page_title: Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge
section_title: Bison Herd
hierarchical_section_title: Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge / Bison Herd
caption_attribution_description: English: The bison herd at the Fort Worth Nature Center &amp; Refuge
context_page_description: The Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge is a nature center located between Lakeside and Lake Worth, Texas, but within Fort Worth, Texas city limits. It consists of prairies, forests, and wetlands. Seemingly untouched, the nature center offers a glimpse into what the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex looked like before settlement. FWNC&R covers 3,621 acres and includes over 20 miles of hiking trails. It is one of the largest city-owned nature centers in the United States.
context_section_description: The Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge is home to a herd of American bison. The herd started with a donation of three bison from the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in 1973. The first calf, a heifer, was born in 1974. Most of the calves are born in April and May. The bison range consists of five pastures totaling 210 acres. The permanent herd has one bull, thirteen cows, and various calves and yearlings from previous years.
  The herd serves three main purposes - education, species conservation and ecological value. The herd serves as a visual aid for people to learn about animal adaptations, land management programs, and prairie ecology. Bison are a Keystone species for Texas blackland prairies and the herd is used to assist with natural land management that mimics how free-roaming bison affected the land before they were extirpated.
  The bison at FWNC&R are genetically pure, an incredibly important feat for bison conservation. Most current bison herds are genetically polluted or partly crossbred with cattle, either purposefully or accidentally. The FWNC&R partners with university researchers to conduct studies using the bison herd. Whenever a new animal is added to the herd through purchase, donation, or birth, the nature center has the animal tested. Testing is conducted by Texas A&M University and the results are added to a national bison genetics registry.
caption: The bison herd at the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge
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