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through letter-writing campaigns, newspaper ads, and neighborhood women's
groups. Many of the donations came from individuals in the amount of $1-5. By
year's end, they had raised the equivalent of almost $250,000 in today's dollars.
The majority of the first 40 bison to enter the range came from the private herd
of Charles Conrad in Kalispell. These bison were direct descendants of the original
bison brought to the Mission Valley 20 years earlier. The first bison arrived on the
range in 1909, and 11 calves were born by the spring of 1910. Since then, only 12
new bison have been introduced into the herd of the National Bison Range. Between
1910 and 1922, white-tailed and mule deer, antelope, and elk were also donated to
the range in small numbers. The last animals to be added to the refuge were mountain
goats, donated in 1964. Each new species brought its own needs and challenges, and
their adaptation to the range had to be properly overseen by park management. Off-
spring from animals on the range have been used to replenish herds in other refuges
across the nation.
Today there are 350-450 bison on the range with 50-90 bison removed each year.
This protects the genetic integrity of the bison and ensures the land can support all of
its inhabitants. The bison that are removed are either sold or donated to other refuges
or private herds. The range also donates bison to the Flathead tribal government to
support bison restoration on Native American land.
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