Mon, Dec 12 2016 - Mountain Festival: Introduction to the Festival & Discussion on Bison Reintroduction to Banff National Park (View Original Event Details)
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Following an introduction to International Mountain Day and the full events being hosted this week at the University of Alberta in celebration, Karsten Heuer from Parks Canada gave a highly informative presentation about the upcoming bison reintroduction pilot project in Banff National Park. In February, bison from Elk Island National Park will be brought to a pasture located in a remote area along the eastern slopes of the Rockies in Banff National Park. After an adjustment period, the bison herd will freely roam through an area that is 1/5 of the total size of Banff National Park. This will be the first time that bison have freely roamed through the park since millions of bison were slaughtered across the plains 140 years ago.
After the presentation, a panel discussion about the project took place, which included both representatives from Parks Canada as well as aboriginal elders who have been involved in bison reintroduction projects similar to the upcoming project in Banff. The scope of the discussion expanded beyond the project in Banff National Park to a wider discussion about the meaning of buffalo to the indigenous peoples who live across the plains, and why the loss of the buffalo in the nineteenth century was so devastating. Surprisingly, we also learned that Alberta law officially classifies bison as a livestock animal, rather than wildlife - advocacy is building to encourage the government to change this, as it would remove barriers that hinder bison reintroduction efforts. The discussion was very emotional and thought-provoking - it did bring at least one member of our group to tears - and overall many in our group said that the discussion ended up being far more meaningful than they had anticipated.
For more information about the Banff Bison Reintroduction Project, visit http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn- np/ab/banff/plan/gestion-management/bison.aspx, and the Bison Belong website.
Beata has also found this page, which has tons of information about wood bison herds in Alberta: http://w ww.wildlifecollisions.ca/bisonhomepage.htm
Thanks all for coming out! -Ryan
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