<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0Fe4a5_1GqHNnBl00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0Fe4a5_1GqHNnBl00" width="560" height="420" ><figcaption>Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.</figcaption></figure>ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources donated 23 yearling bison to three conservation organizations this fall as part of efforts to expand bison populations across the region.The DNR maintains a herd of 115 to 145 bison between Minneopa State Park in Blue Earth County and Blue Mounds State Park in Rock County. The Minnesota Bison Conservation Herd also includes bison at the Minnesota Zoological Garden and Dakota County's Spring Lake Park Reserve Bison Prairie."Partners coordinate management of genetics and disease, and all bison among partner sites are managed as one genetic population," said Molly Tranel Nelson, DNR resource manager. "After a decade of testing and carefully managing genetics, today we have a herd that has excellent genetic diversity similar to that found in federal conservation herds.""It's the strategy of not 'putting all our eggs in one basket.' In this case, it's not putting all our bison in one prairie," Tranel Nelson said.The conservation herd started in 2012 through an agreement between the DNR and Minnesota Zoo to preserve the population and genetics of wild plains bison. The animal has significant ties to Native American people and a rich history on the prairies and plains of the Midwest.People purposely killed tens of millions of bison during the late 1800s, bringing the species near extinction. All American plains bison living today come from about 100 survivors.Around 370,000 bison live in North America today, but most are raised as part of the livestock-to-table industry. Only about 31,000 are in conservation herds.One of this year's recipients, Millburn Tallgrass Prairie in Missouri, acquired about 2,300 contiguous acres of tallgrass prairie as it aims to help restore natural landscapes. Bison are a major part of the plan."I was kind of half joking when I said, 'The thing missing here is the ecosystem engineer from a long time ago,'" said Adam Millburn, president of Millburn Tallgrass Prairie. "We want to put things the way they were."The partners of the Minnesota Bison Conservation Herd hope to grow the herd from 150 bison across all sites to 500 bison while also providing educational opportunities for visitors and researchers.</div></body>

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ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources donated 23 yearling bison to three conservation organizations this fall as part of efforts to expand bison populations across the region. The DNR maintains a herd of 115 to 145 bison between Minneopa State Park in Blue Earth County...

Minnesota DNR donates 23 bison to boost conservation efforts

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ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources donated 23 yearling bison to three conservation organizations this fall as part of efforts 

Minnesota DNR donates 23 bison to boost conservation efforts

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