Alaska’s Fight for Wildlife: Inside The State’s Wood Bison Rewilding Efforts
An Expedition to Portage Valley, Alaska
When we came to Alaska to learn about the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale population, the Edges of Earth expedition team stumbled onto another story that captivated us just as much: bison rewilding. Though a departure from our typical in-water work, we were drawn in by two women who were part of a rewilding effort in a state where the climate crisis has taken hold in a major way.
Our team had the chance to join Lily Grbavach, Director of Education, and Amy Craker Hellon, Education Program Coordinator at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC), on the eve of a major event: the rewilding of a herd of wood bison in Minto Flats State Game Refuge, near Fairbanks, Alaska. This release marks the culmination of decades of planning and collaboration across conservation, scientific, and local community efforts, all aimed at restoring these emblematic animals to Alaska’s wild landscapes.
(Lily Grbavach, Director of Education, and Amy Craker Hellon, Education Program Coordinator at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. Photo Credit: Adam Moore)
Andi: How did you end up here, surrounded by some of Alaska’s most precious wild animals? And what’s your relationship with these animals in your care?
Amy: I’ve been with the sanctuary for about two and a half years, working with a diverse range of Alaskan wildlife. Many of the animals are here because they’re orphaned or injured, often due to human-wildlife conflicts. Since they can’t survive in the wild, they find permanent homes here as “animal ambassadors.” And with that role, they help educate visitors from around the world about Alaska’s wildlife. The orphaned animals are often very young, and our animal care team steps in to raise them. Injured animals need specialized medical care, so they stay with us long-term. We form bonds with them, but with a clear understanding that they’re still wild.
Lily: I started at AWCC as a college intern, like many on our leadership team. I've been with the Center on and off for about 15 years and in my current role for six. Like Amy said, we’re working with animals that remain truly wild. There’s often a misconception that animals in human care become “domesticated,” but that’s not the case. They go through a process we call acclimatization—establishing trust so they associate us with safety, though it’s a different bond than you’d have with a pet.
(Resident grizzly bear at AWCC. Photo Credit: Adam Moore)
Andi: So tell us more about the wood bison. What’s their story, and why are they so important?
Lily: The wood bison are part of a larger reintroduction effort. Once native across Canada and Alaska, they were declared extinct in 1941. People thought there were none left on earth until 16 years later, a pilot spotted the last remaining herd in northern Alberta. These bison were brought to Elk Island National Park, where a successful breeding program began in Canada. Eventually, Alaska began executing its own plan to bring wood bison back to the state.
(Learning about AWCC’s work in the field. Photo Credit: Adam Moore)
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service needed a place to support a new wood bison population, and that’s where we came in. For years, AWCC has been a breeding site for wood bison, and in 2015, ADF&G released 130 bison from AWCC into the Innoko National Wildlife Refuge in northwest Alaska. Now, for the first time since, 17 bison will be brought from AWCC into the Interior to start a new herd. Each year, our breeding program produces wood bison calves. While other reintroductions in Alaska have relied on animals from Canada, this current release comes directly from our sanctuary herd. Our breeding setup includes a herd of females and a single male to ensure annual calves, and we rotate males to maintain genetic diversity.
Amy: Just imagine—the world thought wood bison were fully extinct, not just at very low numbers. Canada’s reintroduction program is so successful that there are now stable populations in parts of the Yukon, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, and Alberta. Some of these herds are subject to regulated hunts where wood bison once again are a subsistence food source. These animals are incredibly valuable for their resources; a single wood bison can provide more than 500 pounds of meat. Wood bison don’t recognize borders, and their historical range spanned from central Alaska to north-western Saskatchewan. That entire ecological niche remained open after they disappeared, with no other species stepping in to fill their role.
(Wood bison getting ready for relocation as of August 2024. Photo Credit: Adam Moore)
Lily: Exactly. When we realized that their original habitats and resources were still intact, it opened the door for reintroducing them. This led to the decision to bring bison from Canada to the AWCC, where they could grow in number. By 2015, there were enough to release, marking the first return of wood bison to the Alaskan landscape in over a century.
Amy: It’s important to note that while wood bison and plains bison share many similarities, there are still a few key differences. For one, wood bison are significantly larger, with a prominent shoulder hump that sits closer to their head. This hump contains powerful muscles that help them lift their large heads used to clear snow, allowing access to the grasses underneath. They also have distinct vocalizations and slightly different fur. All of these differences make them better adapted to Alaska’s colder climate compared to plains bison.
(There will be a long drive to relocate the wood bison via container. Photo Credit: Marla Tomorug)
Andi: How has the reintroduction program been going? Has it all been smooth sailing?
Lily: It’s had its ups and downs, as we expected. We’re not quite sure where Canada is with their wood bison populations, but we have high hopes. That’s why this latest reintroduction is happening in a new area where they haven’t been released before—we believe the habitat there will be ideal for them. When we first reintroduced bison in 2015, various factors, including human-related challenges, prevented us from choosing this landscape. So, tomorrow’s release is a new step forward, and time will tell how they adapt. Every calf born here is something to celebrate. I remember each one, and I’ve been proud of every single arrival!
Andi: How do you prepare these animals for reintroduction into the wild? What’s been happening behind the scenes at the Center?
