U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Bison Donations Request Program

The Service’s “Bison Donations Transfer Protocol” (protocol) describes the process for the donation of the available surplus bison from the Service to eligible organizations, Tribes, or intertribal organizations as outlined in regulations at 50 CFR 30, as well as in Service Manual chapters 701 FW 5 and 701 FW 8. Surplus bison are offspring that exceed the ecological carrying capacity of the Service bison metapopulation. The primary purposes of donating these bison are to support conservation of the species as native North American wildlife and to assist in the restoration of bison herds on conservation partner lands, with special emphasis on restoring conservation herds to Tribal lands. Our authorities governing the Protocol include: • National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 668dd and 668ee; as amended); • American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978 (42 U.S.C. 1996); • Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (Public Law 93-638, as amended); • Surplus Range Animals (50 CFR 30.1); • Disposition of Surplus Range Animals (50 CFR 30.2); • Native American Policy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (510 FW 1); • Collections, Donations, and Disposals policy (701 FW 5); and • Fenced Animal Management policy (701 FW 8). In 2020, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Bison Working Group published the Department of the Interior Bison Conservation Initiative 2020 (2020 initiative), recognizing bison as a wildlife species in need of conservation. Consistent with this initiative, Service policy identifies the ecological and cultural values of bison as nationally and/or historically significant animals. The Bison Conservation Genetics Workshop: Report and Recommendations (2010 report) identifies DOI bison herds as a valuable source with which to start new conservation herds proposed by other Federal, State/provincial, or Tribal governments. The DOI Bison Report: Looking Forward (2014 report) acknowledges the challenges to achieving bison restoration on DOI lands and emphasizes the importance of partnerships for achieving bison conservation and ecological restoration. Both the 2010 and 2014 reports also identify the potential for bison herds maintained by Indian Tribes to contribute to species conservation, and the Service recognizes that such bison may also support Tribal cultural rights and practices.

The latest form for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Bison Donations Request Program expires 2026-06-30 and can be found here.

Submission of Form 3-2555 (Private Sector)

Federal Enterprise Architecture: Environmental Management - Environmental Monitoring and Forecasting

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