Buffalo Restoration and Land Rematriation on the Wind River Reservation

Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative (WRTBI) is a Native-led, non-profit organization near Kinnear, Wyoming. Their mission is restoring the Shoshone and Arapaho connection to the buffalo, ensuring that buffalo restoration and land rematriation efforts serve the needs and priorities of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes. WRTBI is working to acquire and maintain fee lands, enact land use changes on Tribal land (BIA) for buffalo conservation through cattle grazing retirement and conservation easement, and ensure that buffalo are protected as wildlife under Tribal law. The Confluence Program grant will support costs associated with youth engagement, staff time dedicated to working with the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribal Councils and the Bureau of Indian Affairs to shift land use from cattle grazing to wildlife conservation, and land maintenance costs.