Back to
Baking
Bison
Building a better
sustainability relationship
WSU Eng 472 – Ecological Issues/American Writing Winter 2008 Wendy McLeod1
Thesis Statement:
Critical examination of three discourses
between buffalo and American culture in
an attempt to answer - Can the current
American culture use (but not misuse)
the buffalo (shifting them from near
extinction to mealtime and tourism
staple) for better human health,
reclaimed American habitat for other
indigenous animals and improved
economic possibilities for all of America.
2
Navigation Page
3 Human
Culture
& Bison
Discourses
Historical
Current
Future
Effect on Bison
during the cultural
emergence between
settlers and
Native Americans
Effect on culture
considering the
vision of bringing
bison back to the
Great Plains
Impact on bison
and culture with
trends to improve
diet, ranching
and economy
3
Historical
Effect on Bison
during the cultural
emergence between
settlers and
Native Americans
4
Effect on Bison during the cultural emergence
between settlers and Native Americans
Relationship Between Bison and the Native Americans –
Stewardship
The bison was believed to be gifted to the
Plains Native Americans by the Great Spirit
providing them sustenance and all goods
necessary to survive. Their migration
patterns and breeding cycles created the
calendar the Indians lived by. Despite bison
out numbering Native Americans, they were
elusive and difficult stalk and kill. Many
tribes were at least part-time horticulturalists
to supplement their diets and supplies.
(Time-Life Books, pg. 96-99)
5
Effect on Bison during the cultural emergence
between settlers and Native Americans
Relationship Between Bison and the Native Americans - Uses
The bison was a central part of the life of the Plains Indians. Nearly everything the
Native Americans needed for survival could be obtained from a bison . . .
• For meat,
• Collected dung used as a fuel source and finely ground into baby powder,
• Rawhide for shields, moccasin soles, bags, belts, drumheads
• Tallow burned for light,
• Brain used as a tanning agent also softening rawhide for, clothing, shelter material,
robes, blankets and diapers.
• Hooves, horns and other bones were ground and made into glue or carved into
utensils, tools, weaponry and ceremonial ware.
• Tails were made into a fly switches,
• Tendons were used as bowstrings,
• Sinews were made into thread for sewing,
• Stomach, heart lining and bladder pouches were made into water bags,
• Hair was collected for making ropes and pillows.
The Native Americas boasted that no part of the bison was ever wasted. (Time-Life
Books, pg. 7-8)
6
Effect on Bison during the cultural emergence
between settlers and Native Americans
Relationship Between Bison and the Native Americans –
Stewardship
Hunts could seem rather
graphic as bison were often
stampeded off cliff-sides where
they plummeted to their death.
Additional hunters (often the
women of the tribes) would
wait at the bottom to finish off
Buffalo Hunt, Under the Wolf Skin by George Catlin 1830s
any surviving heads. Some
hunts brought sufficient supplies and food to allow the Indians to trade for
other goods. By the 1800s, the 400,00 Plains Indians could killed as many as
2 million bison yearly but no part of them was wasted. Bison remained
abundant. The introduction of horse and riffles made hunting bison even
more efficient but came with other survival complications – the white man.
7
(Time-Life Books, pg. 96-99)
American Indians often chased buffalo over cliffs such as the Vore Buffalo Jump
located near Beulah. Estimated by the layers of bones, scientists determined
some 20,000 bison were killed at this site used as late as 1800 AD.
The buffalo photo above is by David Wojnarowicz available from this Link
8
Excavation of a geological
sinkhole formed by the
erosion of limestone
beneath the grassland
outside Sundance,
Wyoming, revealed bones of
up to 20,000 buffalo in layers
more than 20 feet deep.
Between 1500 and 1800, at
least five Plains tribes used
this particular site as a
buffalo jump, killing them
over the sinkhole’s steep
sides.
