Jason Baldes is the executive director of the Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative (WRTBI), led by the Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes of central Wyoming. One of many groups managing buffalo from the TWP-supported Laramie Foothills Bison Conservation Herd, WRTBI has been a leader in restoring buffalo as wildlife within Tribal lands.

This spring, members of the TWP team had the honor of attending an annual blessing for the local bison herd of Soapstone Prairie. Led by elders and spiritual leaders from various Tribes, the blessing was part of honoring land, reaffirming culture, and recognizing the crucial role of bison in both.