The Nature Conservancy Celebrates at Broken Kettle Grasslands

Bison Return to the Native Prairie in Iowa

Des Moines, Iowa — October 17, 2008 — The Nature Conservancy in Iowa will welcome a small herd of 30 bison to Broken Kettle Grassland Preserve in the globally rare Loess Hills early next week. This is the largest contiguous native prairie in the state.

These bison are coming from the Conservancy’s Lame Johnny Creek Ranch, in South Dakota. The herd originated from the Wind Cave National Park herd and is historically and genetically valuable. They have to date shown no evidence of cattle introgression or cattle genes as determined by current DNA testing techniques. This starter herd will be a maternal grouping — bison that have group dynamics figured out and stick together.

More than 150 years ago, bison were a natural and integral part of the prairie ecosystem before Europeans settled the vast central tallgrass prairie. Bison grazing provides a “disturbance” which allows for a more diverse mix of prairie species and a diverse structure critical for the survival of the animals dependent on prairie habitat.

“Bison provide a different effect on the ground. We expect a more wide-spread disturbance pattern with better pasture utilization,” said Scott Moats, the Conservancy’s Broken Kettle Grasslands preserve manager. “With bison, we’ll see a change in the plant community. Our prairie is ready for them.”

And while the bison will benefit the prairie, the Conservancy is working closely with Texas A&M University to determine the best course of action to conserve the genetic integrity of these unique bison at Broken Kettle Grasslands.

Final preparations are underway for their arrival. Iowa and South Dakota staff are working through the final details of the transfer plan, along with our state veterinarians, to ensure a safe, stress-free trip for the animals. Final touches are being placed on our corral and high-tensile electric fence. Native prairie hay is ready to go into the trap pasture where the bison will be held for their first few days in Iowa. Woven wire fencing is secured around the trap pasture. Gates are double checked. These animals will be in the corral for the first week, then in the west half of the trap pasture, then have access to the entire 125-acre trap pasture for winter.

The excitement is building. Large-scale prairie restoration efforts are working in Iowa. The arrival of these big, native grass-eaters is an exciting step in the long term goals for Iowa’s largest remaining prairie.

Broken Kettle Grasslands is located in the northern portion of the Loess Hills, which rise 200 feet above the Missouri River Valley, snaking in a narrow band of wrinkled bluffs that cover some 650,000 acres along the state’s western border. It is 25 minutes northwest of Sioux City, Iowa.

This region supports some of Iowa’s best examples of tallgrass prairie. Today, less than one percent of the original tallgrass prairie remains; making it one of North America’s most endangered ecosystems.

The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working to protect the most ecologically important lands and waters around the world for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific.

The Nature Conservancy in Iowa has more than 7,500 members and manages 33 preserves totaling over 6,000 acres. Since the Chapter began in 1963, with the aid of volunteers it has been involved in the protection of nearly 20,000 acres in the state, including native prairies, wetlands and woodland communities.