The Denver City Council unanimously approved the donation of more than a dozen American Bison from the Denver Mountain Park system to three tribal nations in Colorado and Oklahoma during its meeting Monday.

With this final approval, 13 bison will be gifted to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes in Oklahoma and one bison to the Tall Bull Memorial Council in Sedalia.

“I am so proud and honored to carry this ordinance,” said Councilwoman Jamie Torres. “The land acknowledgement we adopted in 2020 asks us to work to dismantle legacies of oppression and inequity, and today we are doing that.”

The bison come from two conservation herds managed by Denver Parks and Recreation at Genesse Park and Daniels Park. The herds are descendants from the last wild bison born in North America, first moved into Genesee Park in 1914.

To keep the herd at a healthy size, Denver Parks and Recreation auction off around 30 of its young bison annually for the past 36 years; however, the auction will no longer take place.

Until at least 2030, the entire surplus of bison will be donated to tribes across the country.

“This donation is the result and culmination of a very long, storied history and relationship with the state of Colorado,” said Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes Gov. Reggie Wassana. “The tribes plan to use the donated bison as a cultural, conservation and educational resource.”

The gift is a first of its kind from the City and County of Denver to reintroduce wild bison to their native homestead, while supporting conservation efforts within tribal land.

The city will work in collaboration with the Denver American Indian Commission, the Tall Bull Memorial Council and the Intertribal Buffalo Council to determine where to donate bison in the future.

Over four dozen tribes across the country have established or are establishing conservation bison herds.

“This is a historic action that will create an ongoing tradition and legacy,” said Council President Stacie Gilmore. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to support this work and look forward to more significant ways that we can continue to build upon this humble first step.”