Buffalo Tourism: Needing More Room to Roam

I can't stop thinking about how cool it would be to have an American Serengeti right here in the heartland of America for all to enjoy. I mean, that would be so cool! I just love watching animals in their natural habitat, and I am constantly thinking of amazing places in the world where I would like to behold our greatest wildlife spectacles on the planet. Top places on my bucket list include the Pantanal in Brazil, the real Serengeti in Tanzania, Patagonia, Botswana, Chitwan NP in Nepal, tiger reserves in India, Alaska, the Yukon, and Rwanda (for the gorillas!). I get so excited just thinking about these places, which is why I really want for us to restore our own natural heritage here in America. Being able to witness a top-notch wildlife show without needing to fly across the world be be so awesome.

So, I have gone ahead and done the work for you all for where in the U.S. you can visit a public bison herd. I've also included a map from the National Park Service's website to show where many of these places are. The NPS map obviously doesn't show where Canada's bison herds are or some of these other herds owned by nonprofits. I'm sure there's more out there, too, but I just don't know where they are yet.

This excel spreadsheet lists the public bison herds in North America, their bison population, bison roaming are where known, and a note of whether the bison are free range bison. All other herds are fenced in due to intolerance from local land owners.

Here is a map of where the NPS bison herds are. Other herds owned by the Native American tribes, State Parks, the TNC, APR, or other nonprofits are not included in this map

Visiting these sites could make for a seriously epic adventure! If the American Prairie Reserve (APR) can succeed in its goals to establish a 3.5-million-acre prairie reserve in north central Montana and other similar projects can happen in other parts of the U.S., then buffalo tourism could be a real thing! I mean, you could say that it already is, especially in Wyoming, Montana, and the Dakotas, but this is a situation where bigger really is better. Bison need room to roam. They need human tolerance, which, sadly, doesn't exist with our current social, political, and legal landscape.

Also worth noting is that Native American tribes are also very involved in buffalo restoration. When you include the number of bison living on Native American/First Nation's lands, then you have over 30,000 bison in conservation herds. That's a pretty cool thing. I know some tribes are also promoting tourism to their herds, such as the Fort Belknap Reservation herd in Montana, but I think you always need to go with a local guide.

Mighty Montana- the Next Serengeti?

Hello and welcome back to Impact Explorers! A long time has passed since I posted anything, so let's jump right into the highlight of this past summer. I conducted field research in north central Montana about community attitudes towards tourism development and conservation work. The reason that chose this area is because of my obsession with the work of the American Prairie Reserve (APR), a nonprofit based out of Bozeman, MT that is working to assemble the largest wildlife refuge in the lower 48 states by buying up cattle ranches and managing them like strict conservation areas. This project causes lots of heated discussion and resistance from local ranchers, but also inspires people like me from far away. With just a surface-level knowledge of this situation, I knew I just had to dive in deeper to understand what's really going on out there and why people feel the way they do about this whole initiative.

The whole gang I hit the road in mid July and ventured northward towards Montana, making some important stops along the way. First, we hit up the Clark family reunion in St. George, Utah and had a great time being together after a good while. After a fun weekend in St. George in slightly cooler weather, we then made our way up to the home base in Midway to spend more time with Nana, Papa, and all the rest of the Utah crew. This, fortunately, also included Catherine and Carson who were coming in from Michigan for a few days.

While in Midway, Neysla and I busily worked to get all our camping gear and food supplies ready for a long backcountry adventure throughout the state of Montana. Neysla and Genna had never been camping before, so 8 days camping out in wild country full of wolves, grizzlies, bison, and bugs was not exactly a subtle introduction. Finally, the day arrived for us to embark on our excellent journey to Montana so I could collect data for a research proposal I had written for one of my first PhD classes last year. Since I had an interview scheduled in Bozeman, Montana on a Friday morning, we left early the day before so I could be there.

On our way up, we took advantage of being able to pass through one of our favorite places- Yellowstone! We have been fortunate to take quite a day day trips to this amazing place. Although I'm still holding out to see a grizzly in the wild, the wildlife for the day did not disappoint. This wildlife-rich tourist attraction makes for a great comparison to what the APR hopes to one day become in terms of wildlife numbers and ecotourism opportunities.

 This young, blonde-backed black bear came right up to our car!

The formidable bison. A subject of much spirited discussion in the days to come. The APR hopes to be home to the world's largest bison conservation herd. Their goal is to have at least 10,000 of these bad boys.

