The Historical Massacre and Re-Establishment of Bison in the Great Plains

In this podcast episode, Greg Marchildon speaks to Wes Olson about his book The Ecological Buffalo: On the Trail of a Keystone Species. The Ecological Buffalo is co-authored by Johane Janelle, Olson’s wife, and includes a beautiful collection of photographs by Janelle. The book is an in-depth history of the bison based on their combined experiences and years of studying and photographing bison in Alberta. Olson explores how North America’s largest land mammal, the bison, is a keystone species in the Great Plains ecosystem, and examines the historical extermination of the bison in the colonization of Canada. His focus is on ecological preservation and re-establishment of bison and other endangered Canadian species, and he highlights the impact to Indigenous people when this chain is disrupted. Wes Olson was a warden in the Canadian National Park System for over 30 years. He grew up in the foothills of western Alberta and currently lives on an acreage of forest and beaver ponds beside Elk Island National Park in central Alberta. This podcast was produced by Jessica Schmidt. If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.