Bison on the Prairie (and federal lands)

...As the plains were settled by people from other cultures, the animals seemed to be inexhaustible. It was estimated that at least 25 million American bison roamed the United States and Canada, but by the late 1880s perhaps as few as 600 remained in the US! Fortunately, a few people recognized the importance of preserving this great prairie animal. One of the earliest proponents of reintroducing the North American Bison to the region of its historic range was James "Scotty" Phillip of South Dakota. He bought five calves roped during the Last Big Buffalo Hunt on the Grand River in 1881 and took them back to his ranch on the Cheyenne River. When he died in 1911 he had a herd of over a thousand bison, from which other privately owned herds originated. Today the US Department of Interior is seeking lands on which to move animals from the Yellowstone herd. Some Yellowstone bison have been quarantined for years to make sure they are free from the disease, with the intention of moving them to appropriate areas outside Yellowstone. Kansas is among the states with possible sites for these animals with the pure genetics of the original American bison. The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve was identified as potentially suitable for relocating these bison. Millions of acres of public lands have been leased to ranchers for grazing livestock, and the National Wildlife Federation has established a program to negotiate a fair market price with ranchers to retire their grazing leases and return these acres to the exclusive use of natural wildlife, including the bison. Their program uses the catch line "Adopt a Wildlife Acre. Give Bison Room to Roam."...more 

For more on the NWF program go here.