Big ole' bull elk

 Big elk herd

Distant wolf hovering over a bison carcass in Lamar Valley. This place still takes the cake in terms of best places to see wildlife in the U.S.

After sightseeing in Yellowstone we camped out in a KOA near Livingston, MT where we had a very late night camp set up and dinner. We were pleasantly surprised with camping at a KOA. This was our first time and we enjoyed ourselves. The next morning, we headed over to Bozeman so I could interview my first study participant at the APR's headquarters. That was such a cool experience and it provided me a great start for what was to become a very eye-opening study.

Since the first meeting was on a Friday and I didn't have any appointments closer to the APR's project area in the central part of the state until Monday, we thought we would live it up and finally go see Glacier National Park. And while we were at it, we of course had to hop over the border into Canada to see Waterton Lakes National Park. It was absolutely incredible!

 The very instagram-able Wild Goose Island.

 GNP

 Genna and I at the only namesake glacier visible from Going-to-the-Sun Road

Neysla at Logan Pass

 Chief Mountain

 Lil' cutie at Waterton Lakes National Park

 Out in the meadows by the bison paddock. The herd was relocated last year due to a wildfire.

Ending off the day back at Logan Pass. This spot has a serious overtourism issue! We couldn't even find a parking spot when we had tried hours earlier.

After an amazing time camping in grizzly bear country, it was time to depart from the mountains and head down to the rolling prairies. Our next destination was Lewistown, MT where we ended up at the oddest place to camp during this trip. Our campground was right on highway 191, which made for terrible sleeping due to vehicle noise but also convenient access around town and to the reserve. I had some more fascinating interviews with various key informants in town and even with some hunters at the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge (CMR) one hour north of town. This place really made it easy for me to catch the vision of a prairie reserve right here in the lower 48.

Here's a map of the American Prairie Reserve's project area and surrounding communities. So far, they have purchased and leased around 420,000 acres, highlighted in blue. The dark green area is the CMR Wildlife Refuge, and the lighter green area is the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. 

 Vultures circling above us at the CMR. Genna was a little creeped out.

 Neysla above the James Kipp Recreational Area (within the CMR) on the Missouri River

 I love this view!

An old homestead along the river

Once I was done interviewing people around Lewistown and the James Kipp Recreational Area, which is within the CMR refuge (the jurisdictions were kinda confusing, but after a 2-hour meeting with a key informant I started to get the picture), we journeyed to the much anticipated Buffalo Camp on the APR's Sun Prairie property. I was warned about how crazy it was driving on these dirt roads that become absolute death if it rains because the dirt turns into a slick mud the locals call gumbo, but I was somehow still taken back by how treacherous the journey was. The road was so rocky and rough that we had to travel for 50 miles going super slow, between 15 and 30 mph, so we didn't get a flat tire. Last thing I wanted was to be stranded with my wife and little girl in the middle of nowhere and be stuck paying for a $500 tire from my own empty pockets. The trip to Buffalo Camp ended up taking us over 2 hours, but we finally got there and, once again, the plains did not disappoint! The wildlife were also amazing here, though it doesn't quite yet compare to Yellowstone. I get stoked thinking about what it will become one day.

 Dry Fork rd. This is what the entire 50 miles from highway 191 to Buffalo Camp looks like.

Sunset and developing storm at Buffalo Camp

 Seriously big sky country

Herd of 10 pronghorn prancing away from us

 Mama deer and fawn

Prairie Dogg

 The Prairie Union School. This historic school house was used in the early 1900's by settlers.

Coyote near the roadside. We could hear these guys howling every night.

Once we were out on the reserve, things really got interesting. Lining the highway and paved roads out to the reserve are signs everywhere protesting the APR. These "Save the Cowboy, Stop the American Prairie Reserve!" signs demonstrate the locals disdain for turning this area into a large intact prairie ecosystem. And you know what? I don't really blame them. Sitting in their homes and hearing them out was very eye-opening. They just want to keep living their lives as they have been for generations, and they already have a million challenges to face. Their profit margins are tiny, the climate is unpredictable and changing, trade wars overseas can drive up prices, and the ag industry continues to require less human workers due to automation. There is so much more that could be said about the social environment here, but I am going to be writing this all up as part of my qualitative study which I hope to present at academic conferences and publish in a peer-reviewed journal. In short, the ranchers don't like it, the conservationists and city people like me love it. Can there be a win-win? I personally think so, but it's gonna take the APR's guts and perseverance to keep challenging traditions out here and pursuing their goal of creating a 3.5-million-acre reserve.