(Time-Life Books, pg.107)
9
Effect on Bison during the cultural emergence
between settlers and Native Americans
Relationship Between Bison and the Native Americans –
Worship
Rituals, such as the Sun Dance, a rite
of passage ceremony in where
participants could absorb the
strength of the sun, had bison as a
pivotal role. Hunts were often
ceremonial in where thanks and
honor was given to the bison for the
sacred bounty they shared with the
Plains Indians.
(Time-Life, pg. 95-99)
Click video to start
or follow this Link
10
Effect on Bison during the cultural emergence
between settlers and Native Americans
Relationship Between Bison and the Native Americans –
Worship
A depiction of a Teton
Sioux tribe drawn by a
medicine man named
Eagle Shield shows a
performance of a Sun
Dance ceremony. In it
he details the rawhide
cutouts of a man and a
buffalo customarily
hung from the center
pole of the dance lodge.
The man figure depicts
a petition for victory and
the buffalo a prayer for
plenty. (Time-Life
Books, pg. 165)
11
Effect on Bison during the cultural emergence
between settlers and Native Americans
Relationship Between Bison and the Native Americans –
Hunting & Communication
Hunting bison was a large endeavor often
requiring more hands that what one tribe
could supply. As a result, tribes would often
ally together forming large hunting parties
who could bring enough bison to secure
sufficient supplies for all participating tribes.
Plains Native Americans were made up of
many tribes, some practicing rudimentary
agriculture and some being more nomadic,
all speaking different languages and dialects.
To better communicate amongst themselves
during such hunts, they developed a sign
language that was common among all of
them . . .
(Time-Life Books, pg. 118-119)
12
Click to Start Demonstration
Effect on Bison during the cultural emergence
between settlers and Native Americans
Relationship Between the Settlers and the Native Americans –
Merging Cultures
Several events converged during the early 1800s which deeply effected the relationship
between the Native American and European settlers. Bison was a common vehicle
used to swing control of the nations future. They was a key element which illustrated
how America was shifting from a place conscious of its sustainability verses economic
and exploratory progress. Three key events included:
• A drastic decline in beaver pelt demand due to
the fickle nature of the early fashion industry
preferring silk over beaver hats hindered the fur
trade by 1840 warranting an alternate product for
the trapping industry to hunt. Still, a legitimate
demand (essentially a reason and a profit) for
hunting bison in particular was needed. This
couldn’t come soon enough for the beaver’s
survival but was a set-up for a bad situation for the
bison. (Punke, pg. 45-47)
Silk is in
Beaver
is Out
13
Effect on Bison during the cultural emergence
between settlers and Native Americans
Relationship Between the Settlers and the Native Americans –
Merging Cultures
Not surprisingly, he was shortly after
• A demand was quickly realized as an available,
immediate and cheap sustenance for the rail and
mining workers. People moving west, often
including professionals trappers, found the
available bison along the trails excellent
sustenance during long journeys. The
transcontinental railroads, like Kansas Pacific,
realized the benefit of this supply on food
demands for their workers verses accruing the
expense of supplying for necessities by wagon.
Keeping a trapper on the payroll was cheaper
and trappers certainly needed the job. Kansas
Pacific hired a man named William Cody who
killed a total of 4,280 bison during his eighteen
months of service with Kansas Pacific feeding
their 1200 person crew.
given the nick-name Buffalo Bill. His
hunts spun-off into a side show
spectacle of what the wild west would
become associated with. (Punke, pg. 5255, picture 157)
14
Effect on Bison during the cultural emergence
between settlers and Native Americans
Relationship Between the Settlers and the Native Americans –
Merging Cultures
• To advance railroad, farming, gold
mining and cattle trade acquisition of
land occupied by Native Americans
became a necessity. General Philip H.
