The bison herd in Yellowstone National Park has grown too large. To reduce its size, park officials plan to kill some of the animals and relocate others to Native American tribal land. Moving some of the bison to the care of Native Americans is being welcomed by the tribes, which have strong spiritual and cultural connections to the animals. Listen to the director of the InterTribal Buffalo Council explain why Yellowstone bison are especially valued by Native Americans and why he feels mixed emotions about the fate of the Yellowstone bison.
Story Length: 3:26
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October 19, 2021
2:16
President Biden has declared Indigenous Peoples’ Day a federal holiday. The day is designated as a time to celebrate the contributions of Native Americans, past and present, and to remember the violence and displacement they have suffered. The newly established federal holiday shares the second Monday in October with Columbus Day, an arrangement that acknowledges the complexity of America’s past. Listen to hear an Indigenous professor explain what the holiday means to her and how she hopes it will influence how Native Americans are perceived.
Read MoreMay 7, 2021
4:34
The U.S. National Park System includes over 84 million acres of land that is open to the public. Much of that land once belonged to Native American tribes. A writer and member of the Ojibwe tribe is suggesting a return of control of national park land to Native American people. He says the move would give our country a chance to make amends for long-standing injustices. Questions remain about how the parks would be controlled by the hundreds of tribes in the U.S., and how to ensure that the land would be protected. Listen to a tribal member’s proposal and then debate: Should national parks be controlled by Native Americans?
Read MoreSeptember 2, 2020
4:06
Zoos animals and their keepers are welcoming visitors after months of closures due to the pandemic. Some of the animals were content to interact with their own social groups while the zoo was closed. Others seemed bored without the usual flow of visitors, and keepers had to find creative ways to keep them occupied. Listen to hear an animal keeper explain which animals missed people the most and how her team used Facebook to keep animals entertained.
Read MoreJune 4, 2020
5:38
Yellowstone National Park, among the nation’s most popular tourist sites, has been closed during the pandemic. Now officials face unique challenges as they consider reopening the park for the summer season. A quick reopening could help local businesses that have suffered during the closure, but maintaining social distancing and other safe practices will be difficult when hordes of visitors arrive. Listen to hear local people and a park visitor discuss the benefits and risks of reopening one of the nation’s busiest national parks.
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