,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #cdjj  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,october #cj1        
#bjac,mr4 ,clay 7for himself1 ,mr4      
,fortenberry1 ,mr4 ,serrano1 and ,mrs4  
,noem7 introduced the following bill2   
which was referred to the ,committee on 
,oversight and ,government ,reform  ,a  
,,bill  ,to adopt the ,north ,american  
bison as the national mammal of the     
,united ,states4  #a4 ,short title ,this
 ,act may be cited as the ,national     
,bison ,legacy ,act4  #b4 ,findings     
,congress finds that-- 7#a7 bison are   
considered to be a historical symbol of 
the ,united ,states2  7#b7 bison were   
integrally linked with the economic and 
spiritual lives of many ,indian tribes  
through trade and sacred ceremonies2    
7#c7 there are more than #fj ,indian    
tribes participating in the ,intertribal
 ,buffalo ,council2  7#d7 numerous      
members of ,indian tribes-- 7,a7 are    
involved in bison restoration on tribal 
land2 and  7,b7 have a combined herd on 

more than #a1jjj1jjj acres of tribal    
land2  7#e7 the ,intertribal ,buffalo   
,council is a tribal organization       
incorporated pursuant to section #ag of 
the ,act of ,june #ah1 #aicd 7commonly  
known as ,indian ,reorganization ,act7  
7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #dgg72  7#f7 bison play  
an ecologically important role in       
modifying and improving the types of    
grasses found in landscapes to the      
benefit of grassland ecosystems2  7#g7 a
 small group of ranchers helped save    
bison from extinction in the late #ahjjs
 by gathering the remnants of the       
decimated herds2  7#h7 bison hold       
significant economic value for private  
producers and rural communities2  7#i7  
as of #bjjg1 #bjj1jjj head of bison were
 under the stewardship of private       
producers1 creating jobs and providing a
 sustainable and healthy meat source    
contributing to the food security of the
 ,united ,states2  7#aj7 on ,december   
#h1 #aije1 ,william ,hornaday1 ,theodore
 ,roosevelt and others formed the       

,american ,bison ,society in response to
 the near extinction of bison in the    
,united ,states2  7#aa7 on ,october #aa1
 #aijg1 the ,american ,bison ,society   
sent #ae captive-bred bison from the    
,new ,york ,zoological ,park1 now the   
,bronx ,zoo1 to the first wildlife      
refuge in the ,united ,states1 which was
 known as the ,wichita ,mountains       
,wildlife ,refuge1 resulting in the     
first successful reintroduction of a    
mammal species on the brink of          
extinction back into its natural        
habitat2  7#ab7 in #bjje1 the ,american 
,bison ,society was reestablished1      
bringing together bison ranchers1       
managers from ,indian tribes1 ,federal  
and ,state agencies conservation        
organizations1 and natural and social   
scientists from the ,united ,states1    
,canada1 and ,mexico to create a vision 
for the ,north ,american bison in the   
#bast century2  7#ac7 the buffalo nickel
 played an important role in modernizing
 the currency of the ,united ,states2   

7#ad7 a bison has been depicted on the  
official seal of the ,department of the 
,interior almost continuously since     
#aiab1 is portrayed on #b ,state flags1 
has been adopted by #c ,states as the   
official mammal or animal of those      
,states1 and has been adopted as a      
mascot by several sports teams1 which   
highlights the iconic significance of   
bison in the ,united ,states2  7#ae7    
there are bison herds in ,national      
,wildlife ,refuges and ,national ,parks2
  7#af7 there are bison in              
,state-managed herds across #aa ,states2
  7#ag7 there is a growing effort to    
celebrate and officially recognize the  
historical1 cultural1 and economic      
significance of the ,north ,american    
bison to the heritage of the ,united    
,states2  7#ah7 in the #ast session of  
the #aacth ,congress1 #bb ,united       
,states ,senators led a successful      
effort to enact a resolution to         
designate ,november #b1 #bjac1 as the   
second annual ,national ,bison ,day2 and

  7#ai7 members of ,indian tribes1 bison
 producers1 conservationists1 sportsmen1
 educators1 and other public and private
 partners have participated in the      
annual ,national ,bison ,day celebration
 at several events across the ,united   
,states and are committed to continuing 
this tradition annually on the first    
,saturday of ,november4  #c4            
,establishment and adoption of the      
,north ,american bison as the national  
mammal ,the mammal commonly known as the
 ,north ,american bison is adopted as   
the national mammal of the ,united      
,states4