American Prairie

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I love animals. My favorites are wolves, bison, elephants, and hawks. I think these are some of the most misunderstood of animals. Wolves and elephants have been repopulated for the most part. Hawks haven't had a real problem and, bison are trying to be and that is what my post is about today. This last Sunday 60 Minutes had a story about them. The Americas have their own Serengeti. It is the prairie that runs from the Mississippi River to the Rockies. A lady named Alison Fox is CEO of a non-profit called American Prairie which has a goal to create the largest nature reserve in the United States This company has about 50 employees, buffalo wranglers, and fundraisers. They want to restore an area in north central Montana to where they have 5,000 square miles, or 3.2 million acres of intact grassland, for the buffalo to graze on. This part of Montana consists of privately owned-ranches and government-owned land. Included is the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Range. Each time a private ranch comes up for sale they try to buy it. They now have bought 34 ranches. They have raised $200 million and have more than 4,000 donors. It will take decades to restore the habitats and species back to the original ecosystem it once was. And 100's millions more money to get the land to function fully as it once did with 10's of thousands of bison, pronghorn sheep, elk, deer, grizzly bears, and wolves. There is some opposition to this by farmers and Native American Indians who are trying to live on the land and make a living. It will be interesting to see how they can possibly work together to make this a win-win for all. I probably won't be alive to see this happen but I hope they are successful. I remember the scenes in several movies of a large herd of bison rumbling across the prairie and I get goosebumps just thinking about it. Such a magnificent animal. Just one more thing Americans took from this great land along with Native American Indians and the wolf. I cringe each time I see the pelts of grey wolves nailed up on the walls of cabins in old photos. How can a man be so brutal and unaffected by the result of these slotters? Remember the scene in Dances With Wolves after the slotter? Is that something to be proud of? It sickened me. Your thoughts. Favorite wild animal? Do you think this is a good thing?