III 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 426 

Designating November 4, 2023, as ‘‘National Bison Day’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OCTOBER 24, 2023 

Mr. HOEVEN (for himself, Mr. HEINRICH, Mr. THUNE, Mr. CRAMER, Mr. 

MARSHALL, Mr. MORAN, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. BENNET, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, 

Mr. TESTER, Mr. MARKEY, Ms. LUMMIS, Mr. BOOZMAN, Ms. SMITH, Mr. 

LUJA ́N, Mr. COONS, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. BRAUN, Mr. 

SCOTT of Florida, and Ms. WARREN) submitted the following resolution; 

which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating November 4, 2023, as ‘‘National Bison Day’’. 

Whereas, on May 9, 2016, the North American bison was 

adopted as the national mammal of the United States; 

Whereas bison are considered a historical and cultural symbol 

of the United States; 

Whereas bison are integrally linked with the economic and 

spiritual lives of many Indian Tribes through trade and 

sacred ceremonies; 

Whereas there are approximately 82 Indian Tribes participating in the InterTribal Buffalo Council, which is a 

Tribal organization incorporated pursuant to section 17 

of the Act of June 18, 1934 (commonly known as the 


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•SRES 426 ATS 

‘‘Indian Reorganization Act’’) (48 Stat. 988, chapter 

576; 25 U.S.C. 5124); 

Whereas numerous members of Indian Tribes are involved in 

bison restoration on Tribal land; 

Whereas members of Indian Tribes have a combined herd of 

almost 25,000 bison on more than 1,000,000 acres of 

Tribal land in 22 States; 

Whereas bison play an important role in the health of the 

wildlife, landscapes, and grasslands of the United States; 

Whereas bison hold significant economic value for private 

producers and Tribal and rural communities; 

Whereas, as of 2017, the Department of Agriculture estimates that 182,780 head of bison were under the stewardship of private producers, creating jobs and contributing to the food security of the United States by providing a sustainable and healthy meat source; 

Whereas a bison has been depicted on the official seal of the 

Department of the Interior since 1912; 

Whereas the Department of the Interior has launched the 

Bison Conservation Initiative, a 10-year cooperative initiative to coordinate the conservation and restoration of 

wild American bison; 

Whereas a bison is portrayed on 2 State flags; 

Whereas the bison has been adopted by 3 States as the official mammal or animal of those States; 

Whereas the buffalo nickel played an important role in modernizing the currency of the United States; 

Whereas several sports teams and businesses have the bison 

as a mascot, which highlights the iconic and cultural significance of bison in the United States; 


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•SRES 426 ATS 

Whereas Indigenous communities and a group of ranchers 

helped save bison from extinction in the late 1800s by 

gathering the remaining bison of the diminished herds; 

Whereas, on December 8, 1905, William Hornaday, Theodore 

Roosevelt, and others formed the American Bison Society 

in response to the near extinction of bison in the United 

States; 

Whereas, on October 11, 1907, the American Bison Society 

sent 15 captive-bred bison from the New York Zoological 

Park, now known as the ‘‘Bronx Zoo’’, to the first big 

game refuge in the United States, now known as the 

‘‘Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge’’; 

Whereas, in 2005, the American Bison Society was reestablished, bringing together bison ranchers, Native American 

leaders and bison herd managers, Federal and State 

agencies, conservation organizations, artists and writers, 

young people, and natural and social scientists from the 

United States, Canada, and Mexico to create a vision for 

the North American bison in the 21st century; 

Whereas there are bison herds in national wildlife refuges, 

national parks, and national forests, and on other Federal land; 

Whereas there are bison in State-managed herds across 11 

States; 

Whereas private, public, and Tribal bison leaders are working 

together to continue bison restoration throughout North 

America; 

Whereas there is a growing effort to celebrate and officially 

recognize the historical, cultural, and economic significance of the North American bison to the heritage of the 

United States; and 


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•SRES 426 ATS 

Whereas members of Indian Tribes, bison producers, conservationists, sportsmen, educators, and other public and 

private partners have celebrated the annual National 

Bison Day since 2012 and are committed to continuing 

this tradition annually on the first Saturday of November: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates November 4, 2023, the first Sat3 urday of November, as ‘‘National Bison Day’’; and 

4 (2) encourages the people of the United States 

5 to observe the day with appropriate ceremonies and 

6 activities. 

Æ 


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