Room to Roam

Problem:

Over two centuries ago, when Lewis and Clark set out to explore the wild western frontier of America, they were overwhelmed with the abundance of wildlife there. At that time, 20 million iconic bison freely roamed our nation’s sprawling Great Plains.

But over time, factors like conversion of prairie land to agriculture and human development have stripped bison and other prairie wildlife like pronghorn, black-tailed prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets, from their native lands. What was once 20 million bison has now dwindled away to just 50,000 — that’s just 0.25% percent of their original population! And NONE remain on their native prairie habitat! If we don’t act now to safeguard bison and other prairie wildlife, what will become of these treasured animals?

Solution:

National Wildlife Federation has launched a new initiative to restore bison to their native prairie habitat. The Bison Restoration Project focuses on lands in and around Montana’s spectacular 1.1 million-acre Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge (CMR). The CMR contains more intact prairie habitat than anywhere else in the nation, making it the best place in the United States to restore wild, free ranging bison. Other treasured species will also benefit from securing this vital prairie land, including pronghorn, black-tailed prairie dog, sharp-tailed grouse, sage grouse and the endangered black-footed ferret.

A project of this magnitude is unprecedented! That’s why we need your help to launch it successfully. With your support we can:

• Continue retiring livestock grazing allotments on the CMR through the Adopt-a-Wildlife-Acre program.
• Work closely with Montana Indian tribes who live near the refuge on bison restoration strategies.
• Meet with ranchers and other local authorities to discuss how to make bison restoration work for
  local communities.

We’ve already made a world of difference for wildlife in the West, having retired over 620,000 aces of habitat in the Yellowstone region and the CMR. Help us break new ground on bison restoration and donate today. Your support will have a big impact protecting bison and other wild animals in the West and across the nation.

Please donate today.