Bison reintroduced to metro-area prairie

Under rolling clouds, the rolling prairie in Afton welcomed a few hundred people today, all of them curious to see what this land hasn't seen since Minnesota became a state.

Steve Hobbs, executive director of a non-profit called Belwin, says, "It really has been about 150 years at least since bison were out here on this land."

A truckload full of bison, or buffalo if you will, were reintroduced today to a stretch of prairie located just off the frontage road to I-94 in Afton, at the southwest corner of Hudson Road and Stagecoach Trail.

Observers young and old lined the fence to watch, and then cheered as the herd of young bison ran off the trailer in which they were brought.

Becky Lyon of Minneapolis says, "That's so thrilling! I had no idea a bunch of little buffalos? I'd get such a kick out of that. How did they fit them all in there?"

One boy laughed as he said, "They were big for babies! They probably weigh a lot? a lot more than me I guess."

The bison will graze off 220 acres of prairie, which was restored five years ago by Belwin.

Board chairman David Hartwell says, "We're an organization that believes in environmental education."

And this prairie was not completely restored until bison were added today.

Hartwell says, "They actually graze it in a way that encourages better growth of various prairie species."

The organization says bison work the landscape with their hooves and that helps spread seeds and get rid of unwanted plants. It says the two cannot truly survive without each other. Belwin is starting with about 25 bison but the ultimate size of the herd is still up in the air. That will depend on what this prairie can handle.

The herd will be managed by NorthStar Bison of Rice Lake, Wisconsin. The purely grass-fed bison meat will then be sold at Kowalski's.

While the acreage may be small, some hope this effort will lead to more prairie restoration across the country.

Dan O'Brien, a South Dakota rancher, a writer and expert on bison reintroduction says projects like this are good psychologically for Americans. He believes it's important to return our land to what it once was and says, "I would like to see a huge prairie park, millions of acres if possible, where the buffalo are really able to roam."

Belwin plans to eventually put up interpretive information and observation platforms at the site so that visitors can learn more about the relationship between bison and the prairie. To learn more, click on their link above.

By Renee Tessman, KARE 11 News

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