List of bison conservation herds in North America

Conservation of American bison is heavily tied with conservation herds and the protected areas they roam. American bison occupy less than one percent of their historical range with fewer than 20,000 bison in conservation herds on public, tribal or private protected lands. The roughly 500,000 animals that are raised for commercial purposes are not included unless the entity is engaged in conservation efforts.

Name Location Operator Herd size
American PrairieMontanaAmerican Prairie Foundation800+
Antelope Island State ParkUtahUtah State Parks200
Badlands National Park South DakotaNational Park Service1000
Banff National ParkAlbertaParks Canada36
Battelle Darby Creek Metro ParkOhioColumbus and Franklin County Metro Parks10
Bear Butte State ParkSouth DakotaSouth Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parkssmall
Bear River State ParkWyomingWyoming Division of State Parks and Historic Sites10
Blue Mounds State ParkMinnesotaMinnesota Department of Natural Resources100
Broken Kettle Grasslands PreserveIowaThe Nature Conservancy200
Buffaloland Park Prince Edward Island Moonlight PEI Sanctuaries 43
Buffalo Pound Provincial Park Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Environment, Parks Branch
Camp Pendleton bison herdCaliforniaUSMC (Camp Pendleton Game Warden's Office)90
Camp Wainwright Alberta Department of National Defence (Canada)
Caprock Canyons State ParkTexasTexas Parks and Wildlife Department150
Catalina Island bison herdCaliforniaCatalina Island Conservancy100
Chickasaw National Recreation AreaOklahomaNational Park Service3
Clymer Meadow Preserve Texas The Nature Conservancy
Chief Mountain Wilderness Unit Montana Blackfeet Nation 25
Chippewa Cree Tribal Buffalo PastureMontanaChippewa Cree11
Chitina herd Alaska Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Copper River herd Alaska Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Crane TrustNebraskaCrane Trust50+
Cross Ranch Nature PreserveNorth DakotaThe Nature Conservancy200
CSKT Bison RangeMontanaConfederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes500
Cuenca Los Ojos Sonora
Custer State ParkSouth DakotaSouth Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks1500
Daniels ParkColoradoDenver Parks and Recreation30
Delta Junction herd Alaska Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Elk Island National ParkAlbertaParks Canada315
El Santuario Ecological Reserve Coahuila Pro Cuatrociénegas Foundation
Farewell Lake herd Alaska Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Fermilab bison herdIllinoisU.S. Department of Energy28
Finney Game Refuge Kansas Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
Fort Niobrara National Wildlife RefugeNebraskaU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service350
Fort Peck Indian ReservationMontanaAssiniboine and Sioux Tribes400
Fort Robinson State ParkNebraskaNebraska Game and Parks Commission150
Fort Worth Nature Center and RefugeTexasFort Worth, Texas18
Genesee ParkColoradoDenver Parks and Recreation33
Grand Teton National Park–National Elk Refuge bison herdWyomingNational Park Service1000
Grasslands National ParkSaskatchewanParks Canada300
Hay-Zama Lakes Wildland ParkAlbertaAlberta Parks400
Henry Mountains bison herdUtahUtah Division of Wildlife Resources, Bureau of Land Management400
Hot Springs State ParkWyomingWyoming Division of State Parks and Historic Sites15
House Rock State Wildlife Area Arizona Arizona Game and Fish Department
Innoko National Wildlife RefugeAlaskaU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service94
Janos Biosphere ReserveChihuahuaSecretariat of Environment and Natural Resources138
Kankakee SandsIndianaThe Nature Conservancy90+
Konza Prairie Biological StationKansasThe Nature Conservancy, Kansas State University300
Land Between the Lakes National Recreation AreaKentuckyU.S. Forest Service50
Maderas del CarmenCoahuilaSecretariat of Environment and Natural Resources19
Maxwell Wildlife RefugeKansasKansas Department of Wildlife and Parks150
Medano–Zapata Ranch Colorado The Nature Conservancy
Midewin National Tallgrass PrairieIllinoisU.S. Forest Service50
Minneopa State ParkMinnesotaMinnesota Department of Natural Resources30
Nachusa GrasslandsIllinoisThe Nature Conservancy130
Niobrara Valley Preserve Nebraska The Nature Conservancy
Neal Smith National Wildlife RefugeIowaU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service50
Old Man on His Back Prairie and Heritage Conservation AreaSaskatchewanNature Conservancy of Canada115
Ordway Prairie Preserve South Dakota The Nature Conservancy
Paynes Prairie Preserve State ParkFloridaFlorida Department of Environmental Protection50-70
Pink Mountain British Columbia British Columbia Department of Water, Lands and Air Protection
Prairie State ParkMissouriMissouri Department of Natural Resources100
Primrose Lake Air Weapons Range Alberta–Saskatchewan CFB Cold Lake, Department of National Defence (Canada)
Prince Albert National ParkSaskatchewanParks Canada400
Raymond State Wildlife Area Arizona Arizona Game and Fish Department
Riding Mountain National ParkManitobaParks Canada40
Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife RefugeColoradoU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service150
Sandhill Wildlife AreaWisconsinWisconsin Department of Natural Resources15
Sandsage Bison Range & Wildlife AreaKansasKansas Department of Wildlife and Parks51
Smoky Valley Ranch Kansas The Nature Conservancy
Soapstone Prairie/Red MountainColoradoFort Collins, Colorado and Larimer County100
Spring Lake Park ReserveMinnesotaDakota County Parks12
Tallgrass Prairie National PreserveKansasThe Nature Conservancy, National Park Service90
Tallgrass Prairie PreserveOklahomaThe Nature Conservancy2500
Theodore Roosevelt National ParkNorth DakotaNational Park Service800
Trexler Nature PreservePennsylvaniaLehigh County14
Vermejo ReserveNew Mexico and ColoradoTed Turner1200
Wanuskewin Heritage ParkSaskatchewanWanuskewin Heritage Park Authority12
Waterton Lakes National ParkAlbertaParks Canada6
White Horse Hill National Game PreserveNorth DakotaU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service20
Wichita Mountains Wildlife RefugeOklahomaU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service650
Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area Nebraska Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
Wind Cave National ParkSouth DakotaNational Park Service400
Wolakota Buffalo RangeSouth DakotaRosebud Economic Development Corporation100
Wood Buffalo National ParkAlberta and Northwest TerritoriesParks Canada3000
Yellowstone National ParkIdaho, Montana, WyomingNational Park Service4800
Commercial herds are not included. Listed herds remove excess bison on a regular basis which may be slaughtered for commercial purposes.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "To Save Species from Extinction, We Must Consider More than Just Numbers". In These Times. November 17, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  2. ↑ Nargi, Lela. "Bison meat is hot. Ranchers are struggling to keep up". Mother Jones. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 Boyd, Delaney P.; Gates, C. Cormack (Spring 2006). "A Brief Review of the Status of Plains Bison in North America" (PDF). Journal of the West. 45 (2): 15–21.
  4. ↑ Scott, Tristan (June 28, 2023). "Blackfeet Bring Bison Home to Chief Mountain". Flathead Beacon. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  5. ↑ Kravinsky, Nina (March 2, 2026). "29 bison released in Sonora in effort to restore northern Mexico population". KJZZ.
  6. ↑ "Coahuila welcomes 3 baby bison, underscoring the species' return to northern Mexico". Mexico News Daily. May 12, 2026.