FOR RELEASE
August 22, 2025
Northern Arapaho Tribe Officially Classifies Buffalo as Wildlife on Wind River Indian Reservation
Morton, WY — The Northern Arapaho Tribe has taken a historic step in wildlife conservation by officially classifying buffalo (Bison bison) as wildlife on the Wind River Indian Reservation. This decision affirms the Arapaho Tribe’s deep cultural connection to buffalo and strengthens ongoing efforts to restore and protect buffalo across the Wind River Reservation’s landscapes.
The new Resolution will ensure buffalo receive the same protections as other Native wildlife under Tribal law, safeguarding their future and the ecosystem they help sustain. Buffalo are a keystone species, whose presence benefits landscapes and revitalizes natural habitats, promotes biodiversity, and honors centuries of cultural connections.
“A great accomplishment for the Northern Arapaho Tribe from NABC for the continued conservation efforts of our Buffalo herd,” said Dennis Oneal, Director of Traditional Resources of the Northern Arapaho Tribe and the Northern Arapaho Buffalo Manager.
This move aligns with broader conservation and restoration goals led by the National Wildlife Federation’s Tribal Partnerships Program and the Inter-Tribal Buffalo Council (ITBC), and follows the recent wild buffalo classifications of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe and the State of Colorado. Altogether, there are 86 ITBC-member Tribes leading the way in buffalo restoration and dozens more that have signed the International Buffalo Treaty. On the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, hundreds of buffalo have been restored to the land, managed as wildlife, reestablishing an essential part of the region’s ecological and cultural presence.
“The Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes come from Buffalo people. They remain in our songs and ceremonies, and despite the attempt to eradicate buffalo and our connection to them, there remains a great reverence and respect for buffalo for what it provides to not only people, but also the land, plants and animals.” – Jason Baldes, Executive Director Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative
The decision to classify buffalo as wildlife marks a significant milestone in the Northern Arapaho Tribe’s commitment to traditional land stewardship, cultural revitalization, and ecological restoration. It also sets a precedent for Indigenous-led wildlife policy and conservation efforts nationwide.
“An instrumental part of putting Buffalo back on the landscape is to reconnect our community members with their traditional relationships with the animal,” said Taylar Dawn Stagner, Community Engagement Director at Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative. “This is an excellent step in restoring that relationship with our relative.”
The Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative is an Indigenous nonprofit organization that supports both the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes to restore and protect buffalo on the Wind River Indian Reservation. WRTBI focuses on land rematriation, ecological restoration, cultural revitalization, food sovereignty, and youth education.
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Download this press release PDF
Download the Resolution PDF
Media Contact:
Taylar Dawn Stagner
Community Engagement Director
Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative
taylar@windriverbuffalo.org