AMERICAN BISON

AMERICAN BISON: The Comeback Story, Ecology, Threats, and Conservation is more than a wildlife story—it’s a clear-eyed look at how one animal can hold together an entire landscape, and what it takes to bring that living force back in a modern world.

Written with the pull of narrative and the honesty of ecology, this book starts with the bison as it really is: not just a symbol, but an ecosystem engineer shaped by harsh seasons, herd life, and survival at scale. From there, it traces the near-erasure of the species—fast, deliberate, and tied to economic incentives and policy choices—without softening the weight of what was lost.

Then comes the part most “comeback” stories skip: the hard questions. What does recovery mean if bison exist as isolated herds without space to behave like bison? How do genetics and hybridization shape what “wild” can honestly mean today? And why do disease debates and fence-line conflicts keep deciding the future?

If you care about prairie restoration, conservation ethics, or the real work behind rewilding, this is your grounded guide to the bison’s past—and a practical map for what lasting success looks like.

Perfect for readers who love: North American wildlife, conservation history, prairie ecology, rewilding, and environmental storytelling.