Sheridan, in charge of restoring peace
to the western territories, promised to
bring peace to the plains with one
simple strategy, “Kill the buffalo, and
you kill the Indians.” With the Civil
Picture (Kansas State Historical Society, website Link
War just ending, President Andrew was
not interested in enflaming war with the Indians. Subsequent battles could further hinder
development as much as the herds of buffalo and Indian camps. Instead, he formed the
Peace Commission and the Medicine Lodge treaty was signed in three separate
negotiations by October 28, 1967 segregating and assimilating Plains Indian tribes into
separate reservations primarily in western Oklahoma. The freedom to roam the Great
Plains would be over as well as any semblance of Indian life. Still, buffalo were hunted as
15 a
trade and as a means to limit Indian retaliation. (Punke, pg.74-91)
Effect on Bison during the cultural emergence
between settlers and Native Americans
Relationship Between Bison and the Native Americans – War
and Demise
Retaliation happened anyway and battles commenced
killing many Indian. Battle didn’t kill nearly as many
Native Americans as did diseases from simple interact
between themselves and the settlers. In 1837, a
smallpox epidemic diminished the Mandan tribe from
1,600 to 30. Buffalo was growing as a trade despite
their depleting numbers. Bison bones became a
commodity, ground into a phosphate additive for
fertilizer and as filter for processing sugar. Piles of
bones could be found throughout the west. Farmers
quipped that bison bones made a good ‘first cash crop’
prior to preparing and plowing the land for farming.
Trappers also cashed in on the remains of 12 million
bison bones generating more income than what hides
brought in. (Punke, pg. 184-185)
Click to Return to navigation page
Buffalo skulls, mid-1870, waiting
to be ground into fertilizer.
Courtesy of the Burton
Historical Collection, Detroit
Public Library
16
Current
Effect on culture
considering the
vision of bringing
bison back to the
Great Plains
17
Effect on culture with the idea of bringing
bison back to the Great Plains
Changing Face of the Great Plains – From New Hope to Dust
Bowl
After the Great Plains was emptied of all economic distractions (namely the
Natives Americans and bison), America was free to re-develop into a different
vision of viability by bringing in non-indigenes plants and animals the pioneers
were more familiar with such as wheat, corn, soy beans, sheep, pigs and cattle.
Early Americans were convinced that, since these particular crops and animals
were successful in Europe, they would naturally be successful in the Great Plains.
Nature would not be so easily adapted. The farming and ranching industries
within the Great Plains would have a tumultuous relationship with its environment
despite inventive and often counter-productive technological advancements made
for its benefit such as . . .
• Massive diesel run farming equipment,
• Pesticides,
• Herbicides,
• Hormone treatment,
18
• General assembly-line/automated farming/ranching practices.
Effect on culture with the idea of bringing
bison back to the Great Plains
Changing Face of the Great Plains – From New Hope to Dust Bowl
Fast forward 200 years and bouts of economic depression,
soil and grass depletion, draught, and issues involving
high oil and energy costs continue to make farming and
ranching the Great Plains near to unprofitable without
large government subsidies. Diminishing populations
within those states show that realization. These Dorothea
Lange photos and Woody Gutheie lyrics clearly depict the
social and ecological struggles . . .
Dust Storm near
Stratford Texas,
1935.
Picture source:
benmuse.typepad.
com/.../what_cau
sed_the_1.html
Power farming displaces tenants,
Texas Panhandle 1938.
Picture Source:
lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/fsahtml
/fatop3.html
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The Great Dust Storm
by Woody Guthrie
On the fourteenth day of April, of 1935
There struck the worst of dust storms
That ever filled the sky
You could see that dust storm coming
The cloud looked death-like black
And through our mighty nation it left a dreadful track
From Oklahoma City to the Arizona line
Dakota and Nebraska
To the lazy Rio Grande
It fell across our city
Like a curtain of black rolled down
We thought it was our judgment, we thought it was our doom
The radio reported
We listened with alarm
The wild and windy actions of this great mysterious storm
From Albuquerque and Clovis
And all New Mexico
They said it was the blackest that ever they had saw
From old Dodge City, Kansas
The dust had rung their knell
And a few more comrades sleeping on top of old Boot Hill . . .
