American Bison

American Bison — page 1

American Bison — page 2 — CHAPTER ONE MAKING A COMEBACK Rays of sun creep over the horizon The morning calm is broken A distant rumble grows louder and louder It is not a storm but the noise of hooves A small herd of bison is waking up Like a slow freight train they cross the meadow The herd slows Now that it is summer they no longer have to push the snow from the sod They take short steps while eating mouthfuls of grass and Bison shed their thick winter fur when the weather gets warmer 5

American Bison — page 3 — plants The sun beats down on their shaggy brown capes of fur When the herd has taken its fill it is time to rest Most of the bison lie in the grass They make deep sighs as they fold their legs beneath their large bodies But two bulls A Big Influence Bison had a large effect on their habitat They were the largest herbivore on the plains When they were removed from the plains many other plants and animals also disappeared Now groups are working to save the plains The bison are an important part of this work Bison droppings contain plant seeds Their hooves mix the soil and bury these seeds In 2005 bison were brought back to Grasslands National Park It is on the Montana and Saskatchewan border Bison have changed the habitat in a good way Many different native plants are once again growing in areas where there were few before are restless They lower their heads and snort Their fury grows Who is strongest They paw the ground and charge Their large horns hook as they battle head to head Threats to Bison Once grasslands covered one third of North

American Bison — page 4 — Native Americans used bison hide to make clothing items such as gloves America These lands were home to more than 30 million bison They were a source of food and materials for native peoples In the 1800s the sound of bison faded Settlers and sport hunters began killing bison faster than bison could be born Bison lost their habitat to farming towns and railroads By the late 1800s there were only 1 091 bison left

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