Vote Bison

Elect our national mammal

We have the perfect nominee for the coveted position of national mammal. The iconic bison is impeccably qualified to join the bald eagle as a symbol of the United States.

The largest land mammal in the country, our nominee helped shape the Great Plains and the lifestyle of the Native Americans who lived there. Bison have been important for centuries to our history and culture, and today, they live in all 50 states.

The bison is ready for the big leagues. It's an animal we can stand behind as national mammal—but we need your support to make it happen. Please join this historic grassroots campaign: Ask your members of Congress to sign onto the National Bison Legacy Act today.

Vote Bison

Native Americans carved this bison petroglyph into Wingate sandstone cliffs, now part of Utah's Newspaper Rock State Historical Monument. Today, tribal bison herds are managed on over 1 million acres of tribal lands, mostly in the west.
Bison are also found in national parks, wildlife refuges, state parks and on private lands. Additionally, bison production is an important economic driver in many states.
In 1907, support from companies like American Express made it possible for the society to send 15 bison by train to Oklahoma's Wichita Mountains Wildlife Preserve to help restore herds to the Western Plains.
As North America's largest mammal, bison provide one of the last evolutionary links to the Pleistocene era, a period (1.8 million to 11,550 years ago) when huge mammals dominated the landscape.
By designating the bison our national mammal, we'll help raise the profile of bison to the benefit of many different groups, including producers, conservation organizations, and tribes, while also honoring our national heritage.
The Wind River Ranch Foundation hosted a National Bison Day event in Las Vegas, NM, which drew the participation of nearly 150 people. (Nov. 2012) <b>©Wind River Ranch Foundation</b>
Boomer the Bison and students celebrated Bethany College’s long-standing tradition as a bison community in honor of the first-annual National Bison Day. (Nov. 2012) <b>©Bethany College</b>
Cibola Farms offered bison trail sticks and information about raising bison at the National Bison Day celebration on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. (Nov. 2012) <b>©WCS</b>
The InterTribal Buffalo Council President (Ervin Carlson – right) and Executive Director (Jim Stone – left) visited Washington, DC, and asked Congress to support making bison the National Mammal of the United States. (July 2012) <b>©WCS</b>
Attendees painted bison murals at the National Bison Day celebration in Las Vegas, NM. (Nov. 2012) <b>©Wind River Ranch Foundation</b>
Along with bison burgers and bison-shaped cookies, attendees of the National Bison Day celebration in Washington, DC, each received a small, stuffed bison. (Nov. 2012) <b>©WCS</b>
Representative Don Young (AK-At Large) [2nd from left], who is a cosponsor of legislation to designate bison as the National Mammal of the United States, met with representatives of the Wildlife Conservation Society. (Jan. 2013) <b>©Office of Rep. Don Young</b>
Senator Enzi (WY) [far right], the author of legislation to make bison the National Mammal of the United States, met with representatives of the InterTribal Buffalo Council, National Bison Association, and Wildlife Conservation Society. (Feb. 2012) <b>©WCS</b>
Senator Hoeven (ND) [3rd from right], a cosponsor of legislation to make bison the National Mammal of the United States, met with representatives of the InterTribal Buffalo Council, National Bison Association, and Wildlife Conservation Society. (Feb. 2012) <b>©WCS</b>
Students had an opportunity to color pictures of bison during Bethany College’s National Bison Day celebration. (Nov. 2012) <b>©Bethany College</b>
Over 200 people attended the National Bison Day event on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, which featured Teddy Roosevelt of the Washington Nationals’ Racing Presidents in recognition of President Roosevelt’s leadership in saving bison from extinction. (Nov. 2012) <b>©WCS</b>
The Wildlife Conservation Society hosted the first-annual National Bison Day celebration in Washington, DC, which had over 200 attendees. (Nov. 2012) <b>©WCS</b>