Denver has codified its annual donation of surplus buffalo to American Indian tribes and American Indian nonprofits into law after a unanimous vote by the City Council on Monday.

The City and County of Denver has managed one of the oldest municipal bison herds in the nation as part of a conservation program for more than a century.

Denver Parks and Recreation began caring for bison herds at Genesee Park and Daniels Park in 1914 to help prevent their extinction and repopulate the country with the animals that once roamed the West.

Historically, the bison were auctioned off to maintain the health of the herd as well as the land.

In 2021, the City Council passed a bill ending the auctions and later launched a structured donation program for tribal nations, with no additional council action.

That ordinance was slated to sunset in 2030.

“But finally, it’s no longer going to have a sunset; it will be forever,” District 11 Councilmember Stacie Gilmore said of the bison transfer program. “The City and County of Denver will never again auction off buffalo to the highest bidder. They will always go to recognized tribes or nonprofits that work to restore the buffalo.” 

Since 2008, Denver Parks has provided 174 bison to American Indian tribes.

On Friday, Buffalo First received 12, the Northern Cheyenne received 10, the Navajo Nation received 11, and the Tall Bull Memorial Council received one.

For Native American tribes, the bison are more than just a gift from Denver; they are a restoration of both culture and religion.

The population was estimated at 30 million to 60 million in the early 1800s, according to the National Park Service. By 1900, fewer than 1,000 bison remained.

“I just really give thanks to each and every one of you that support us, that give us love and want to see us continue on,” Lewis TallBull with the TallBull Memorial Council said. “The bison are medicine to our people, and it’s medicine to the earth, to our Mother Earth. And Mother Earth has a fever right now, she’s not doing too good.”

In March, the City and County of Denver transferred nearly three dozen yearling bison to American Indian tribes and organizations during a special event at Genesee Park in Golden.

“I guess we can celebrate a victory today,” TallBull said of the adoption of the ordinance. “Maybe I’m still confused about what’s really going on in the procedures and protocols of you people and what you guys got going, but if something good happened today, I want to let you know that we’re going to celebrate.”

Denver Gazette reporter Sage Kelley contributed to this story.