But that heartbreaking tale has another chapter, too, that shows how Americans can change direction and pull back from the brink. Today, more than 350,000 bison can be found in the United States — a notable success, but really just a start. Most of today’s bison are being raised as livestock, confined like cattle, fattened in feedlots and trucked to commercial slaughterhouses. Meanwhile, some ranchers and nonprofit environmental organizations are trying to provide buffalo with something closer to the habitats they once knew: more room to roam and native grasses to eat. Under those conditions, the bison can reclaim their former role as the “keystone” species of the prairies, improving conditions for all other species to thrive.

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Persons: Lewis, Clark, Meriwether Lewis Locations: North Dakota, Montana, United States, fattened, feedlots