Give me a home where da buffalo roam

[Lee Borgersen]

                Give me a home where da buffalo roam

            DNR NEWS - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                                                  Sept. 4, 2014

                     
  .......
Bison will once again roam the prairie at Minneopa State Park near Mankato starting next year, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.


The new herd will come from Blue Mounds State Park in southwestern Minnesota and the Minnesota Zoo in late summer or early fall 2015, following the annual bison roundup at that park.  During the roundup, calves are weaned from cows, health issues are addressed and genetic testing is done.
 
"We had hoped to bring bison to Minneopa State Park this fall," said DNR Regional Operations Manager Kathy Dummer.  "But as we looked at everything that needed to be done, the earliest we could move bison to the park would be late November.  That just wasn't enough time for them to acclimate to their new surroundings in the event of a severe winter."

Dummer said an important consideration for choosing Minneopa State Park as the second site for bison reintroduction was that it is located within the historic range of bison in Minnesota. More information about the bison reintroduction project is available in the park's management plan, which can be viewed online at http://go.usa.gov/yBS5.

Preparations for fencing of the approximately 350-acre bison range begin this fall, as will creating a year-round water source for the herd. The extra time will also allow for design of handling facilities for bison care and interpretive signage for visitors, and additional prescribed burns in the range. Hiking and skiing trails will also be rerouted and extended around the bison range.

Bison have been managed by the DNR Parks and Trails Division since 1961 when three animals were reintroduced to Blue Mounds State Park.  As the herd grew to a sustainable group of about 90 animals, the division began evaluating its long-term direction for bison management.

Genetic testing of the herd from 2011-2013 found the herd was largely free of any genetic material that would have come from cross-breeding with cattle.  This makes them very unique.  Of the more than 500,000 bison in North America, less than 30,000 fit into this category.

DNR entered into an agreement with the Minnesota Zoo in 2012 to help preserve North American Plains Bison. A target of 500 animals is recommended to maintain the long-term health of the herd. Since no single state park has enough acreage to sustain a 500-bison herd, smaller herds will be established at several locations. Minneopa State Park will be the first of these.

The park was selected for several reasons:
•Has a large potential audience with more than 200,000 people within 50 miles of the park.
•Numerous nearby educational institutions are potential research partners.
•Contains sufficient prairie to accommodate a bison herd.
•The reintroduction of bison will help naturally manage the prairie landscape.

The park is located off U.S. Highway 169 and state Highway 68, five miles west of Mankato.  For more information on the park, including a virtual tour, visit www.mndnr.gov/minneopa.  For more information on bison visit www.mnzoo.org/blog/animals/american-bison/.