The Endless Prairie Buffalo Project, a new conservation pilot program, will offer industry leaders the opportunity to contribute to the return of bison to tribal lands and the health of grasslands. The program is the first of its kind and will open the door for more grasslands to be managed under the Buffalo Program of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of Fort Peck.
Since 2019, the National Park Service has contributed 414 Yellowstone bison to the herd of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes through the Bison Conservation Transfer Program. The program coordinates the transfer of bison living in Yellowstone National Park due to the limited winter range within the park’s boundaries.
The pilot program will offer biodiversity credits as a way for supporters to finance the addition and enhancement of grasslands dedicated to the Tribes’ buffalo herd. "This restoration project represents a significant step toward revitalizing both our ecosystem and our cultural heritage,” said Justin Gray Hawk, Fort Peck executive board chairman. “It's about creating a sustainable future for the buffalo and our community."
Over the past century, about 60% of native grasslands have disappeared, and 125 million acres are currently at risk from agricultural interests and encroaching woodlands. Bison herds managed as wildlife on large landscapes support grassland health through their grazing patterns, trampling and wallowing, and creating diverse plant communities.
Every buffalo credit sold through the Endless Prairie Buffalo Project will correspond to the evidence-based ecological uplift of an acre of the grassland ecosystem, and help finance the long-term management of the buffalo herd. The credits will also allow the Tribes to acquire more land for their buffalo to roam.
"For credit buyers, the return on their investment is a measurable biodiversity impact you can see; a living landscape of resilient prairie restored and sustained by buffalo," said Nicole Stiffarm, tribal partnership manager at the Environmental Policy Innovation Center.
The pilot program will last two years, during which time the Environmental Policy Innovation Center and Kingfisher Parker will work with Fort Peck and Defenders of Wildlife to design and implement the pilot, the crediting methodology, and market credits to partners.
"The simple truth is that bison belong on North American grasslands, on Native American lands,” said Mike Senatore, vice president of conservation programs at Defenders of Wildlife. “The reason for investors to purchase these credits is to make the same commitment — to bring back our national mammal, see more lands dedicated to its health, and for restoration of the species so the grasslands can thrive.”
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