Wood Bison Reintegration: A Success Story

Today, I had the privilege of watching and photographing a calve and a herd of wood bison. These calves are the first of that species both bred and born in the wild in Alaska in more than a century, a huge milestone for what I heard has been a lengthy and uncertain attempt in reintroducing a species that was almost extinct to the state. Their existence represents a landmark conservation effort bringing back a species once thought extinct.

The Athabascan natives of Alaska relied on the wood bison for food, clothing, and shelter for the last 10,000 years, wisely managing this resource. Victims of ecological change, habitat encroagement, and over hunting, North America's largest land mammal disappeared. They were thought to be extinct. Thanks to the commitment of numerous people and one of the world's greatest conservation projects, wood bison returned to Alaska.

This was not merely the work of few grassroots efforts. Twenty years ago, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game made the commitment to return the Wood Bison to their native range in Central Alaska in partnership with the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC), who currently cares for the only captive herd in the United States. Following the State of Alaska's acquisition of wood bison and years of careful management by the AWCC, 130 wood bison were successfully released into the wild in 2015.

My sincerest thank you to Henry David Thoreau and Rachel Carson for their passion for the environment and its sentient beings. Their writings have guided and influenced many efforts to conserve land and natural resources and to protect the species that inhabit our planet of life. Last year, I co-authored Pima Prospers, the Pima County Comprehensive Plan. This award-winning plan contains the strictest conservation and environmental protection laws in the country. My visit to the AWCC reminded me of the value of protecting the environment and wildlife habitats through policy writing, conservation efforts, poetry, prose, education, and quality animal care.

In addition to wood bison, I had the opportunity to have close encounters with moose, black elk, wood ox, deer, and black bear at the Wildlife Conservation Center. What a fabulous day! I'm so glad I turned this impromptu trip into my 60th birthday adventure. I am pleasantly exhausted from hiking in this cold and drizzling weather. My fingers are stiff from the cold since I cannot wear gloves when I take photos.

I did decide to cancel the Salmon Berry Tour since I had covered the itinerary on my own, and they were kind enough to reimburse the full cost, even when I did not expect it. Rather than heading all the way back to Seward and since I am only a few miles away and approaching the time for the tunnel opening, I decided to pay a visit to the Town of Whittier.

Alaska, I will be back!