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WHAT’S GOING ON 2 SUBSPECIES PLAINS BISON (Bison bison bison) Last STATUS ASSESSMENT: (Bison bison athabascae) THREATENED (COSEWIC 2013) STATS: WOOD BISON Special Concern 2,500 • in Canada • NOT formally listed as AT RISK IN CANADA so • 9,000 in Canada • OCCURS IN THE WILD NOWHERE ELSE (both subspecies) POPULATION NO RECOVERY PLAN Extreme Overhunting >30 MILLION IN NORTH AMERICA Captive Bison Wild Plains Bison ALMOST GONE REINTRODUCED MILLION on multiple occasions IN NORTH AMERICA Only 250 Wood Bison left 1800s 1888 0.3 Late 1800s & Early 1900s PRESENT TIME The American Bison is a Keystone Species e.g., Plains Bison maintain prairie ecosystems by grazing, dispersing seeds, wallowing, & fertilizing. Some recent increases, but Plains Bison PREDICTED TO DECLINE. The biggest threats to both subspecies: DISEASE, HABITAT FRAGMENTATION & POPULATION CONTROL (due to intolerance of bison because of disease transfer with cattle, property damage, & perceived competition with other game) Many species are specially ADAPTED to the mosaic environment bison create. Burrowing Owl McCown’s Longspur Sprague’s Pipit Baird’s Sparrow WHAT YOU CAN DO If you own land near bison populations CONSIDER MANAGING IT TO INCLUDE BISON CLICK HERE FOR RESOURCES & FREE BISON-FRIENDLY FENCING Support or join bison restoration projects, such as: • The Iinnii Initiative to bring bison back to Blackfeet First Nations • The new cooperative management plan near Prince Albert, AB • The Ecosystem Restoration Project in Grasslands National Park, SK