{"product_id":"buffalo-lessons-how-bison-returned-to-banff-national-park-9781778403149","title":"Buffalo Lessons: How Bison Returned to Banff National Park","description":"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe breathtaking true story of the return of wild bison to the Rockies, as told by the wildlife biologist who helped lead them there.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eFeaturing behind-the-scenes photographs from one of North America's most ambitious conservation projects.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor thousands of years, wild bison numbering in the millions roamed across a range spanning half of North America. Then, in the 1800s, they were nearly exterminated by European settlers. \u003ci\u003eBuffalo Lessons\u003c\/i\u003e shares the story of their triumphant return to a mountainous corner of their historic range, nearly a century and a half after they last walked the land. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eKarsten Heuer, the conservationist tasked with leading the project, chronicles the groundbreaking reintroduction of plains bison to Banff National Park, beginning in 2017, when ten pregnant females and six males were airlifted into an enclosed pasture. It was a complex and ambitious project, designed to restore North America's largest land mammal to its important ecological role in the landscape and its cultural role for Indigenous peoples. Despite meticulous planning, Heuer and his team found themselves repeatedly \"buffaloed\" by the animals, who had a knack for doing the unexpected, and teaching the humans lessons along the way. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHeuer packs his narrative with thrilling moments: a horseback chase to tranquilize a bison, a helicopter-assisted translocation into the rugged backcountry, and the tense tracking of wayward bulls that scale steep, treacherous terrain. Throughout, his encounters with these massive creatures--both awe-inspiring and humbling--force him to confront his assumptions about control, nature, and conservation. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 2024, Heuer was diagnosed with a terminal brain condition, and he completed the manuscript for \u003ci\u003eBuffalo Lessons\u003c\/i\u003e in the weeks and days before his death. His narrative ends seven years after the initial introduction, with a thriving population of around one hundred bison and the organization of the first Indigenous hunt in the region in over 150 years. \u003ci\u003eBuffalo Lessons\u003c\/i\u003e stands as a testament to the resilience of bison, and as the culmination of a life's work in conservation. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished in Partnership with the David Suzuki Institute\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Karsten Heuer\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Greystone Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/10\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 192\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.1lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.30h x 5.50w x 0.60d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781778403149","brand":"Greystone Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45398273097865,"sku":"9781778403149","price":21.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0636\/9240\/6921\/files\/img_5d13a83f-1094-4ed2-9805-8a5861055332.jpg?v=1773728630","url":"https:\/\/sonsanddaughtersbooks.com\/products\/buffalo-lessons-how-bison-returned-to-banff-national-park-9781778403149","provider":"Sons and Daughters Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}