The American Bison is a powerful symbol of the American West, and for good reason. The great roamers of the Great Plains have played an essential role in balance with prairie/grassland ecosystems from time immemorial. Through decades of work from Alan Savory and his namesake non-profit educational network, The Savory Institute, the importance of ruminant interactions in the ecosystem health of grasslands across the world has been rediscovered.
Photo Credit: Nick Mott
A class field trip recently brought me face-to-face with these mega fauna of the West, on a ranch in Eastern Colorado owned and managed by The Savory Institute. The West Bijou Bison Ranch was recently donated to Savory and is also a National Natural Landmark due to uniquely preserved fossils and other artifacts.
Aside from managing the ranch, The Savory Institute coordinates the spread of holistic management practices across the globe through their global Network which supports learning hubs on 6 continents. Holistic management, which is at the heart of the institute's mission, brings an ecological approach to strengthening land health through intensive herd management, careful monitoring, and scientific observations.
The herd was curious. . .
Experiencing these animals up close was exhilarating. Some of the largest bulls were particularly curious about human observers. It is one thing to study the keys to holistic grazing on paper, and quite another to see and to smell the bison pies trampled into grass, the various terrains and water sources carefully charted and integrated into a master management plan, and to hear the plaintive sounds of the prairie mingled with the herd.