Fifty bison return to the Stronghold on Pine Ridge
Close to 300 people watched Thunder Valley CDC release 50 bison onto nearly 40,000 acres of Oglala Sioux land in the Stronghold, a former bombing range now edged with 27 miles of wildlife fencing.
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The reporting lives at Prairie Public / South Dakota Public Broadcasting. Our summary is checked against it, and we link it on every story.
Close to 300 people gathered in the badlands to watch Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation release 50 bison, Prairie Public reported. The herd is now on nearly 40,000 acres leased from the Oglala Sioux Tribe in the Stronghold, one of the largest range units on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
The ground was once a U.S. military bombing range. Thunder Valley installed about 27 miles of buffalo fencing plus a corral, and it worked with ordnance teams so the pasture was clear of unexploded bombs. The range then rested for two years while crews measured grasses, flowers, and soil. Many of the people at the release were students. Board chair Beau LeBeaux said the group wants young people to treat the animals as relatives. The nonprofit also plans hands-on herd work for its workforce program, so students can learn ranching skills South Dakota still uses.
For the classroom
On the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, a nonprofit called Thunder Valley let 50 bison out onto a huge stretch of prairie. Close to 300 people came to watch, including students from nearby schools. The land belongs to the Oglala Sioux Tribe, in a place called the Stronghold. It used to be a military bombing range. Workers put up about 27 miles of fencing that wildlife can still move through, and they checked the ground for old explosives. The herd can grow from here. Young people will also learn how to care for the animals and the grass, work that fits the ranching jobs in South Dakota. Leaders say the bison are relatives, and they will look after people if people look after them.
- Why would a tribe want bison back on land that used to be a bombing range?
- What does a fence have to do if deer and bison both need to move?
- What could a student learn by helping care for a herd?
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