Trudging through the deep snow toward me, he looked like a prehistoric creature.  Fortunately, I was able to collect myself long enough to take this short video of my first incredible encounter with a bison in the wild.

Click here to view the embedded video.

It was the winter of 2005 and I was on a National Wildlife Federation Expedition to Yellowstone National Park. On this same trip, my group was fortunate enough to also witness a herd of beautiful pronghorn antelope, numerous elk and a lone wolf howling in the distance — so haunting! Throughout the trip, I was constantly surprised by the emotions I felt as I observed these animals up close. It’s an experience I will not soon forget.

Needless to say, my trip to Yellowstone deepened my appreciation for our nation’s wildlife.And, it gives me great pride that National Wildlife Federation has been actively protecting Yellowstone wildlife for many years, thanks to our loyal supporters.

When the first explorers came to the Great Plains, it is estimated that 20 million bison roamed the land. By 1900, a little over 1,000 bison could be found with only a handful of wild bison left in Yellowstone National Park.

I have been a strong supporter myself of NWF’s Adopt-a-Wildlife-Acre program that helps protect bison, wolves and other wildlife that wander outside Yellowstone’s protected borders. Under grazing agreements, federal agents are obligated to kill the wandering wildlife to protect livestock. Through our program, NWF pays ranchers for their grazing privileges on acreage where wildlife conflicts exist. Then, we work with the U.S. Forest Service to permanently close the acreage to grazing. Ranchers are compensated, livestock thrives and wildlife survives. It’s win-win-win!

Introducing: Choose Your Cause

Because of my personal encounter with Yellowstone wildlife, I know first-hand what a profound effect my donations to this program can have.  And, it’s why I choose to continue to support this program through our newly launched Choose Your Cause online portal.

I know that not everyone can visit Yellowstone National Park or Bristol Bay in Alaska, or the many other wild places NWF is helping to protect. So, through our new Choose Your Cause site, we are bringing these national gems to you. Just click on the cause you care about most and enjoy inspiring stories and photos from folks on-the-ground who are working tirelessly to protect the wildlife and wild places we all love.

"Just another Buffalo" attracting some attention in Yellowstone this summer.

“Oh, It’s just another Buffalo,” Anthony said when we finally discovered what was causing the excitement in the cars stopped up ahead.

Really?  It only took 36 hours for Yellowstone to ruin my 9-year-old kid?

I had to laugh, but it brought into focus one incredible wildlife success story, and how grateful I am to my colleagues at the National Wildlife Federation for playing such an important part in bringing this amazing species from the brink of extinction to a relatively common sight during our recent visit to Yellowstone.

Giving Bison Room to Roam

In the early 1800s, an estimated 65 million bison roamed throughout the continent of North America. However, hunting and poaching had a devastating effect on the bison population; and by 1890, fewer than 1,000 remained.

Due to federal protections, there were approximately 1,500 bison in Yellowstone National Park by 1954. By 1997, there were approximately 3,500 bison in Yellowstone National Park.

However conflicts with cattle grazing interests have been a long-standing threat to bison and access to their historic grazing lands.  Federal officials used slaughter and hazing to confine herds to park property and limit their natural migration for food, killing more than 3,800 bison to prevent conflicts with ranching and cattle interests.

Now, thanks to the work of groups like National Wildlife Federation and a new agreement between federal agencies, several American Indian tribes and five states, the bison of Yellowstone National Park will have more room to roam.

According to the recent agreement, bison will no longer be shot or hazed upon leaving Yellowstone Park. Instead they will be allowed to migrate into Gardiner Basin, a 75,000 acre area that lies immediately north of Yellowstone and encompasses the upper Yellowstone River valley.

“The establishment of the Gardiner Basin Bison Conservation Area ends an era where bison were killed or quarantined simply for walking across boundary in search of winter feed,” said NWF’s Tom France. “It is a huge step forward for wildlife conservation in the northern Rockies.”

