Getting to work with IOTR - Bison Initiative

We are pleased to announce a new conservation initiative we embarking on with IOTR as part of our recently formed partnership. We will combine efforts and funding for a plains bison research project on an island off the coast of Kodiak, Alaska.

“The history of the American Bison and Teddy Roosevelt go hand in hand, as he was largely responsible for saving them from extinction,” said Dan Cabela, Executive Director of the Cabela Family Foundation. “Once I learned about the work being done here toward conservation and community projects, I knew IOTR would want to roll up their sleeves and help.”

“We are committed to working with the Cabela Family Foundation to tackle these strategic conservation initiatives across North America,” said Luke Hilgemann, Executive Director of the International Order of T. Roosevelt. “The buffalo is a crucial part of America’s heritage, and we are proud to be part of such an important effort – an effort that our organization’s namesake would wholeheartedly support.” 

In 2017, the Alutiiq Tribe of Old Harbor, Alaska, acquired plains bison, which were subsequently introduced on a large, remote, privately-owned island named Sitkalidak located off the coast of Kodiak. This wild, free-ranging herd coexists with brown bears and has been strictly managed for hunting as a food resource in the remote village community. Local community leaders, biologists, and researchers recently made an effort to learn more about these bison as they look to expand the herd in years to come.

As part of the initiative, we will travel to Sitkalidak and partake in a bison capture and collaring. Together, we have funded state-of-the-art video collars that will be placed on members of the herd to yield data which will help make better conservation-minded decisions in the future. The entire initiative will be filmed for “Hard Truths of Conservation”, and then turned into an episode to be aired at a later date.