"Grow the Herds"

Partnering for Buffalo Rematriation & Indigenous Stewardship

The Yellowstone Buffalo herds now number over 6,000 strong, the largest these herds have been in living memory. This population size presents an opportunity for the Yellowstone Herds to grow exponentially and begin to restore their ancestral territorial range if they are allowed migratory access to millions of acres of available habitat in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

The primary obstacle to the growth and flourishing of the Yellowstone herds is the lnteragency Bison Management Plan (IBMP), under the U.S. federal government and the State of Montana, which keeps herd sizes artificially low, creating scarcity. This scarcity is not ecological, but political. For decades, the IBMP has created and reinforced this scarcity through heavy handed population control with capture for slaughter as the primary control tool. As such, alternative solutions are needed at this critical time.

The 2026 Tribal Buffalo Summit is hosted by the Buffalo Field Campaign and co-sponsored by the Tribal Conservation Program at the Wyoming Outdoor Council and Nimfipuu Protecting the Environment. The summit will bring together Tribal wildlife experts, elders, and spiritual leaders to discuss and create a unified, Tribal-led vision of holistic management for Buffalo rematriation and restoration. This vision will center Tribal leadership and support Buffalo abundance, ecological health, treaty purposes, and the critical role of strengthening herds on Indian lands (as well as federal, state, and private conservation herds}.

We hope you will join us as a participant in, or supporter of, the sacred work of the 2026 Tribal Buffalo Summit.

*Summit is by invitation only

Questions about the Summit?

Contact J. Dallas Gudgell, Dakota, BFC Vice President
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Donate to Support the Tribal Buffalo Summit

All donations go to supporting the 2026 Tribal Buffalo Summit. All monies allocated towards cost of venue, lodging, food, and honorariums (travel, per diem, etc).