GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK — As the nights get cooler and foliage begins to change, the Grand Teton bison herd, also known as the Teton Herd, continues to graze under the mountain-lined smokey haze.
According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, bison typically forage for grasses, forbs and shrubs for nine to 11 hours a day. Bison are considered “ecosystem engineers” because their feeding habits can help ensure a diversity of prairie plant species especially after a fire.
Photo: Nick Sulzer // Buckrail
Their selective grazing of grasses and woody shrubs can help reduce competition with other vegetation and increase the number of plant species in the prairie. Even when snow blankets the ground, a bison will use its large protruding shoulder hump to swing its head from side-to-side to clear the snow to forage.
Photo: Nick Sulzer // Buckrail
According to the National Park Service, when homesteaders first arrived to Jackson in 1884, bison did not roam freely in the valley. The Jackson Hole Wildlife Park was created to help preserve the species and a small captive herd of bison was reintroduced in 1948. In 1968, 15 bison broke through the wildlife park’s fences, starting Jackson’s free-roaming herd.
Photo: Nick Sulzer // Buckrail
The National Park Service later abandoned the wildlife park and almost 1,000 bison reside in Grand Teton National Park today.
Photo: Nick Sulzer // Buckrail
