Buffalo Processing Map
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Flower Hill Institute have created an interactive map of buffalo herds in the Northern Great Plains (NGP) that includes processors and field harvest trailers. This map will help buffalo herd managers strengthen their conservation and management planning, while also making it easier for partners to identify additional processing needs. This information has never been available in one easy-to-access place.
On this map you will find within the NGP (Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, with partial coverage of Nebraska and Colorado):
Tribal, Native, and National Bison Association (NBA) buffalo herds;
field harvest trailers (small and large);
processing facilities, noting whether they are custom-exempt, state inspected, or USDA inspected.
New Interactive Map Connecting Buffalo Herds with Processors and Cultural Field Harvest Trailers to Strengthen Tribal Food Sovereignty and Grasslands Management
World Wildlife Fund and Flower Hill Institute launch tool for buffalo processing across the Northern Great Plains
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Flower Hill Institute have created an interactive map of buffalo herds in the Northern Great Plains (NGP) that includes processors and field harvest trailers. This map will help buffalo herd managers strengthen their conservation and management planning, while also making it easier for partners to identify additional processing needs. This information has never been available in one easy-to-access place.
The Buffalo is an essential keystone species for grasslands conservation and restoration. For our Tribal partners, the connection is spiritual and cultural. These animals are considered more than wildlife; they are relatives and essential for restoring self-sufficient food systems. For many others, buffalo are an economic hub for rural and grass-based economies.
The number of buffalo herds in the NGP is expanding. Many Tribal Nations in the NGP have at least one or more herds. South Dakota alone has the largest number of buffalo in the United States. A key component of sustainable grasslands management is balancing the number of grazing animals with the land’s carrying capacity. And for all our partners, treating buffalo humanely, even during processing, is a core value. This map provides our partners with an essential tool to help them meet that goal.
Many of our Tribal partners desire their animals to be harvested on the prairie with minimal stress and dignity, on the land where they have lived since birth. Field harvest trailers make this possible. Thanks to this new map, for the first time the locations of field harvest trailers across the region can be located at-a-glance. Additionally, when there are no accessible trailers, finding the closest available buffalo processor helps significantly decrease transportation stress on the animals.
“This is a significant moment for conservation as we step forward to support our Tribal and buffalo partners with an important tool for buffalo and grasslands management and strengthen the link between conservation and sustainable food systems,” said Heather Dawn Thompson, Vice President, Native Nations Conservation & Food Systems, WWF.
“We have deep expertise in supporting our Tribal partners in their paths to economic and food sovereignty through Tribal owned meat processing, and this is going to be a very helpful tool,” said Chris Roper, Regional Director of Technical Assistance, Flower Hill Institute.
On this map you will find within the NGP (Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, with partial coverage of Nebraska and Colorado):
Tribal, Native, and National Bison Association (NBA) buffalo herds;
field harvest trailers (small and large);
processing facilities, noting whether they are custom-exempt, state inspected, or USDA inspected.
A special thanks to all who participated and worked on this project and to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) for their investment in this vision. Another output of this project will be the development of regional plan to identify gaps and guide optimal investments in and distribution of cold storage, mobile harvest units, and stationary buffalo processing plants to support buffalo herd management and grasslands conservation. We have also already received the request to increase the coverage, and the team hopes to expand the map to additional regions.
This map was created as a public good and is free to be shared, posted, and placed on websites wherever helpful. Please reach out to be included in the map or if any information needs to be amended to: BuffaloMap@wwfus.org.
