Denver Once Again a "Home Where the Buffalo Roam"

After 100 years, the buffalo roam once again along Colorado's Front Range, near Denver. A population that was once in the tens of millions in North America was reduced to around one thousand at the end of the 1800's, but is now on the increase once again, providing a majestic view in the wild, and a healthier source of protein when raised on the ranch.

The wild bison, popularly known as buffalo, have been reintroduced in an area of the infamous Rocky Flats National Arsenal, where chemical weapons were once produced. An AP article published by local 9news.com television news website explores the twist that produced the space needed for the animals to roam, as the former arsenal area has been a Superfund site, and thus has not attracted the development which is widespread in the area. The bison are not, however, located in an area where chemical production took place.

As an additional attraction in the Denver area, the bison are apparently visible from tall buildings downtown, as they are only about ten miles from the city.

The "buffalo" of the famous song are roaming a bit too much already, though. One local resident found one wandering in the backyard, although it turned out to be a local pet bison, and not one of the released herd, which have a strong enclosure keeping them in the designated area. The 400 pound (adults weigh 1000-2000 pounds) young bison may have been chased by a coyote, observers said, and the enclosure with a five-foot fence had apparently not been breached. Wandering around a suburban neighborhood, the young bison jumped over a police car at one point, and rammed fences and a basketball pole set in concrete, knocking them down. Although they considered tranquilizer darts, the risk of further rampages when shot led to police to finally shoot and kill the bison.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has said that they are watching the herd twenty-four hours a day to make sure that they adjust to their new surroundings well. According to them, the bison were a key part of the prairie ecosystem, and as hundreds of other species, including deer, bald eagles, prairie dogs and others return to the area, they will get to observe the changes in the ecosystem that result.

The AP reports that the National Bison Range in Montana, the former home of Colorado's new herd, receives 250,000 visitors a year, an additional potential benefit from the new Denver-area residents. Of the seven refuges the Service manages, this is the only one near a major metro area, and if it is successful, further herds could be relocated to the 1,400 acre refuge.

http://cw2.trb.com/news/kwgn-bison-return,0,5279486.story?coll=kwgn-news-2

http://www.9news.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=66538

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/03/18/Worldandnation/After_century__wild_b.shtml

http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=66543

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0703180334mar18,1,7033000.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed