- Details
- By Chez Oxendine
- Policy and Law
Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) have introduced legislation aimed at improving federal support for tribal buffalo restoration efforts — a central goal of the food sovereignty movement.
The Indian Buffalo Management Act directs the Interior Secretary to work closely with tribes and tribal organizations to build buffalo management capacity, protect and expand existing herds and ensure tribes have a voice in federal buffalo policy. The legislation would authorize up to $14 million annually for the program.
It’s the second time Heinrich’s bill has been introduced following its passage by the Senate late last year. It later stalled in the House. Heinrich’s bill is the latest in a series of attempts to codify and bolster ongoing federal efforts toward buffalo restoration. Late Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) introduced versions of the bill in the House in 2019 and 2021, while Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) introduced a related bill in 2023.
Federal funding for tribal buffalo programs has been inconsistent over the past two decades, with support varying based on Bureau of Indian Affairs leadership. The InterTribal Buffalo Council now represents 82 tribes in 21 states, up from 19 tribal members in 1991.
In a statement, Heinrich said the effort reflects generations of cultural and ecological ties between Native communities and buffalo.
“For generations, buffalo have been a critical part of our culture in New Mexico, the West and especially in Indian Country,” Heinrich said. “I hope that within my lifetime, thanks to our broad coalition, buffalo will return to the prominent place they once occupied as the keystone species on American shortgrass prairies.”
Mullin said the measure aligns with ongoing work in Native communities to rebuild herds on their lands. “The buffalo is essential to our heritage and must be supported,” he said in a statement. “Doing so ensures that Native peoples across the country will continue reconnecting with a keystone of their historic culture and way of life.”
The bill has support from the InterTribal Buffalo Council, the National Wildlife Federation, the Nature Conservancy, the World Wildlife Fund and the National Bison Association. ITBC President Ervin Carlson said the legislation reflects the deep spiritual, cultural and nutritional role buffalo have played for thousands of years.
“Helping tribes reestablish herds of buffalo on our reservations is a righteous thing for the Congress to do,” Carlson said in a statement. “This will be thoroughly welcomed by tribes and Indian people across the country.”
