Tribes import bison to reservation

The Colville Tribes announced Monday it had released nearly two dozen buffalo onto the open range on the reservation "to live in the wild" and that they planned to release all 30 they were receiving from the Kalispel Tribe.

The animals once lived by the millions, primarily in the central plains for North America, until they were nearly driven to extinction through uncontrolled hunting and a U.S. government policy of eradication tied to intentional harm against, and control of, tribes, according to a Dept. of Interior statement released Sept. 7, when the government announced $5 million in funding to further goals of department's Grasslands Keystone Initiative.

That initiative was "unveiled as part of a restoration and resilience framework that is guiding $2 billion in investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act to restore lands and waters and advance climate resilience," the DOI statement reads.

Bison once numbered about 60 million. Interior currently manages about 11,000 bison on 4.6 million acres in a dozen states.

Now, the buffalo are seen as a key species for restoring the landscape.

"Today, qwisp (buffalo) return to part of their historic range," Colville Confederated Tribes Chairman Jarred-Michael Erickson said Monday. "We are always happy and proud when we can take a step toward restoring our lands to their natural condition. The Colville Tribes wishes to thank the Kalispel Tribe, who gifted us these magnificent animals. We also thank the Biden-Harris administration for their financial support of our ecosystem and the buffalo."

The federal funding includes $3.5 million from the Inflation Reduction Act that will support the InterTribal Buffalo Council's herd development and apprenticeship program. The Council is a collection of 80 Tribes in 20 states that facilitates the management of more than 20,000 buffalo, the DOI says.

An additional $1.5 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is available through the Bureau of Indian Affairs to federally recognized Tribes and Tribal organizations to support Tribal bison herd expansion interests, including a focus on ecosystem restoration through bison conservation.

The Colville Tribes did not say what amount of money, if any, it would receive for caring for the buffalo.

"Buffalo are considered a keystone species because their presence has a ripple effect on every other species that lives in the same ecosystem," the tribal announcement Monday said. "Their grazing can provide nesting grounds for birds, while their wallows (depressions they create by rolling in the soil) can fill with water, which in turn other species may use for drinking or breeding pools."

The Tribes said the buffalo were released onto its range unit 25 between Keller Ridge and Buffalo Lake. Another seven were planned to be released on Tuesday, for a total of 30, including 29 cows and one bull, all vaccinated.