The next era of conservation is one in which the venture of conserving resources is a forethought, not a simple pursuit undertaken only when convenient, as work done on a full stomach. The next era is one in which conservation enjoys relevance in society for the goods and services it yields, for the foods it helps produce, and for the activities it enhances. Due to its societal relevance, conservation in the future will include funding models and approaches that sufficiently meet the funding needs of species and citizens alike.
Lewis and Clark never saw a “bison.” As the Corps of Discovery worked its way up the Missouri River, gazing at herds that stretched to the horizon, the captains knew the shaggy, thousand-pound-plus creatures by the same term as generations of Americans before and since: buffalo. It wasn’t until decades later that the scientific name, bison, came into widespread use, first by naturalists. In fact, the Plains bison, the subspecies that is the subject of this publication, was so nice that scientists named it thrice: Bison bison bison. The word “buffalo” came from the French, who called the animal le boeuf sauvage—the wild ox. English speakers bent that into “buffalo,” the older, more familiar of the two names. Both terms are correct, and writers in the pages that follow use them interchangeably—just as Americans long have.
Whatever you call the animal, its recovery from near-eradication is one of the great conservation stories in history, and one that PERC knows well. Based in Bozeman, Montana, PERC—the Property and Environment Research Center—develops market-based solutions to conservation challenges, guided by a simple idea: People protect what they value. Few species prove the point like the buffalo. Its comeback from collapse was driven first and foremost by private stewards—ranchers, tribal members, and entrepreneurs—and today, the vast majority of American bison live in private herds. PERC works to sustain that recovery, from piloting incentive programs that reward landowners for hosting wildlife in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to championing policies that make room for bison stewardship on public lands.
That is why PERC is proud to serve as the lead Nonprofit Partner of Buffalo Nation, the landmark exhibition of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West that honors our national mammal. This publication is a companion to the exhibition, chronicling the private stories—historical and modern—that have always been at the heart of bison conservation in America.
So, is it bison or buffalo? Our answer: Yes, and so much more.
Tate Watkins
PERC Executive Editor
August 2026