Dust Bowl Pictures and song found:
http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/Cunfer.DustBowl
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The Great Dust Storm Continued . . .
by Woody Guthrie
From Denver, Colorado
They said it blew so strong
They thought that they could hold out but they didn’t know how long
Our relatives were huddled into their oil boom shacks
And the children they was cryin’
As it whistled through the cracks
And the family it was crowded into their little room
They thought the world had ended
And they thought it was their doom
The storm took place at sundown
It lasted through the night
When we looked out next morning we saw a terrible sight
We saw outside our window
Where wheat fields they had grown
Was now a rippling ocean of dust the wind had blown
It covered up our fences
It covered up our barns
It covered up our tractors in this wild and dusty storm
We loaded our jalopies
And piled our families in
We rattled down that highway to never come back again
Dust Bowl Pictures and song found:
http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/Cunfer.DustBowl
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Effect on culture with the idea of bringing
bison back to the Great Plains
Changing Face of the Great Plains – From New Hope to Dust
Bowl
Depletion of the Great Plains has a
domino effect on all other trades.
Banks default. School and hospitals
close. Everyone suffers whether
directly related to the farming and
ranching business or not. People
started abandoning the area for better
prospects elsewhere out of survival
necessity. Still, some remain and tend
to be the most tenacious with regard to
maintaining an multi-generational All
American way of life that cannot seem
to be supported by its ecology. They
will not concede to defeat by their
terrain. (Cromartie, USDA website –
Amber Waves)
22
Map available at http://www.ers.usda.gov/Amberwaves/April05/findings/PopulationLoss.htm
Effect on culture with the idea of bringing
bison back to the Great Plains
The Poppers and their Ideal Great Plains Experience
Frank Popper, chairman for the urban studies
department at Rutgers University and his wife
Deborah Popper, a geographer, began serious
thought about what they would call The Buffalo
Commons after returning from a seminar trip.
While stuck in traffic on the 12 lane New Jersey
Turnpike, The pair were debating the plight of
the Great Plains and in exasperation Deborah
says ‘Oh, just turn it back to the buffalo, let
them have it!’ and Frank had an epiphany to
organize just that sort of scenario as an alternate land-use and economic-base option for
the region. The Poppers drew up a fifteen page essay on such a future for the Great
Plains, entitled The Great Plains: From Dust to Dust (Click the link to view the actual
essay) which was published in Planning Magazine December of 1987. Their idea involved
returning the Plains to it’s natural habitat and utilizing that uniqueness as a possible
tourism and recreation trade – the Great Plains National Park. Response was tremendous
and just as varied opinion, some believing the idea was revolutionary and other suggesting
23
they should be ‘strung from the nearest cottonwood.’ (Matthews, pg. 22-25)
Effect on culture with the idea of bringing
bison back to the Great Plains
The Poppers and their Ideal Great Plains Experience
Twenty years later, the Poppers are still
touring Great Plans cities, listening to
resident concerns and questions
regarding the Buffalo Commons idea.
More and more ranchers are acquiring
their own bison over cows as their meat
and hunting grows in popularity. People
are slowly starting to see a different future
for a Great Plains that may be more
sustainable -- focused more on tourism,
bison ranching and recreation. Still,
others question whether years of
degradation have made the Plains
inhabitable to any animal including the
bison. There is no question that their
former habitat needs restoration. The
question is whether bison can be part of
that process or hinder those attempts.
Buffalo Commons becoming
a more popular idea?
Reported - April 18th 2008.
