Project Profile: Establish a New Conservation Bison Herd at Great Sand Dunes National Park

Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve

NPS / Patrick Meyers

Inflation Reduction Act
Restoration | FY23 - 25 $3,000,000

The National Park Service (NPS) will establish a new public bison herd centered at Great Sand Dunes National Park in the San Luis Valley of Colorado. The project will promote grassland and cultural restoration through interagency collaboration between the NPS and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop a co-stewardship arrangement with traditionally affiliated tribes, tribal organizations, the State of Colorado, and other partners. This new herd will join the collection of conservation herds that will be connected through the national bison metapopulation (genetic conservation) strategy.

Why? Bison restoration will support a core goal of restoring grassland health on public lands in the San Luis Valley. By working with Tribes and other partners, the NPS will establish a bison population of high conservation value that contributes to overall bison conservation and supports grassland restoration objectives on public land. This collaborative approach will help ensure the long-term success of the bison conservation efforts and benefit the ecosystem as a whole.

What Else? The NPS aims to establish the new bison herd by 2030.

About the Inflation Reduction Act

The Inflation Reduction Act provides the National Park Service with an historic opportunity to address critical ecosystem resilience, restoration, and environmental planning needs. Projects funded in national parks represent broad-scale and impactful resource investments across every corner of our nation—from Alaska to Florida to Maine.