The World's Largest Native-Owned and Managed Buffalo Herd
Our team is committed to strengthening our community
Impact
80 generations of land stewardship tells us that Wolakota will have positive effects on resources and people.
We are gathering data and collecting stories to measure that impact.
Below are some of the metrics that we are working to track. We are still in our early stages and these areas are subject to change.
Economic
Economic
Economic
- Direct and indirect jobs created
- Payments made to disadvantaged businesses
- Payments made to local and regional businesses
Social
Economic
Economic
- Individuals reached through cultural and educational programming
- Pounds of buffalo meat made available to local community
- Artists supplied with materials
- Value of charitable donations (meat, skulls, hides, etc.)
- Acres under Indigenous management
- % of Board of Directors identifying as Native American
Ecological
Intangible and Indirect
Intangible and Indirect
- Acres under regenerative management
- Acres dedicated to bison grazing
- Abundance and diversity of Native plants
- Abundance and diversity of invasive plants
- Pounds of forage produced per acre
- % of carbon in soil
- Greenhouse gas emissions mitigated (sequestered, avoided, and reduced)
- Number of bird species identified
- Bulk density (i.e. soil compaction)
- Average soil surface stability class
- % of ground cover
Intangible and Indirect
Intangible and Indirect
Intangible and Indirect
Even more important than the measurable outcomes identified above is the fact that Wolakota will re-establish the sacred relationship between Lakota and buffalo in a modern context.
We believe this could lead to the following impacts – and others which are beyond what we can currently imagine.
- Improved diet and health outcomes
- Strengthened cultural identity, leading to improved mental health outcomes
- Increased sense of pride and empowerment for Native enterprises
- Heightened awareness of Indigenous leadership and values
- Improved understanding of the role of Indigenous solutions to global issues
- Increased demand for sovereignty
Range Monitoring
We are committed to leading the way when it comes to monitoring our ecological impact. See the overview of the intensive monitoring that was performed in 2020, before we had any buffalo on the land. We will continue tracking these metrics for years to come so that we have the data to back up our claims.