Click Video to Start or follow
this Link
24
Effect on culture with the idea of bringing
bison back to the Great Plains
Do Bison Need More Land? – National Park as Wildlife Reserve
Dilemma
Paul Hansen, director of the Greater Yellowstone Program for
The Nature Conservancy, said he is concerned about the
animals' fate. "There's a consensus with all the natural
resource professionals in the conservation community that the
greatest threat to the park in the next 10 to 20 years is the loss
of winter habitat," he said. "Simply put, the animals can't survive without this scarce
habitat type and it's disappearing rapidly. Yellowstone can recover from fires, it can
recover from a lot of things — it can't recover from permanent loss of winter habitat.“
Bison have been a staple attraction at Yellowstone for centuries but this habitat has been
shrinking and bison tend to roam where the grass is often into neighboring cattle ranches
and towns. According to Hansen only 10% of Yellowstone is habitable to wildlife during
the winter months. Of that area 1/3 is developed and another 1/3 is slated for
development. The remaining 1/3 is being advocated for a wildlife preserve by the Nature
Conservancy. (Hansen, NPR “Yellowstone Preservation A Balancing Act) Still, the
situation is growing in urgency with another option used to control Yellowstone bison –
25
buffalo hunting season on and just outside National State Park lands.
Effect on culture with the idea of bringing
bison back to the Great Plains
Do Bison Need More Land? – National Park as Wildlife Reserve
Dilemma
Cattle ranchers surrounding Yellowstone fear that
the 125,00 head of free roaming bison can infect
their stock with brucellosis. This is a disease that in
animals like cattle, bison and swine causes
decreased milk production, weight loss, abortion,
infertility and lameness. If transmitted to humans
causes severe intermittent fevers along with
infection. The disease is transmitted through direct
contact. Only two states have been known to have
herds with the disease within recent years, Texas and Missouri. Through the
administration of the Brucellosis Extermination Program via the USDA, Brucella
Strain RB51 vaccine has been developed and injected into every potentially
infected animal in the United States including wild bison under the control of the
National Wildlife Service. (USDA, Brucellosis Qs & As)
26
Effect on culture with the idea of bringing
bison back to the Great Plains
Do Bison Need More Land? – National Park as Wildlife Reserve
Dilemma
No known brucellosis transition between
bison and cattle has ever been verified
though transmissions between cows and elk
have recently come under suspect. Still, the
State of Montana has declared a
‘brucellosis-free’ area and will take any
necessary action to deter bison from their
state outside of park boundaries via hazing,
relocating and the slaughter of roaming
bison. In 2007, despite protest from interest
groups and local Native Americas, the State
of Montana slaughtered over 100 bison.
(Knapp, Don Bison slaughter continues
despite protests, prayers)
Click video to start or follow this
Link
27
Effect on culture with the idea of bringing
bison back to the Great Plains
Do Bison Need More Land? – National Park as Wildlife Reserve
Dilemma
Much finger pointing has been done to assess who would be responsible for the bison’s welfare
under different situations. By 2000, an agreement between Montana and Yellowstone Park was
reached stating that any roaming bison who venture into Montana land outside the park
boundaries was the responsibility of Montana. Conversely, the National Park Service would be
responsible for all bison within the park and would attempt to make all necessary
accommodations to retain them within their space as well as vaccinate them for brucellosis.
There in lines the problem. The fact that
bison need to roam and graze outside of
the park area to survive, especially during
Click
the winter months, lends to suggest that
more land is needed to accommodate
video to
them. Also, the stigma within the cattle
start or
industry claiming that free roaming bison
follow
infect their ranches has not be
this Link
substantiated. It is a dilemma pitting an
industry against an indigenousness
animal. (National Park Service,
28
Yellowstone Bison)
Effect on culture with the idea of bringing
bison back to the Great Plains
Do Bison Need More Land? – National Park as Wildlife Reserve
Dilemma
A recent proposal is now opening more land into
areas out of Yellowstone Park grounds to ward
off pressures from opposition against limiting,
hazing and slaughtering bison. Horse Butte
Montana is such an area extending a wider
buffer area for bison to graze during the winter
months in relative safety. Horse Butte is a part of
the bison’s normal migration run where they do
their winter grazing and spring birthing. Still,
the Montana Stockgrowers Association see the changes as a threat to their
livestock and livelihood and have filed a lawsuit which may hinder these attempts.
