Reintroduce Bison to Idaho

Introduction

Bison used to roam the state of Idaho freely. That is no longer the case. We aim to convince Congress to reintroduce this mighty animal back to Idaho. Once again bison will call our valleys home.
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Fenced In

Idaho Bison Population
wild bison
Wild Bison: 0
Bison in captivity: 18,634

If you don’t count the occasional individual that crosses into the state, and usually gets shot, all bison in Idaho are in captivity.

We aim to rebuild the wild herds so that the average hiker will have a chance to see these majestic animals in their natural environment.

hunting bison

Historical Background

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The bison population in Idaho was never anything like what it was on the great plains however there were reports of herds a thousand individuals in what are now Custer, Clark, Bannock, and Bear Lake counties.

Evidence suggests that the introduction of horses allowed the native peoples of the area to hunt and kill the bison in far higher numbers than the bison could replenish. The Bison population continued to decline until large-scale commercial hunting wiped them out very quickly.

Increasing the population of the American bison, a keystone species, could return this land to a balance that none of us living in modern times have ever known.
~ Beck & Bulow
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Prime Habitat

Acres of Federal Land in Idaho: 34.5 million
There are many prime areas of habitat in Idaho. The government controls a lot of land in Idaho. As has already been shown Idaho can support a large number of bison. There is plenty of room in this state for this majestic beast to roam free. You can fit the country of Hungry, within the land controlled by the federal government, in the state, with plenty of room to spare; there is more than enough room to share.
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How You Can Help

We need 100,000 signatures on our petition to force Congress to consider our proposal.
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Our Goal

Where we are at 75,000 signatures