Congress Considers Tribal Buffalo Restoration Support
A bipartisan bill proposed Friday would require the Interior Department to create a permanent program to support tribal governments’ ongoing efforts to reestablish wild bison herds. Proposed by Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Markwayne Mullin (R-Oka.), the bill would mark a major step toward confronting one of America’s most glaring wildlife conservation failures. The program would allocate $14 million annually toward efforts to shuttle wild buffalo from federal public land to tribal reservations. It would also offer grants and technical assistance to help tribal efforts to expand buffalo habitat. “The bison has been a critical part of our culture for many generations, in New Mexico, across the West, and especially in Indian Country,” Heinrich said in a statement. “The growth of Tribal...