This planning grant will allow faculty at Oglala Lakota College to develop a proposal that focuses on investigating the effects of bison re-introduction in a Native-American managed land in South Dakota. Meetings will be held to finalize plans and determine the best and most appropriate scientific protocols for conducting the study. The proposal will have a significant impact on students at the tribal college who will learn scientific methods (chemical and biological) to determine effects on the ecosystem of the re-introduction of the bison. The proposal will hopefully lead to a better understanding of the basic science of how ecosystems change as a result of introducing bisons and will also provide scientific data that would enable better management of re-introducing animals in established ecosystems.
