Photo: David Mark | Pixabay
The American bison is a keystone species, since its presence benefits other species in their native habitats. Unfortunately, in the 1800s, 30-60 million of them were eradicated from the Great Plains by the US government, in an effort to starve Indigenous Americans and drive them off their land. Efforts are now on to restore the balance: A dilapidated bridge spanning the Mississippi River between Iowa and Illinois will be converted into a wildlife crossing where bison can freely roam and find a home in the first national park to be established in either state. Native Americans feel that the Bison Bridge will be an important means of bison restoration and also of connecting with the land and local history. The bison was known as the life commissary for my grandmas and grandpas. It was food, clothing, shelter and was also central to our cultural and spiritual belief systems, said Jason Baldes, a tribal bison coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation.
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