A young bison calf stands in a pond with its herd at Bull Hollow, Oklahoma, on Sept. 27, 2022.

(AP Photo/Audrey Jackson, File)

At a Glance

T​he money is part of the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes several initiatives aimed at conservation and climate change.Sixty million buffalo once roamed North America. The initiative was announced by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.

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Buffalo conservation is getting a $25 million boost in funding as part of the federal government's overall environment and climate resilience push.

T​he money is part of the , which includes several initiatives aimed at conservation and climate change.

There were once as many as b​ison, also known as buffalo, in North America, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior. By the early 20th century, there were less than 500. Conservation efforts since then have brought the population up to around 15,000.

"While the overall recovery of bison over the last 130 years is a conservation success story, significant work remains to not only ensure that bison will remain a viable species but also to restore grassland ecosystems, strengthen rural economies dependent on grassland health and provide for the return of bison to Tribally owned and ancestral lands,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a news release.

(​MORE: Inflation Reduction Act Could Pay You To Help Fight Climate Change)

Haaland is the first Native American to serve as a U.S. Cabinet secretary and has brought new focus to tribal issues.

I​n addition to the funding, Haaland issued an order last week establishing a bison working group made up of representatives from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Survey.

A​ new bison management apprenticeship is also being launched to provide training and hands-on experience to tribal populations who manage herds on their own land.

T​he goal is to focus on the restoration of bison herds on tribal lands, according to the news release.

“This holistic effort will ensure that this powerful sacred animal is reconnected to its natural habitat and the original stewards who know best how to care for it,” Haaland said during a recent World Wildlife Day event in Washington, D.C., according to the Associated Press.

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About half of the $25 million in funding will go to the National Park Service. The rest will be allocated between the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

T​roy Heinert, director of the South Dakota-based InterTribal Buffalo Council and a member of the Rosebud Sioux tribe, said the order is a bow to tribal conservation work.

“The buffalo has just as long a connection to Indigenous people as we have to it,” Heinert told the AP. “They are not just a number or a commodity; This is returning a relative to its rightful place."

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