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<br />Are bison the key to bringing back Minnesota prairies? <br /> <br />Dakota County to explore how herd affects land at park reserve <br /> <br />By Greg Stanley Star Tribune, SEPTEMBER 8, 2020 — 3:54PM <br /> <br />Minnesota’s last wild bison was seen nearly 150 <br />years ago, and the grasslands that held herds in the <br />thousands have since dwindled to small slivers and <br />protected patches across the state. <br />Now it’s becoming clear to scientists and park <br />managers that they cannot restore those crucial <br />prairies to hold anything close to their historical <br />resiliency or diversity of life without their biggest <br />ingredient: the American buffalo. <br />Bison need prairies. And, it turns out, healthy <br />prairies absolutely need bison, said Tom Lewanski, <br />natural resource manager for Dakota County. <br /> ANTHONY SOUFFLE – STAR TRIBUNE Gallery: A bison <br />among the prairie grasses Thursday at Minneopa State Park in <br />Mankato. <br /> <br />“They’re one of those species that has a much larger <br />impact on the community than you’d expect for the <br />number of animals they have,” Lewanski said. <br />“They’re a keystone.” <br />Lewanski and Dakota County are planning a living <br />experiment of sorts, to reintroduce a small bison <br />herd to about 150 acres of prairie they’ve been <br />trying to restore at Spring Lake Park Reserve in <br />Hastings. If they’re successful, and the bison are <br />brought back, they’ll be able to study in real time <br />exactly how the giants influence the land around <br />them. <br />Every community — human or animal — relies on a <br />complex network to keep it alive, Lewanksi said. <br />As bee and pollinator populations have collapsed, <br />and a number of species of songbirds and plants <br />have fallen to the brink, restoring and saving what is <br />left of the prairies has become a priority for state <br />and local agencies. <br />Certain pieces of a prairie’s community are <br />important enough that when they’re lost, it hurts <br />just about every other part. <br />Lewanski likened it to a town with a major factory, <br />and all the schools, stores and restaurants that grow <br />up around it. When the factory closes, it’s not just <br />those jobs that are lost, but all the businesses and <br />schools that close, too. In the world of a Minnesota <br />prairie, bison were that major factory, Lewanski <br />said. <br />Hunger shapes landscapes <br />The bison’s most important contribution in shaping <br />the environment may be how much grass they eat, <br />said Ed Quinn, natural resource supervisor for the <br />Department of Natural Resources (DNR).