A local look at bison and cattle grazing shows how the two could work hand-in-hand.
, sees the park’s herd of about 100 reintroduced bison having a similar impact on the variety and abundance of local plant species. He tells visitors of the nearly 11,000-acre site, which is located in same Flint Hills region as the research station, that “grazing is a fundamental component to maintain balance in the prairie ecosystem,” along with moisture, fire, and human use.
Still, both Patterson and Ratajczak stress that, while returning bison to the prairie is fantastic as far as biodiversity goes, it’s not a conservation cure-all. Historically, the megafauna likely played a central role in balancing life on tallgrass prairie—butremains intact. Today, cattle grazing, agriculture, and urban development dominate the Great Plains.
Jeff Taylor, one of the head managers of the Konza bison herd and research contributor, attaches an identification tag to an adult male during the annual round-up.“I could see how people could see this as a cattle versus bison story,” says Ratajczak. “But an important thing I hope doesn’t get lost is that cattle can have a positive impact on native species, too.”
To that end, Patterson says some biologists are using the knowledge they’re gaining from studying reintroduced bison to develop cattle-grazing practices that mimic the wild herbivore’s impacts. He and Ratajczak also point out that in recent decades, cattle ranchers have helped maintain the critical burn regimen previously sparked by lightning and Native Americans.“Bison earn every accolade they get, but there aren’t many left,” says Patterson.
“Places like [the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve] are awesome,” Patterson adds. “But 11,000 acres is just a museum artifact if we fail in the larger mission to encourage better stewardship of everything else.”
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