National Bison Day is celebrated every 1st Saturday of November each year. This day gives recognition to bison – which is more commonly known as the North American buffalo. The bison is the official National Mammal of the USA. It has played a significant role in the cultural, environmental, and economic history of the country. The animal has also become central to the livelihood of Native Americans, especially since it is a good source of food and a big part of their religious ceremonies.
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About the National Bison Day
The bison is the largest mammal that lives on land in North America. A male bison can weigh up to 2000 pounds and stand up to 6 feet tall. Cows or female bison are smaller and lighter since they weigh only 1000 pounds and stand only up to 5 feet tall. However, they are still so powerful. The average lifespan of a bison is 20 years.
During National Bison Day, people conduct various activities that let them achieve the objectives or purposes of the celebration. For one, people visit parks where bison are showcased. They educate themselves about this magnificent animal. Other people campaign for the welfare of bison so that their habitat could be protected more. People also shout out on social media how they are participating in the celebration of the event.
History
Large herds of bison have covered the plains ever since they started to exist. However, during the 1800s, they were nearly decimated. These days, bison live in all 50 states of the USA. They thrive in areas such as private lands, tribal lands, refuge sites, and national parks.
In 2012, the American bison was officially recognized as the national mammal of the USA through a movement. The organizers campaigned to make the first Saturday of November National Bison Day. This proposal was backed by the United States Senate after they signed a resolution for the yearly event. On May 9, 2016, President Barack Obama signed a law declaring the American bison as the national mammal of the USA.
Dates
As mentioned earlier, National Bison Day is celebrated every first Saturday of November each year. This means that the dates of celebration for this event are as follows:
- Saturday, November 7,
- Saturday, November 6,
- Saturday, November 5, 2022
- Saturday, November 5, 2023
- Saturday, November 2, 2024
- Saturday, November 1, 2025
Celebration Ideas and Activities
The following are the best things to do to make your celebration of the National Bison Day as best as it can be:
Go See the Bison
One good idea for your celebration of this day is to go see bison. You can visit a national park, preferably the one nearest you or the one located in your locality. See how humongous they are and how hundreds or thousands of them freely roam the lands they live in. hire a tour guide if you can. They will teach you all the necessary things you need to know about the bison including its behavior and habitat.
Campaign for their Welfare
You can also celebrate this day by participating in campaigns that promote the welfare of bison. Support the cause for making bison go back to the lands where they originally live – in native American reservations. You can look for groups or organizations that focus on such an initiative or a related one.
Celebrate on Social Media
You can also take your celebration of this day on social media. You can, for instance, use the hashtag #NationalBisonDay to let your friends and followers know that you are also participating in the celebration of this day. Let them know that such a celebration takes place every year and also how happy you are enjoying your day.
Quotes
- A world without huge regions of total wilderness would be a cage; a world without lions and tigers and vultures and snakes and elk and bison would be – will be – a human zoo. A high-tech slum. – Edward Abbey
- To use the power of the bison, I had to perform that part of my vision for the people to see. – Black Elk
- If there be no place for wild bison in all of Montana, then surely we have crossed a line between the Last Best Place and the the Once Best Place. – Jim Bailey
- Man needs spiritual expression and nourishing… even in the prehistoric era, people would scrawl pictures of bison on the walls of caves. – Fernando Botero
- From the animist point of view, humans belong in a sacred place because they themselves are sacred. Not sacred in a special way, not more sacred than anything else, but merely as sacred as anything else — as sacred as bison or salmon or crows or crickets or bears or sunflowers. – Daniel Quinn
- A painted landscape is always more beautiful than a real one, because there’s more there. Everything is more sensual, and one takes refuge in its beauty. And man needs spiritual expression and nourishing. It’s why even in the prehistoric era, people would scrawl pictures of bison on the walls of caves. Man needs music, literature, and painting-all those oases of perfection that make up art-to compensate for the rudeness and materialism of life. – Fernando Botero
- Americans are good at herding Bison. The end. – Jeremy Clarkson
- I would love to have a battle of wits with you, Bison, but I doubt it would be a fair fight.’ ‘Shut your face.’ ‘Exactly my point. – Derek Landy
- What do women do when they get together? We sit around and talk! Men, not so much. My theory is that this difference is genetic and dates back to the hunter-gatherer societies, when the men had to be quiet as they hunted, lest they scare away the bison and then everyone starved to death and it was all their fault. – Jenna McCarthy
- Ostrich is a very lean meat. Bison is a very lean meat. Chicken is a very lean meat. Notice something about my favorite meats? – Arlo Guthrie