in and shoot some of them whenever the rancher wanted to harvest them, the greenies raised he** and the ranch went out of business. Now, instead of seeing Bison wandering the hills, we see cows, deer and other animals, but no bison.
Greenies have been the death of this country and they continue to dance on our corpse.
One of the biggest scams of the country is the myth that Buffalo went extinct, they were down to just a few but they rallied, thanks to Yellowstone and certain ranchers.
Guess they want another Johnson County War. OR: they have no clue what happens when free-range cattle bump up against widescale farming.
BINGO!
OK, a bison isn’t a killer whale. They’re still big, wild animals. When I went to Yellowstone a few years back, the rangers advised staying as far away from a bison as they did the grizzly bears.
Not that it made any difference to most people.
Exactly what I was thinking.
Wish I had room to raise a few. Buffalo meant is excellent and very low in cholesterol.
.45-70 should do the trick. Back in the day, they used up to .50-110, but those were all black-power cartridges.
See my post #10.
I’ve read where the 1886 Winchester (mine’s .40-82) was also chambered for the .50-110 at one time. It was called the ‘buffalo express’ or some such...
“wood bison”
The 45-70 and its variants killed most of the buffalo. 45-70, 45-90,45-100, 45-110 and the 45-120 are all good. The 50s came out at the very end of the shooting, the early 1880s, and didn’t play that much of a role.
45-70 is the proper size for a buffalo gun, but I would get a Past shoulder pad, (Magnum) as the recoil can really damage (yes, damage) your shoulder. These guns are very near artillery.
My favorite buffalo rifle is my H&R Buffalo Classic. Based on a very early design (1860s) it looks like an English sporting rifle with a break open action.
It is a real screamer.......
I had a bison ribeye a couple of weeks ago and it is difficult to put into words the degree of delicious.
Indeed, so.
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