Why Grasslands Matter
Many of us have experienced the wonder of gazing out at the ocean, standing on a mountain ridge and seeing vast landscapes spread out below, or hiking through majestic forests. But have you ever stood in the middle of a prairie, with grassland stretching as far as the eye can see in all directions?
Before visiting an intact grassland for yourself, you might not believe that they deserve to be compared to oceans, mountains, or forests. The unassuming beauty of prairies and grasslands make them easily overlooked as both natural wonders to behold and ecologically important biomes to protect.
There’s much more to grasslands than just grass. Golden Prairie Bison is located on the north edge of the Nebraska Sandhills—one of the few remaining mostly intact grasslands in the world, and we get to experience the multifaceted wonders of grasslands everyday. There are whole worlds of microorganisms living in the ground. Herbaceous plants send their roots down, helping to prevent erosion. The Sandhills are home to the only prairie chicken species that is not endangered, threatened, or extinct. Sandhill cranes utilize this area as a stopping point on their yearly migration. And grasslands across the world sequester a significant amount of carbon.
However, the future of grasslands is precarious. A recent study by Rheinhardt Scholtz and Dirac Twidwell, researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, claims that the Nebraska Sandhills are “the most intact temperate grassland in the world” and are the only intact grassland in the world without a “large-scale grassland conservation strategy” (2022).
In many ways, the future of the Sandhills and bison are interconnected. Bison are well-suited to the grasslands and, in fact, improve the health of grasslands by pruning stems and fertilizing and aerating the soil. Although US western expansion nearly eradicated the species in the 1800s, bison have come back from the brink of extinction due to conservation efforts. Their long-term security is tied to the survival of grasslands.
At Golden Prairie Bison, soil health and grassland conservation are important to us. Not just because we need healthy soil to raise our herd on, but also because grasslands are valuable for everyone and are at risk of disappearing. We hope to share information with you.
Raising bison is a productive use of grasslands that keeps the prairie intact. In fact, In this way, bison contribute to grassland conservation, but conservation of bison is important in its own right. Bison are native to the Great Plains, but US western expansion nearly eradicated the species in the 1800s. Bison have come back from the brink of extinction due to conservation efforts, but their long-term security is tied to the survival of grasslands.