Lily: The first wood bison herd arrived at AWCC in 2008, and has been in our care ever since. I started as an intern in 2009, helping with these initial arrivals. During their time here, the bison undergo regular health assessments, including quarantine and testing for common bovine diseases, to prevent introducing illnesses into Alaska’s ecosystem. The bison are routinely monitored, receiving broad-spectrum antibiotics and health evaluations to ensure they're fit for reintroduction. Our main goal is to keep the herd healthy, happy, and growing.
(AWCC cares for some of Alaska’s most iconic wildlife. Photo Credit: Adam Moore)
We tag their ears in order to keep track of each individual. About a month ago, each bison got a final checkup to establish a health baseline. The vet will be doing one last workup before they’re loaded into transport containers tomorrow. Transporting wood bison is a unique challenge—there’s little precedent for relocating animals once thought extinct. We’ve found that sedating them in the field for health checkups is far less stressful than using the squeeze chute, so we plan to continue this low-stress approach as they transition to transport.
(The container for transporting the bison. Photo Credit: Adam Moore)
Amy: Once they’re in Minto Flats, some bison will be fitted with radio collars to monitor their movement and habitat preferences. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game will conduct aerial surveys, similar to those done for the herd near Shageluk, but with the advantage of closer proximity, reducing travel time and increasing the frequency of monitoring.
Andi: So, what will it look like when these animals arrive in their new home? What happens next to help them acclimate to their environment?
Amy: For transport, each bison is loaded into a large container with their own stalls, separated by swinging doors to keep them safe. Each bison goes in one at a time, with doors that separate the individuals. This keeps them from being forced to have direct contact with one another during the journey. These containers are equipped with top vents, and even include fans and a misting system for comfort. Depending on the size of the animals, each container holds five to eight bison, though larger bulls take up more space. Our biggest bison for this trip is a three-year-old bull weighing around 1,500 pounds. Mature males can exceed 2,000 pounds, making wood bison the largest land mammals in the Western Hemisphere—significantly larger than plains bison! Once loaded, there will be a convoy escorting the bison to their new home, and we won’t leave the site until they’re all securely on their way.
(Learning about the bison shipping process to an area around Fairbanks, Alaska in the interior of the state. Photo Credit: Adam Moore)
Lily: The bison will wake up gradually in their carriers, once they’re given a reversal after sedation. We closely monitor them throughout the sedation and waking process. Handling time for each bison is minimal—we’ve streamlined it to as little as four minutes to reduce stress. After their checkups, they’re carefully moved by tractor from their habitat into the transport containers. Once they arrive, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has prepared a soft-release area with two-and-a-half miles of fencing enclosing 100 acres of prime habitat. The bison will spend the winter acclimating in these pens, giving them a safe, gradual transition to their new environment. By next spring, the fences will come down, and they’ll fully enter the wild, learning to navigate the landscape on their own—a true soft launch into life in the wild.
Andi: Why is this work so important to Alaska, and why is it critical in the face of climate change?
Lily: The wood bison reintroduction is about bringing back a species that was once lost, as well as rebuilding Alaska’s ecosystems and helping them withstand the impacts of a changing climate. Their return helps restore balance in the ecosystem. Wood bison are a keystone species, so reintroducing them into their natural habitat supports a chain reaction of benefits. When they thrive, so does their total ecosystem, creating natural defenses against the effects of climate change.
Amy: Alaska’s climate is changing at an alarming rate—two to three times faster than the global average, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. With the rapid loss of sea ice, glaciers, and permafrost, coupled with more unpredictable weather, everything here is affected. Having wood bison back in the ecosystem restores processes that are critical to maintaining stability in these environments. These natural landscapes act as carbon sinks, so by giving wood bison a place to thrive, we’re also helping protect Alaska’s ability to adapt to these environmental shifts.
(Glaciers worldwide are receding at an alarming rate. Photo Credit: Marla Tomorug)
Lily: At the core of our Center’s mission is caring for Alaska’s vulnerable species across 200 acres and working to educate every visitor on why this work is so important. From grizzlies and caribou to the iconic wood bison, our facility operates closely with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to create a sanctuary for animals that can’t survive independently in the wild. Every spring, we review our capacity and resources to make sure we’re equipped to care for each animal properly and give them the best chance possible. And in some cases, we have the unique opportunity to release them back into the wild.
When people visit and see these animals up close, it’s powerful. They learn why these creatures are here and what they can do to help. And when they stand here with us, taking in Portage Valley’s glacier-covered landscape, they understand that these views—and these species—might not be here forever. As temperatures continue to rise, this work becomes about much more than conservation. It’s a way to ensure that Alaska’s unique wildlife and ecosystems survive for generations to come. Rewilding is part of that solution, and being here to witness this process reminds us all that we still have the power to make a real difference.
(AWCC is working every day to re-wild one of the most special states in America. Photo Credit: Adam Moore)
As told to: Andi Cross | Photography by: Adam Moore & Marla Tomorug | Support from: Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center & NOAA Fisheries
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SHE Changes Climate collaborates with the Edges of Earth Expedition, a woman-led team dedicated to highlighting impactful stories from the environmental frontlines. This partnership focuses on amplifying the voices of women who are pioneering positive change in some of the world’s most vulnerable coastal and marine environments, many of whose stories have gone untold.