American Prairie Reserve

AMERICAN PRAIRIE RESERVE, MONTANA — OCTOBER 18: A bison herd on the American Prairie Reserve roams at sunset on October 18, 2018. Bison reintroduction is a critical – and controversial – part of APR’s plan to rewild a large swath of the northern plains, removing cattle, reestablishing native vegetation, and helping lost wildlife return and thrive. The American Prairie Reserve (APR), an independent, nonprofit organization, is working to create the largest nature reserve in the lower 48 by stitching together 3.5 million acres of private and public lands. APR’s goal is to remove all the cattle and replace them with 10,000 free roaming bison and allow this temperate grassland, one of the four left on our planet, to thrive and be forever protected. If the reserve is fully realized, thousands of these animals will once again range across the northern plains. “When we’re done with it,” says APR co-founder Sean Gerrity, “it’s going to last hundreds of years.” (Photo by Amy Toensing/Getty Images)