This month I would like to shift the focus of my comments from managing herds, to managing destiny as a bison producer and/or bison-species restoration partner. You may have already read;it’s official that November 2nd is now National Bison Day!
Woohooo – yee-haw and job well [done]right? From my perspective: wrong! The job has only just begun. Senate Resolution 254 only begins the arduous task of accomplishing the Bison Legacy Act at some point in the future. There has been a great deal of interaction and discussion among and between the communities that now make up a very dynamic and diverse modern American bison reality. They range from concerns over national acknowledgement [as the National Mammal] adversely effecting trade and industry, to: what bison are – or should be, to: which among definitions with regard to the latter should the legislation refer to, and so on. The track record of the Vote Bison campaign has demonstrated vigilance for sensitivity to all bison cultures and communities.
I contend; that the [result] of this very substantive process will be less important than the process itself and the conversations caused by it. I made the decision to be involved based on the wording of the original bill and then the resolution, which by the way contained different wording. That was my personal and professional choice, but I made it based on reading the text of the proposed legislation, for myself! We all have a chance as the National Bison Day resolution becomes a fresh start for a future Bison Legacy Act naming bison as the National Mammal of the United States, to secure its representation of all bison communities with sensitivity and respect. The most recent-past USDA census number for bison is 198,234. This small number means that we are all in this thing together, and I for one believe we can get it right. Showing up, communicative contributions and watch-dogging the wording will be important functions of supporting bison in the coming days.
Managing destiny may be impossible for you, but it’s the bison’s destiny we’re talking about.
Join the coalition, keep track of the coming Bison Legacy Act and involve yourself as it evolves.
Maybe managing [their] destiny… is yours!
Tim Frasier, Frasier Bison L.L.C.