On today's show...
We spend the hour exploring the restoration of the American Buffalo to South Dakota's prairies and grasslands. Our roundtable conversation features local organizations working together to transfer hundreds of buffalo to Native nations and ranchers.
Troy Heinert is the executive director of the InterTribal Buffalo Council. Trudy Ecoffey is the executive director of the Tanka Fund. And Corissa Busse is the buffalo restoration program director at The Nature Conservancy.
They discuss the near-eradication of the buffalo and the policies that fueled it. We'll explore the buffalo's strong connection to the land and with the state's tribal communities.
And we look ahead at what could be next. We talk about climate resiliency, cultural foundations and economic stimulation.
Plus, you'll hear the voices of Albert "Buc" Fallis, Ron Brownotter, Arlo Iron Cloud, Sr., and the students of Maȟpíya Lúta (Red Cloud Indian School).
Fallis is the wildlife director for the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe. Brownotter owns Brownotter Buffalo Ranch on Standing Rock Reservation. Iron Cloud is the cultural foods educator with the Makoce Agricultural Development.
This conversation is in partnership with SDPB's documentary "Tatanka: A Way of Life." Watch the full film now.
Learn more about Ken Burns' "The American Buffalo."
