Bison were nearly exterminated from the West by white settlers and the U.S. government almost two centuries ago. It was a concerted effort to rid the region of tribes.
“The buffalo to the Indian is a symbol of God. They knew if they took away our main food source – our main symbol of God – that we would be, we would be rendered to literally nothing.”
But now bison are making a comeback in Montana with the help of some of the world’s richest people.
Nate Hegyi is the Utah reporter for the Mountain West News Bureau, based at KUER. He covers federal land management agencies, indigenous issues, and the environment. Before arriving in Salt Lake City, Nate worked at Yellowstone Public Radio, Montana Public Radio, and was an intern with NPR's Morning Edition. He received a master's in journalism from the University of Montana.