Still, no links between bison and cattle have been found. Only two infections of
brucellosis have been link to elk which are smaller in population and more
difficult to track or manage. (Buffalo Field Campaign, Horse Butte Info)
29
Effect on culture with the idea of bringing
bison back to the Great Plains
Do Bison Need More Land? – National Park as Wildlife Reserve
Dilemma
The Nature Conservatory, mentioned
on the prior slide by Paul Hanson, has
been working hard to restore the
habitat and wildlife to the Great Plains
Area. One resource they have provided
for understanding both sides of the
issue is a podcast – audio recorded
stories – of differing opinions on a
variety of subjects including the
Commons. This resources gives us a
sense of the varying concerns and
perspectives people have on a subject.
One such podcast is Buffalo Commons
produced by Dan Collison & Elizabeth
Meister with Long Haul Productions
Click Video to Start or
follow this Link
30
Effect on culture with the idea of bringing
bison back to the Great Plains
Do Bison Need More Land? – National Park as Wildlife Reserve
Dilemma
The Intertribal Bison Cooperative is another
501 (c) (3) non-profit tribal organization
working to assist Native Americans reestablish bison herds within tribal lands.
Since it’s initiation in 1992, they have grown
to incorporating 57 tribes in 19 states. Their
mission being “to restoring bison to Tribal
lands in a manner that promotes cultural
enhancement, spiritual revitalization, ecological restoration and economic development,
while remaining compatible with each member tribes’ traditional beliefs and practices”.
Being as dedicated to the bison as they ever were, the Native Americans are one of the
fore-runners in the movement to re-establish and value the uniqueness of America.
They are aso considering the health and marketing benefits of bison meat working to
educate the public on the wide range of products available from the bison.
Click to Return to navigation page
31
Future
Impact on bison
and culture with
trends to improve
diet, ranching and
economy in general
32
The impact on bison and culture regarding trends
to improve diet, ranching and economy.
Bison - New Improved All American Meat?
While bison conservation and ranching efforts have
expanded to bring back the bison, re-introduction of it as a
valuable foods source has also seen a resurgence as it
provides more for less. Being lower in calories, fat and
cholesterol than most other meat options, bison has steadily
gained in popularity. Bison meat is also high in iron and B12.
Because bison are not typically fed grain supplements;
plastic pellets; given hormone shots or antibiotics; steroids;
processed with mixes and fillers containing MSG,
nitrates/nitrites, sodium benzoate, hydrogenated oils,
artificial sweeteners or preservatives, their meat is typically
labeled organic and less likely to cause many of the
hormonal, heart/cholesterol and cancerous health concerns
plaguing the beef, pork and chicken industries. American’s,
becoming more conscience of their diets, are considering
the bison meat alternative.
33
The impact on bison and culture regarding trends
to improve diet, ranching and economy.
250
211 212
200
190
150
143
100
82
86
86
Bison
Beef
Pork
Chicken (skinless)
50
0
2.42
9.28 9.66 7.41
Fat
89
Supporting data
provided by the
National
Association of
Bison confirms
the health
benefits of bison
over other more
traditional
American meat
staples.
Calories
Cholestrol
34
The impact on bison and culture regarding trends
to improve diet, ranching and economy.
Bison - New Improved All American Meat?
Bison can be more expensive to produce often causing its cost two to three
dollars more per pound to the consumer. (National Bison Association website,
Health Benefits) Increased production costs stem from the organic labels.
Slaughter houses can not prepare bison meat in the same assembly-line manner
they do cows or pigs. Production on other animals would be hindered and the
slower process of slaughtering bison would dominate increasing the overall cost.
