'The 100,000 acres (40,469 hectares) Medano Zapata Ranch is located in the San Luis Valley of south-central Colorado, near Alamosa. The Nature Conservancy purchased the ranch in 1999, which included a resident herd of several thousand bison and elk. The starter bison herd originated from several private and state herds in Wyoming in 1985. The bison herd of 1,100 head occupies 47,000 acres (19,020 hectares) of high mountain desert shrubland with interspersed meadows.'

Acknowledgements

This article is a lightly edited reproduction of source material provided to docents of the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve by The Nature Conservancy for dissemination to the public.