It’s time to bring wild bison back to Colorado’s public lands.
The Plains bison, also known as the American buffalo, once numbered nearly 60 million throughout the United States and roamed across most of Colorado’s mountains and prairies. The bison was the stuff of legends: its size and majesty, its great numbers, and its famous pursuers (think Buffalo Bill Cody). The fate of those numbers is one of the greatest tragedies in the history of American wildlife.
What exactly caused the annihilation of the bison is a subject of debate. It may have been the railroad, which made it possible to send millions of hides back to markets in the East. It may have been the Army, which slaughtered bison as a way to subjugate the Indian tribes who depended on the herds for survival. What is not debated, however, is that in 20 short years near the end of the 19th century, America’s bison were driven to near extinction. Eventually, the last 23 animals were forced to take refuge in Yellowstone National Park.
Today, there are around 500,000 bison in the United States, but most of these animals are raised as domestic livestock, similar to cattle. There are only three herds of genetically pure, truly wild bison in America: the herds in Yellowstone National Park. South Dakota’s Wind Cave National Park; and Utah’s Henry Mountains.
Colorado has no wild bison, and it’s time to change that.
Bringing the wild bison back to Colorado would result in myriad ecological, economic and cultural benefits. As a keystone prairie species, bison would rejuvenate our rangelands. Their hooves aerate the soil, their fur and scat spread seeds, and their bones and bodies provide nutrients for the ground and prairie scavengers. Their wallows — the mud pits they create when they bathe and drink — fill with water and sustain entire ecosystems of their own.
Economically, restoring bison to the wild is good business. Areas with wild bison herds attract campers, hikers, and wildlife enthusiasts. In Utah, bison are managed as big game. The state takes thousands of applications every year for just a handful of actual bison-hunting licenses, generating over $100,000 annually in fees alone. This figure does not include the other economic benefits brought by hunters visiting the state. Adding a big game species in Colorado would boost tourism and outdoor recreation in a state already known for its hunting opportunities and wildlife. This revenue would help offset the costs of managing the herd.
The most important reason to restore wild bison to Colorado, however, may not be ecological or economic. Restoring the bison herd to the public lands of Colorado would revive a part of our past, create a link to a primal element of the West’s heritage, and allow us to make amends for the mistakes of our ancestors.
Some states are concerned about reintroducing wild bison because of potential for competition with cattle and sheep over range forage. In Utah, the Bureau of Land Management has successfully adjusted grazing allocations to avoid such conflicts. Bison can also spread brucellosis, a disease that affects livestock. However, Colorado is classified as brucellosis-free, and any bison brought in to start a wild population can be tested for the disease. Elk are also potential brucellosis-carriers, yet they are allowed to roam freely throughout the state.
The near-complete annihilation of bison was a tragedy. It was part of an absurd demonstration of settlers’ belief that they could “tame” the land by killing off the animals and plowing the prairie grasses under. The resulting dust bowl revealed their hubris.
The damage can be repaired, however. We can return this awe-inspiring animal to the land it once held together and would hold together again. Colorado has the space. Colorado has the will. The only thing missing is the bison.
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