By Bruce Karnick

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On Friday, July 30, a groundbreaking ceremony was held in Dakota County’s Schaar’s Bluff Regional Park for the installation of a Bison Conservation program. In 2022, bison will be reintroduced to the plains of Schaar’s Bluff for the first time in at least a century. The bison that will be introduced are also one of the first herd to be made of bison with no cattle DNA involved. In the 1800’s, it was believed the bison population was under 600 total bison in the US. Now, there are over 500,000.

The herd that is going to occupy the 160 acres of park land will be limited to 15 bison while studies are being done to see the environment impact of the herd on the prairie. Bison were an important part of these natural communities and to the Native American communities.

Bison graze on prairie grasses and leave the flowers and shrubs alone, which helps pollinators thrive. When the pollinators thrive, wildflowers thrive. The hope is, once the bison begin their grazing, more wildflowers will be visible to park visitors while increasing the habitat for other species of wildlife.

The Indigenous communities were so closely tied to bison that the Treasure Island Mdewakanton community built their own bison area. The tribe started their herd in 1992 and today there are over 200 bison on Prairie Island, according to Tribal President Shelly Buck. Buck also explained that bison are not to be messed with. They can run as fast as 30 mph, jump six feet in the air and weight as much as a small car.

The historical and cultural connection to the Indigenous communities is strong and runs deep. The Upper Sioux community have played a vital role in both the design and pre-construction archaeological surveys. The upper Sioux Community and several other local Indigenous communities have expressed interest in supporting the project. A major factor in this project is the relationship that the people that once lived on the oak savannahs with the bison will be honored through park programming and interpretational programs.

An important part of the project is funding. The taxpayers are not on the hook for any of the bison related expenses. The funding came from the Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fun approved by the Minnesota Legislature.

The ceremony ran about 40 minutes with many guest speakers talking about what the project means to them and to the Sioux communities in the area and what it will mean to future generations of Dakota County residents. This is a great opportunity to do our part in preserving a beautiful creature in its natural habitat.

To learn more about the program, visit www.dakotacounty.us/parks and search bison.

Leaders from both Prarie Island Mdewakanton Community and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community worked with the Dakota County Commisioners to return bison to the plains of Schaar’s Bluff Regional Park between Hastings and Rosemount. Left to right, Joe Atkins, Shelly Buck, Valentina Mgeni, Cole Miller, Leonard Wabasha. Photo by Bruce Karnick

Community members, Dakota County Commissioners, Tribal Leaders, State Senators and Representatives all joined in on the ground breaking ceremony for the new Bison range that is set to open in October of 2022. Left to right: Representative Sandra Masin, Commissioner Mary Hamann-Roland, Commissioner Mike Slavik, Representative Tony Jurgens, Commissioner Joe Atkins in back, Representative Rick Hansen, South Saint Paul City Council member Lori Hansen, Senator Karla Bigham, Representative John Hout, Commissioner Kathleen Gaylord, in back rosemount Mayor Bill Droste and Senator Greg Clausen, Tribal President Shelly Buck, and Nininger Township Supervisor Karen Bremer.

Photo by Bruce Karnick