The Wild with Chris Morgan The Buffalo Boys of the Kalispel Tribe
Feb 3, 2026
J.R. Bluff, Kalispel elder and language/culture leader, recalls tribal history and the Buffalo Trail. Derek Bluff, tribal agriculture director and herd manager, runs daily care, community food programs, and youth training. They talk about restoring buffalo to the reservation, herd care and genetics, inter-tribal transfers, cultural revival through powwows and food sharing, and dreams for expanded grazing and youth stewardship.
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Raised In The Buffalo Way
- Derek Bluff and the Buffalo Boys treat buffalo care as everyday life, doing roundup, feeding, and health checks routinely.
- Derek grew up on the reservation helping since age ten and now manages the herd as part of a family tradition.
Buffalo As Ecosystem Engineers
- Buffalo act as ecosystem engineers by aerating soil, creating wallows, and recycling nutrients through dung and fur.
- Their migratory freedom shaped landscapes and ecological processes that fenced herds cannot fully replicate.
How The Herd Began In 1974
- In 1974 the Kalispel received 12 buffalo from Theodore Roosevelt National Park after applying to rehome surplus animals.
- The tribe borrowed haulers and quickly brought the animals back, starting their modern herd almost by accident.