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Thirty female bison charged out of a livestock truck at the Belwin Conservancy on Saturday afternoon, drawing cheers from hundreds of onlookers. 

The animals traveled two hours from the NorthStar ranch in Rice Lake, Wis., to the conservancy in Afton, where people gathered for the annual Bison Festival to celebrate the herd’s release onto Belwin’s 130-acre Bison Prairie. The event featured other wildlife, exhibits on ecological restoration and samples of bison meat. 

Lynette Anderson, an interpretive naturalist and a restoration specialist at Belwin, said the conservancy has brought bison herds to help restore prairielands since 2008 as they are critical to that work. 

“They're the keystone species that makes everything happen on the prairie,” Anderson said. 

Bison dung fertilizes soil and provides housing and food for small insects, according to Anderson. Their winter coats help disperse seeds as they graze, and bison steps create space for oxygen and water infiltration in soil. 

The way bison roll in the ground even creates depressions where water, which is precious in prairies, can collect, Anderson said. 

Bison Festival celebrates release of herd that helps prairie habitat thrive

After the Imnizaska Dakota Drum Group led a ceremonial welcome, the bison took off into the prairie where they will graze through summer, living as they had before colonization. 

“They took off like a stampede. It was pretty cool,” said Pat Cullen of Woodbury, who lingered afterward with his grandson. “It felt like I was out in the prairie 100 years ago.” 

The herd is viewable at Belwin’s Bison Prairie from sunrise to sunset seven days a week, according to Anderson. 

The bison, which weigh anywhere between 600 to 800 pounds, will be processed into food later this year.

Anderson said the festival — and the herd’s presence at Belwin — is an educational tool to help people understand the importance of prairie habitat and land protection. It also allows the public to thank bison for their gifts. 

“There’s just this great sense of completion, because now we have returned this iconic animal back to its rightful homeland,” she said. “It’s back home on the prairie. 

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Thirty bison will graze in prairielands in Afton through the summer, helping restore land and offering educational opportunities for the public. 

Bison restore prairielands at Belwin Conservancy — and draw big crowds

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