Drawing inspiration from long-running studies in Yellowstone National Park and the Blackfeet Reservation, Fort Peck leaders are working to show how bison play a crucial role in revitalizing grassland ecosystems. Their grazing patterns create a mosaic of plant heights and soil disturbances that support diverse species of birds, insects, and native plants—effects that differ significantly from those of cattle. By restoring larger, freer-moving buffalo herds, Fort Peck aims to revive these natural processes at scale, reconnecting the landscape with the ecological rhythms that shaped it for thousands of years.

To bring this vision into modern conservation economics, Fort Peck is partnering with other Montana groups to quantify the measurable ecological benefits of bison grazing through a biodiversity credit program. The idea is to translate improvements in soil health, habitat diversity, carbon storage, and overall ecosystem resilience into verifiable credits that can be sold to organizations seeking to offset their environmental impacts. If successful, this approach could create a sustainable funding model that supports tribal land stewardship while demonstrating the broader environmental value of buffalo restoration. It’s a way to merge traditional ecological knowledge with emerging conservation markets—ultimately helping to ensure that the “endless” prairie remains both biologically rich and economically viable for future generations.

Fort Peck, Montana’s vision for ‘endless’ buffalo prairie