Buffalo Commons - Outcomes

Outcomes

The proposal attracted some public attention, particularly since several Plains states and Native Americans on their reservations had already started reintroduction of bison. Many Plains residents intensely criticized the concept, especially in the first years. Proponents answer that the criticism is based on a misunderstood assumption that the plan would be coercive rather than voluntary.

Given the pace of rural depopulation, many scholars believe that aspects of the proposal are likely to happen with or without national government involvement. States, non-profit community development groups, and Native American nations have found the concept supports some of their own ideas about the future. Some are working independently or partnering on related ecological and sustainability issues. In the last decade, as the Poppers talk about the concept, they acknowledge there are many players. They have seen many partnerships come about, including private and non-governmental initiatives.

The Poppers draw parallels between the Plains and Northern New England, which had agricultural depopulation following the opening of transportation to the West in the 1830s. In New England, the dominant forests have returned, taking over former areas of agricultural cultivation which were abandoned.

North Dakota's 2000 economic roadmap noted the Buffalo Commons idea was "vilified", but had elements that could be of use to the state. The report suggested the concept could increase revenues from tourism. This was just one among many economic development avenues suggested in the report.

The only population that has increased on the plains is that of various Native American nations. Some of these have started to raise bison, in part for tourism and ecological value, as well as its primary place in their traditional cultures. In 1992 Native American tribes started the InterTribal Bison Cooperative. The consortium now includes 57 Native American governments in 19 states. It trains Indian buffalo producers and tribal land managers, and takes other steps to reinvigorate buffalo's historically central place in their cultures. The buffalo count on Indian land has at least tripled since 1992. As of 2009, the tribes collectively managed 15,000 bison. Non-profits and private owners have also been raising bison; by 2001, the number of bison on the Plains had increased to a total of 300,000.

As of 2009, the high plains population continued to decline, local economies continued to shrink, and the region's major water resource, the Ogallala Aquifer, had shrunk more quickly than had been expected. People's perceptions of the concept of the Buffalo Commons have begun to change. In November 2009 The Kansas City Star published an editorial that claimed the aquifer was almost depleted and noted the biggest asset of the high plains was its prairie. It supported the creation of a million-acre (4,000 km²) Buffalo Commons National Park in western Kansas. The editorial suggested such a park could satisfy several goals:

• attract tourists who would stimulate the economies of nearby towns;
• provide carbon sequestration by the prairies; and
• protect America's natural and cultural heritage.