The Wildlife Conservation Society, Intertribal Buffalo Council, National Bison Association, and dozens of bison-friendly businesses and groups around the country are celebrating the second annual National Bison Day on Saturday, November 2. The U.S. Senate passed a resolution on October 29th that officially recognizes National Bison Day for the historical, economic, ecological and cultural contributions of bison across the American landscape. At a time when Congress appears at its most divided, Senators of both parties came together to pass the National Bison Day Resolution by unanimous consent. Sens. Michael Enzi (R-WY) and Tim Johnson (D-SD) led a group of 25 co-sponsors, 13 Republicans and 12 Democrats, who helped push the resolution to full passage.
The Wildlife Conservation Society, Intertribal Buffalo Council, National Bison Association, and dozens of bison-friendly businesses and groups around the country are celebrating the second annual National Bison Day on Saturday, November 2. The U.S. Senate passed a resolution on October 29th that officially recognizes National Bison Day for the historical, economic, ecological and cultural contributions of bison across the American landscape.
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At a time when Congress appears at its most divided, Senators of both parties came together to pass the National Bison Day Resolution by unanimous consent. Sens. Michael Enzi (R-WY) and Tim Johnson (D-SD) led a group of 25 co-sponsors, 13 Republicans and 12 Democrats, who helped push the resolution to full passage.
Sens. Enzi and Johnson introduced the legislation at the request of the Vote Bison Coalition, currently consisting of 47 diverse entities representing bison producers, Native Americans, conservationists, educational institutions, sportsmen/recreationists, zoological institutions, health organizations and businesses. The Vote Bison Coalition celebrated the inaugural National Bison Day on November 1, 2012, with events in South Dakota, Wyoming, New Mexico, West Virginia, and Washington, DC. The Vote Bison Campaign is supported by an Advisory Council that includes Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, Chief Earl Old Person of the Blackfeet Nation, and Ted Roosevelt V – the great-great-grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt.
"National Bison Day is an opportunity to celebrate the bison as a living symbol of the United States," said Senator Johnson. "Bison not only play a central role in Native American culture, they are increasingly important in South Dakota and across the nation as bison ranching and interest in this great mammal have grown."
The Campaign asks the public to "vote for bison," while highlighting the many ways that bison have shaped America's history, economy, culture, and landscapes. The public has an opportunity to follow the national campaign focused on making bison the National Mammal of the United States by visiting www.votebison.org. Steering members of the coalition are WCS, the Intertribal Buffalo Council (which has a membership of 57 tribes in 19 states), and the National Bison Association (which has more than 1000 members across all 50 states).
American Bison photo via Shutterstock.
Read more at Wildlife Conservation Society.