Slaughter houses are seeing an increased demand in some areas and are
accommodating the market. Between January and November of last year bison
slaughtering increased 17%. (Well, The Great Plains Drain) Currently, bison is
not required to be inspected under the Federal Meat Inspection Act by the
USDA being deemed non-amenable. Most slaughter houses and ranches of
bison pay the $40 per hour service for voluntary meat inspection for public sale
and to receive federal organic labeling. The USDA is considering adding bison,
elk and deer to the list of meat requiring inspection prior to sale. (National
Sustainable Agricultural Information Service, Bison Production)
35
The impact on bison and culture regarding trends
to improve diet, ranching and economy.
Bison - New Improved All American Tourist Attraction and
Recreation?
In today’s economy, where food prices are soaring, the
bison meat trade has been having difficulty in getting off
the ground despite strong public interest in its health
benefits. Many bison ranchers have turned to marketing
their bison as a recreational sport for hunting due to
James and Sandy Stepp with
plummeting meat sales. In 2003, Matt Hackworth, a
their bison in Hinton, OK
reporter form Kansas City Montana, stated that many of
there ranchers like Vance Hopp open a mini hunting season on their own land to
supplement their incomes. (NPR - All Things Considered. Stalking Buffalo Again on
America’s Plains.) Still, other areas like Tahlequah Oklahoma reported that bison meat
sales have increased benefiting local ranchers such as the Stepp Ranch. (Custer, Jami.
Bison Meat Sales Rising) Other external factors play into a bison ranchers success and
many uneconomical ranches can be attributed to draught and the lack of pasture land to
support their herds. Generally, the USDA has seen sales of bison meat increase 36
percent from 2005 to 2006.
Click to Return to navigation page
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In Conclusion:
The current outlook for the bison is still under question.
During these difficult economic times, resources to
accommodate and rehabilitate the land for them to
merely roam is apt to be a low priority against many to
the nations concerns. The options they can produce as a
healthier food staple and as a draw for recreation lovers,
(for wildlife observers and hunters), may make for an
interesting economic self-sufficiency model. However,
given the mode-of-operation historically taken by
Americas, can we expect our diligence to retain
indefinitely bison -- as a wholesome, organic and viable
option for a neighborhood, region, nation, or as an export
-- or will corporate ambitions continue to push them
either out of the way or be exploited into the new
McBuffburger.
37
Fun Facts on the American Bison
• At their peak, American bison herds numbered up to 50 to 60 million. (Caduto,
pg 226). Currently, there are 500,000 bison in North America, Yellowstone
having the largest free roaming herd of 3,500. (National Bison Association
website – FAQ)
• Full grown - height 5 to 6 feet, up to ten feet long from snout to the root of its
tail, weight up to 2,000 pounds. (Caduto, pg 226)
• Bison have 360° vision do to their outwardly set eyes but are poor in sight.
They do have highly developed sense of smell and hearing. (Callenbach, pg. 13)
• A noisy bunch, their communication can range from grunts, snorts, growls,
bellows and roars similar to humpback whales. (Callenbach, pg. 13)
• Their coat is a dense mass of coarse dark brown fur which is better insulation
for the winter months and is shed annually. (Time-Life Books, pg. 98)
• Despite their bulk, bison are surprisingly agile reportedly able to leap six-foot
fencing from a standing start. (Callenbach, pg. 14)
38
Fun Facts on the American Bison
• Both bull and cow bison grow one set of horns which are not shed.
