Buffalo now roam on the Colville Reservation

NESPELEM – Buffalo are now roaming free on the land of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

While many eyes in the county are on the proposed reintroduction of the grizzly bear in North Cascades National Park, and the presence of wolf packs elsewhere, a small herd of the nation’s national animal slipped onto the Colville Reservation earlier this month.

The Kalispel Tribe in Montana gifted 33 surplus buffalo from their Montana herd to the Colville Confederated Tribes. The mix of vaccinated bulls, pregnant cows, and calves were released on Oct. 2-3 between Keller Ridge and Buffalo Lake near the towns of Nespelem and Elmer City.

In a media release announcing the release, Jarred-Michael Erickson, Chairman of the Colville Confederated Tribes, said “Today, buffalo return to part of their historic range. We are always happy and proud when we can take a step toward restoring our lands to their natural condition. The Colville Tribes wishes to thank the Kalispel Tribe, who gifted us these magnificent animals.”

Funds to help restore tribal bison herds were included in the $1.75 trillion Inflation Reduction Act signed into law by President Joe Biden in August 2022. It included $5 million earmarked for bison recovery through two channels.

      • The Intertribal Buffalo Council (IBC), comprised of 80 tribes in 20 states that manage more than 20,000 buffalo, received $3.5 million for herd development.

      • The Bureau of Indian Affairs received $1.5 million to aid federally recognized tribes – which includes the Colville Confederated Tribes – in their herd expansions programs.

“Through historic funding from the Biden-Harris administration, we can support tribes in maintaining herds of buffalo,” said Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland. “These herds are central to tribes’ cultural, spiritual and nutritional traditions, and they also preserve the ecosystems that sustain both bison and tribal communities.”

“We thank the Biden-Harris administration for their financial support of our ecosystem and the buffalo,” Erickson said.

The CCT joins the Yakama Nation, also federally recognized, as the state’s other Native American tribe that has buffalo. The Yakamas acquired their first herd from a tribal member in 1991 and were given more than two dozen Yellowstone bison by the IBC in December 2021.

The CCT has been actively pursuing the reintroduction of several species to its tribal lands.

” We are currently capturing Canada lynx and releasing them on the reservation,” said CCT Public Relations spokeswoman Michelle Campobasso.  “We will be releasing a fourth cat today,” she noted on Oct. 11.

The CCT began importing pronghorn antelope from Nevada in 2016. The first herd of 52 was followed by another 98 in 2017. California bighorn sheep were reintroduced to the Hellgate Game Reserve near Keller in 2008. Elk from South Dakota were brought in to supplement existing herd numbers. Future imports may include Rocky Mountain bighorns and mountain goats.

Mike Maltais: 360-333-8483, michael@ward.media

By the numbers

The American bison, named the nation’s national mammal in 2016, is a wildlife success story. Here are numbers to know:

500: Once estimated to number in the tens of millions, they were hunted to near-extinction and by 1884 less than 500 remained.

500,000: Conservation efforts began just in time to save the species and today more than 500,000 flourish in the U.S. including 5,000 in Yellowstone National Park.

12: The Interior Department alone manages 11,000 bison in herds across 4.6 million acres of public lands in 12 states.