Abbey Leibert
Planet Forward  Sr. Correspondent | SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry

The Castle Rock bison herd in Vermejo, New Mexico is a live link to the species’ past. Settlers in the West hunted the species to near extinction. Today, the conservation herd is part of a larger program of 45,000 bison. Beneath their coarse, fluffy coat, the Castle Rock herd carries the genes of three original bison herds from the West. In this video, Wildlife Biologist Lance Bernal and Ted Turner Reserves President Jade McBride discuss how the genetic integrity of the Castle Rock herd is tracked through the annual Bison Works program.

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Editor’s Note: This series was made possible with the generous support of Turner Reserves and contributions by the Turner family. All editorial content is published independently.

Planet Forward’s Environmental Media Lab led this expedition to teach the power of visual storytelling in wild spaces to convey the beauty and bounty of our planet.