(buffalogroves.com)
• Bison are not considered domesticated, not even ranched bison. They cannot be
milk and must be respected as a wild animal at all times. (buffalogroves.com)
• Their back hump is a counterbalance for their large head preventing them from
rolling over. (buffalogroves.com)
• Bison are ruminants with multipart stomachs who graze primarily during the early
morning hours and spend the rest of the day regurgitating and chewing their cud
with intermittent additional grazing. (Callenbach, pg. 11)
• They roam while they graze over distances from ¼ to 3 miles moving at would be a
fast pace for a human, unlike cows who are stationary grazers. (Callenbach, pg. 12)
• Bison top speed is 40 miles per hour. (National Bison Association website – FAQ)
• Bison prefer to drink water daily, ideally 10 to 12 gallons, but can go several days
without water unlike cows. (Callenbach, pg. 12)
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Fun Facts on the American Bison
• Bison typically group in herds from 20 to 50 heads except during migration and
mating seasons where herds will collect together making mass congregations of
bison. (Callenbach, pg. 11)
• Their mating season is in July and August. Bulls compete in head-butting
competitions for cow rights. Occasionally, competitors will get slashed by another's
horns and die. (Time-Life Books, pg. 98)
• Calves, yellow haired from their spring-time birth, weigh from 25 to 40 pounds. By
the following summer will weigh up to 400 pounds. (Time-Life Books, pg. 99)
• They have few natural predators such as Canadian wolves. Typically, severe
weather conditions weed out weak and/or diseased bison. (Callenbach, pg. 12)
• Typically bison do not suffer from most domesticated diseases such as Mad Cow
disease as they are not typically given supplementary feeds which cause them.
There has been a growing threat of Malignant Catarrhal Fever in Bison which is
being studied at WSU. (Also see info on MCF and WSU involvement here.)
• Wild bison can live 12 to 15 years but managed bison can live to be as old as 40
years old. (Callenbach, pg. 12)
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Back to Baking Bison - Works Cited
Time-Life Books ed. The Buffalo Hunters. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1993.
The National Bison Association Website. Westminster, CO
http://www.bisoncentral.com/index.php?s=&c=66&d=94&w=6&r=Y
Callenbach, Ernest. Bring Back the Buffalo: A Sustainable Future for America’s Great
Plains. Washington DC: Island Press, 1996.
Caduto, Michael J. & Bruchac, Joseph. Keepers of the Animals. Golden, Colorado:
Fulcrum Publishing, 1991.
Punke, Michael. Last Stand: George Bird Grinnell, the Battle to Save the Buffalo, and the
Birth of the New West. New York, NY: Smithsonian Books/Collins, 2007.
Matthews, Anne. Where the Buffalo Roam: The Storm Over the Revolutionary Plan to
Restore Amreica’s Great Plains. New, NY: Grove Press Inc., 1992
Hansen, Linda. Yellowstone Preservation A Balancing Act. NPR 2008. Accessed October
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Cromartie, John. Amber Waves - Population Loss Counties Lack Amenities and Metro
Proximity. United States Department of Agriculture. April 2005. Accessed October 27th,
2008. http://www.ers.usda.gov/Amberwaves/April05/findings/PopulationLoss.htm 41
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Buffalo Field Campaign. Horse Butte Information. Buffalo Field Campaign, December 2008.
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/science/horsebutte.html Accessed December 3rd ,
2008.
Associated Press. Seattle CEO pleads guilty in bison slaughter. Oregon Business News.
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http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2008/11/seattle_ceo_pleads_guilty_in_b.htm
l
Custer, Jami. Bison Meat Sales Rising. Cherokee Phoenix News. October 2008. Retrieved
October 31st, 2008. http://www.cherokeephoenix.org/3061/Article.aspx
Knapp, Don. Bison slaughter continues despite protests, prayers. CNN interactive.com.
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7th, 2007. Retrieved November 10th, 2008,
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National Park Service. Yellowstone Bison. December 2007, Retrieved October 31st, 2008.
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NPR - All Things Considered. Stalking Again on America’s Plains. January 30, 2003. Retreived
November 10th, 2008. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=951441
USDA. Brucellosis Qs & As. January 2003. Retrieved October 31st,
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Wells, Cheyenne. The Great Plains Drain. Economist.com January 17th, 2008 Retrieved
November 30th.
http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10534077
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