OCTOBER 5, 2023:
UNDATED (AP)- South Dakota cowboys and cowgirls rounded up a herd of more than 1,500 bison Friday (Sept. 29, 2023) as part of an annual effort to maintain the health of the species, which has rebounded from near-extinction.
Visitors from across the world cheered from behind wire fencing as whooping horseback riders chased the thundering, wooly giants across hills and grasslands in Custer State Park. Bison and their calves stopped occasionally to graze on blond grass and roll on the ground, their sharp hooves stirring up dust clouds.
“How many times can you get this close to a buffalo herd?” said South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Secretary Kevin Robling, who was among 50 riders herding the animals. “You hear the grunts and the moans and (see) the calves coming and running alongside mamas.”
Each year Custer State Park holds one of the nation’s few bison roundups to check the health of the bison and vaccinate calves, park Superintendent Matt Snyder said.
As many as 60 million bison, sometimes called buffalo in the U.S., once roamed North America, moving in vast herds that were central to the culture and survival of numerous Native American groups.
They were driven to the brink of extinction more than a century ago when hunters, U.S. troops and tourists shot them by the thousands to feed a growing commercial market that used bison parts in machinery, fertilizer and clothing. Because bison were essential to Native Americans, the U.S. government also encouraged hunters to kill the animals as a way to force tribes to leave their homelands and move to reservations. By 1889, only a few hundred remained.
“Now, after more than a century of conservation efforts, there are more than 500,000 bison in the United States,” said South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a horseback rider who took part in the roundup. “The Custer State Park bison herd has contributed greatly to those efforts.”
The park’s herd began with 36 animals bought in 1914. A state ecologist estimated the park can currently sustain about 1,000 bison based on how snow and rain conditions affected the grasslands this past year, according to Snyder.
The other 500 or so will be auctioned off, and over the next week, officials will decide which bison will remain and which will go. About 400 calves are born in the park each year.
“Each year we sell some of these bison to intersperse their genetics with those of other herds to improve the health of the species’ population across the nation,” Noem said.
OCTOBER 4, 2023:
A record 22,590 visitors attended the 58th Annual Buffalo Roundup at Custer State Park on Friday morning (Sept. 29, 2023), watching as 60 horseback riders wrangled the herd of 1,500 bison into the corrals for their annual health check. This number surpassed the previous record, which had previously been 22,078 visitors set in 2015 during the 50th anniversary event.
Custer State Park also hosted its three-day arts festival in conjunction with the Buffalo Roundup. Crowds assembled throughout the celebration to enjoy a variety of entertainment under the big top, educational programs, and vendors from all over the country.
“It’s easy to say the event was a success because we set a record for attendance, but it’s most important that everyone who attended had an awesome time,” said Lydia Austin, Visitor Services Coordinator. “We were able to enjoy fantastic fall weather, great attendance at the Art’s Festival, and everyone made memories that will last a lifetime.”
The annual Roundup serves as a tool to help manage the park’s buffalo herd. Approximately 500 bison will be sold at the park’s annual auction on Nov. 4, 2023. For more information on the auction, contact the park at 605.394.2693 or email CusterStatePark@state.sd.us.
Next year’s Buffalo Roundup will be held on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024.
SEPTEMBER 27, 2023:
The South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks will host the 58th annual Buffalo Roundup and 30th annual Arts Festival in Custer State Park this week. The Buffalo Roundup begins at 9:30 a.m. MDT Friday (Sept. 29, 2023). The Arts Festival will run from Thursday through Saturday (Sept. 28-30, 2023).
“It is going to be another awesome year for the Buffalo Roundup,” said Lydia Austin, Visitor Services Coordinator for Custer State Park. “In addition to the Roundup itself, the Arts Festival, and the fall season in the park make for a fantastic week as a whole.”
The parking areas for the Roundup, located near the corrals along the Wildlife Loop Road, open at 6:15 a.m. MDT and close at 9:30 a.m. MDT on Sept. 29. For safety reasons, spectators need to remain in the viewing areas until all the buffalo are corralled which typically occurs around noon.
The annual Arts Festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. MDT on Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. The Arts Festival takes place near the State Game Lodge and features western and bluegrass entertainment along with numerous vendors.
A state park entrance license is required on Thursday and Saturday, but there is no cost to attend the Buffalo Roundup or Arts Festival on Friday. Share the experience by using #SDintheField, #HifromSD and #BuffaloRoundup when posting images to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Next year’s Buffalo Roundup will be held Friday, Sept. 27, 2024.
To learn more about the event, visit custerstatepark.com, call 605.255.4515 or email CusterStatePark@state.sd.us
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