The Ecological Buffalo

Wes Olson was raised in the foothills of western Alberta, and it was there that he developed a passion for wild places and wild species. Following a thrity-two-year career as a Canadian National Park warden, Wes lives an 80 acre patch of forest and beaver ponds beside Elk Island National Park in central Alberta. He is the author of A Field Guide to Plains Bison and Portraits of the Bison. Johane Janelle 's photography has been featured on many magazine covers, such as Horse-Sport, Horse-Canada, Horse & Country, and Western Horse Review, as well as A Field Guide to Plains Bison and Portraits of the Bison. A conservationist, writer, and photographer, Harvey Locke is a recognized global leader in the field of parks, wilderness, wildlife, and large landscape conservation. Leroy Little Bear is a Blackfoot researcher, Professor Emeritus at the University of Lethbridge, founding member of Canada's first Native American Studies Department, Director of the Harvard University Native American Program, and recipient of the National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Education.

List of Maps, Figures, Tables, and Illustrations Foreword by Dr. Harvey Locke Preface Introduction Chapter 1: The Great Slaughter Chapter 2: Interconnected Ecosystems Chapter 3: Bison as a Keystone Species Chapter 4: Grasslands Chapter 5: Bison and Seed Dispersal Chapter 6: Landscape Disturbance by Bison Chapter 7: Bison and Bugs Chapter 8: Bison and Birds Chapter 9: Bison and Small Mammals Chapter 10: Bison and Amphibians and Reptiles Chapter 11: Bison and Ungulates Chapter 12: Bison and Predators Chapter 13: The Ecology of Bison Carcasses and Scavengers Chapter 14: Rewilding: Returning Bison to Their Ancestral Lands Epilogue: Wake Up, Sleeping Buffalo Afterword: Diversity Is Strength by Dr. Leroy Little Bear Acknowledgements Appendix 1: The Buffalo: A Treaty of Cooperation, Renewal, and Restoration Appendix 2: Species Discussed in The Ecological Buffalo Appendix 3: Native Terrestrial Mammals, North of Mexico, Whose Ranges Overlapped with Those of Plains and Wood Bison Glossary Notes Bibliography Subject Index

"Wondrous to hear bison knowledge from Wes Olson, [a] National Treasure." Margaret E. Atwood (@MargaretAtwood), Twitter, 25 June 2013 "This book should be on everybody's reading list." Leroy Little Bear "No one of European heritage can explain the ecological reasons why bison belong in our landscape better than Wes Olson." Harvey Locke "The Ecological Buffalo braids together Western science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge in words and images to create a luminous portrait of how this keystone species keeps the web of life healthy and wholefrom soil biota to grasses to birds to humans." Cristina Eisenberg , author of The Wolf's Tooth and The Carnivore Way "Wes Olson generously shares his intricate knowledge of the buffalo, and we are all richer for it. He explains how having more bison walking the land will benefit not just the threatened grasslands ecosystem, but the multitudes of birds, bugs, plants, and animals who need the buffalo. He also acknowledges the connection between the buffalo and Indigenous people but respectfully leaves space for Leroy Little Bear to tell of Indigenous Peoples' special relationship with the buffalo. Johane Janelle's accompanying photographs bring us out onto the land with her and Wes, so we may establish and deepen our own relationship with this integral keystone species." Tasha Hubbard , filmmaker, Singing Back the Buffalo "Wes Olson and Johane Janelle have written an outstanding book, both ecologically rigorous and stylistically accessible, through their exquisite writing and imagery. The Ecological Buffalo is the culmination of their life's work to understand the complex biodiversity and human history surrounding bison in the North American landscape. By illustrating the critical role of keystone species in sustaining complex ecosystems, they weave a hopeful story that restoration of a once endangered species is possible. A must read!" Keith A. Wheeler , International Union for Conservation of Nature Commission on Education and Communication