Paying Ranchers to Turn Land Used for Grazing into Bison Habitat

National Wildlife Federation has successfully fought for decades to change bison management through our Adopt-a-Wildlife-Acre program, which compensates ranchers for retiring their grazing allotments and relocating their livestock.  NWF has successfully phased out livestock grazing in key areas around Yellowstone National Park and raised more than $1 million to provide additional habitat.

The work to create a safe haven for bison is not over. In addition for continued work in the Greater Yellowstone, National Wildlife Federation has created a campaign to restore a wild, free-ranging bison herd in and around the 1.1 million-acre Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge in north-central Montana.

It’s a lot of work and a difficult task – much like convincing a 9-year-old looking at a herd of hundreds of free-roaming bison that there was once a question of their very existence.  Yet sometimes it’s nice to take a moment to silently enjoy a hard-fought policy victory by realizing the power behind simply giving a kid the opportunity to say “just another Buffalo.”

Find out more about National Wildlife Federation’s work to restore bison to Montana’s Northern Great Plains >>

Adopt a Wildlife Acre – Help retire grazing allotments near Yellowstone National Park to provide room for bison to roam >>

For many, the end of the year is time to reflect and examine our goals as we plan for 2011.

For the staff of the National Wildlife Federation it’s a chance to remember why we are so dedicated to our mission and to focus on what we want to accomplish moving forward.

Many of us are here because of our own personal passion to protect wildlife and the environment that supports our planet’s greatest treasures. But what is even more inspiring to me is why our members choose to support our work and the notes they send along with their contributions.

The reasons our members support the work of National Wildlife Federation are varied and range from understanding the implications of our work:

“I am horrified on a daily basis about the terrible things that are done to our wildlife.  I can’t understand why some people don’t get that animals are important to us.  We cannot exist without them. “

To wanting to preserve wildlife for future generations:

“Wildlife is important to our future in all ways. For beauty, peace, unity, support, identity, participation, knowledge, love, health, stability, life, everything!”

“I want to protect America’s wildlife because my grandchildren asked to do it for them and their children. And I would do anything for my family. Who wouldn’t?”

As a father of three children, I couldn’t agree more!

Others recognize that by working together we all can achieve our goals:

“I think that my membership in NWF helps …  I wish that I could do more, but unfortunately circumstances prevent that.  I try to think about the effects of my ‘footprint’ on every living thing every day, and I do everything that I can to help protect our animals.”

Madison Simon, one of our youngest supporters, sold her paintings to raise money for the oil spill.

And we are inspired by members of all generations who support our work – such as the donations and drawings we receive from our youngest contributors – many of whom rallied after the BP oil spill to raise funds with activities as varied as lemonade stands, selling artwork and jewelry.

“For the past few months, I have been working hard painting and fundraising for the animals affected by the BP oil spill… I wanted to do this because we need to start cleaning up our acts and taking care of wildlife for our generation and for a new generation to come.”

As we wrap up another busy year, I hope you will remember the National Wildlife Federation and how your support makes it possible for us to continue our fight.

Wildlife and their wild places across the country need our help and with your support, NWF will be able to increase our efforts in 2011 to:

• Fight global warming. Through grassroots and national efforts, we’re fighting greenhouse-gas pollution by pushing for legislation and providing solutions to reduce our carbon footprint.
• Ensure habitat for wildlife. Climate change is stressing our wild places; and, without habitat, wildlife cannot survive. That’s why we work to restore, conserve and protect the environment through on-the-ground action, policy and legislation.
• Protect wildlife. From fighting for a strong Endangered Species Act to retiring land for imperiled animals through our Adopt-a-Wildlife-Acre program, we’re working to ensure future generations have the same wildlife in their lives to learn from and enjoy as we do.

All the work we have accomplished this past year could not have been possible without our members and contributors. It was their generous support that put us in a strong position to immediately respond to the wildlife crisis in the Gulf and it is their support that allows us to lead the charge to leave a lasting legacy for generations to come.

I hope you will remember the National Wildlife Federation as you plan your year-end giving, and through your generosity help make a difference in 2011.

Thanks to the generous support of all our members and partners, we continue to speak up for wildlife and fight for the wild places across the country.