Rosmarino said the refuge is one of the best remaining intact shortgrass prairie habitats in the southern plains.
“It's not flat. These are rolling grasslands, with a lot of topography, and therefore a lot of different microhabitats,” she said.
The area is home to rare species, some which are found nowhere else on the planet, such as a flower called the Colorado green gentian. Rosmarino said bringing the bison back to this part of their historic range will help the ecosystem and support the area’s flora and fauna.
The new conservation herd will be kept separate from a herd established in 2015 at the refuge known as the sanctuary herd, which is not a breeding herd, according to Rosmarino. The sanctuary herd is not considered a pure genetic source.