Editor’s Note: This is one of the stories featured in the spring edition of Flathead Living magazine. Pick up a free copy on newsstands throughout the valley.
Strolling through the National Bison Range in Moiese is akin to stepping back into a bygone era, when the shag-haired, curve-horned, hump-backed animals roamed the Great Plains in massive herds.
From a population of between 30 and 60 million animals roaming across North America, bison reached a population low of 100 in the wild in the late 1800s. Since 1908, the National Bison Range has played an important role in the successful recovery of the striking creatures, said Amy Lisk, National Bison Range biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.