 The "Don't Buffalo Me" signs pre-date the "Save the Cowboy" signs. Whether it's a national monument or a private initiative like the APR, ranchers are sending a clear message.

No one will be "buffaloed". The APR's bison are fenced and kept on the APR's private and leased property. This really amounts to differing world views and emotions of feeling threatened by outsiders imposing their values on the local community.

Ok, it's really late now and I'm tired. Let me just end with saying that part of the APR's mission is to turn this area into a premier wildlife-based ecotourism destination. This is really what brought me out here to study the whole issue and to experience it for myself. The APR is building a hut-to-hut system that spans their properties and provides a more "glamped out" version of camping while still being affordable for the average Joe. We stayed at the Founders Hut which is located on one of their properties which is within the Upper Missouri Breaks National Monument. I'll sign off here with some amazing pictures from this last night in Montana.

 My favorite picture of the entire trip. Future Christmas card?

 Epic scenery

 Freedom!

These huts were so cool!

Inside view of the Founder's Hut. Equipped with a gas stove, and solar-powered electricity, but no running water and a funky toilet tech bathroom. Just google it.

Overtourism- What The??

Hello there! This blog has been dormant ever since I began my PhD program and I must repent of this sin. In fact, the more intrenched I get into this program the more I realize how keeping this blog up can complement everything I am doing in my research. This post will highlight a big connection between (and a correction of) my previous posts and my latest research on the phenomenon of overtourism.

I left off talking about amazing places to visit where your tourism dollars will be put to good use. I still feel that tourists should visit the places I have mentioned, though the destination managers need to do their part of managing the visitors that come to see the amazing attractions at these various destinations. And yes, tourists need to behave and not damage nature or be loud and obnoxious in the middle of the night in your Airbnb that’s between actual people’s homes.

This is where overtourism enters the picture. Overtourism is a huge buzzword in the media and in tourism research right now and refers to the negative impact that mass tourism can have on a destination’s environment, local residents, and infrastructure. Apparently, a couple of the places I have mentioned, namely the Galapagos Islands and Machu Picchu, are frequently mentioned in the news and research. The problem is when too many tourists come all at once and the destination does not have the capacity to manage the crowds or the potential harm to infrastructure, nature, and local residents. Other commonly mentioned destinations in this literature are Venice, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Mount Everest, Zion National Park, Maya Bay, Boracay, Angkor Wat, and Bali.

            SO, like I said already, your visit to these places can still help impoverished people or go towards conservation but in doing research about overtourism my eyes have been opened to the flip side of the coin where tourism is not always the golden ticket. Here are a few tips for you as a tourist when visiting amazing beaches, archeological sites, national parks, cultural cities, and so on:

1.     Travel in the off-season- High peak tourism can put serious stress on infrastructure, local residents who put up with crowds of tourists, and delicate ecosystems.

2.     Don’t be dumb- Duh. Tourists are infamous for doing incredibly stupid things. There is something about escaping from your ordinary life that liberates you and causes you to act like an idiot. I’m all about having fun, but keep in mind that real people live at these places your visit and that nature still needs to function after you leave.

3.     Travel around to lesser-known attractions- Read my post about Cusco! While most tourists go straight to Machu Picchu, check out the many other stunning Incan ruins and ancient culture I discussed.

If you do these three things, then the rest is mostly up to local tourism planners and managers. Places like Venice, Machu Picchu, Dubrovnik, and Cinque Terra have put in strict regulations on cruise ships and other visitors to avoid negative impacts from mass tourism. As this is a developing story, the results of these management actions are not yet completely understood. Check out some pics below of what I’ve been talking about.

Venice, Italy is the poster child of overtourism. Tons of day trippers come in from cruise liners and flood the city without spending money on hotels or food

 

Beaches take a particular heavy environmental beating from mass tourism


Barcelona residents protesting against tourism. Sounds kind of like Trump wall supporters, doesn't it?


Even I have to admit that Machu Picchu is crazy packed. New regulations were implemented this year to manage increasingly large crowds.

Angkor Wat faces problems similar to those of Machu Picchu. Heavy foot traffic takes its toll on delicate archeology.