Wild bison that wander into Colorado might get new protections against being poached, under a bill being introduced in the upcoming legislative session.
The proposal is one of three produced by the American Indian Affairs Interim Study Committee that met through the summer and fall. Jefferson County Sen. Jessie Danielson is championing the bison bill.
Currently in Colorado, bison are considered livestock. The bill would give Colorado Parks and Wildlife a role in managing any of the animals that don’t belong to domestic herds.
“The idea for the bill to reclassify bison or buffalo as wildlife was brought to us by leaders in the Native community and supported by that broad coalition, which includes both of the tribal councils (in Colorado). We want to solve a pretty simple problem,” Danielson said.
This bill is for already existing free-ranging bison, who journey over from surrounding states such as Utah, where they already have these protections, not a command to CPW to reintroduce the animal anywhere.
“There are bison who are crossing these invisible state lines to them… These herds of bison are crossing into Colorado where they're not protected and they're being poached,” Danielson said. “We've made a commitment to the native community to do our job and protect these animals.”
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, there are about 20,500 wild bison in the U.S. which is a stark difference from the species' population of tens of millions in the mid-1800s, before the government pursued a policy of deliberate bison eradication, with the goal of cutting off food supplies for tribes on the Great Plains.
The push for bison to be recognized as wildlife in the state began in 2021. The proposal was initially brought to CPW, who turned it down due to lack of resources.
“At the time, Parks and Wildlife indicated that the need to re-classify bison wasn’t well enough established and lacked stakeholder support,” the Summit Daily News reports.
The interim committee that produced this bill is bipartisan and focused on addressing issues affecting Native American communities. Danielson said affording bison additional protections directly aligns with the committee's goals.
“These are protected animals. And for a very good reason,” Danielson said. “Buffalo are sacred to these people, and it's important for us to respect that and protect them from poaching.”
