I am closing this Petition after a great campaign and collecting over 22,000 signatures!  I was able to communicate with leaders of Grand Canyon NPS this week after sending this letter:  

Hello!  I'm hoping to find a person to help answer some questions on this year's lethal removal of Bison in the Grand Canyon.  I first saw this article from FOX NEWS a couple of weeks ago and was alarmed by the opening explanation which states, 

"The National Park Service (NPS) is looking for volunteers to assist in killing hundreds of bison on the North Rim of Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park."

This action is triggering as an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe in SD and knowing the history of the concentrated and sponsored efforts by the US Government in the 1870s that drove the Bison herds to extinction with the sole purpose of weakening tribes in the west.  I started a petition on the website Change.org which has as of this morning gained almost 18,000 signatures (VIEW HERE).  In the midst of the social media commentary, I came across a reporter named Nicole Qualtieri who had interview Kait from your office and she shared with me her questions and answers.  She asked your office directly how many bison will be removed by volunteers and the answer was 12.  So I would love to have some facts to the program which has been a little ambiguous on the website FAQ pages, Fox News stated the volunteers would assist in the killing of "hundreds", but your office stated only "12" would be removed by volunteers, can you confirm what the plan is?  Removing 12 is something completely different then mass slaughtering the herd to your target size of 200.  

We have a 501c3 non profit in MN called NATIFS (North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems) which is focussed on creating awareness, education, and access to Indigenous Foodways everywhere.  We are deeply connected to many Native Communities across North America and could offer many potential solutions of how any unwanted animals could be utilized to help build more Indigenous Food Security.  We understand there are many complications and rule sets around those kinds of decisions and the Environmental Assessments have already been completed and that 88 animals have already been transferred to 5 tribes with the help of ITBC, but there are 574 tribes across the US and 622 in Canada and all are in a state of needing food security, and we feel the killing of hundreds of bison is a missed opportunity to build a better future.  We would just hate to see a senseless slaughter of an animal that holds so much spiritual meaning and connection to so many of us across Indian Country.  So my last question is, is your department open to alternative solutions and discussions of further relocation over euthanizing?

I thank you in advance for your time reading and responses.
 

Pilamayeyelo,

Sean Sherman - CEO/Founder:  The Sioux Chef / NATIFS.org

I was able to speak with Mike Lyndon, the Tribal Program Manager at Grand Canyon National Park yesterday along with receiving a response from Kaitlyn Thomas, a representative of the Grand Canyon National Park.  Kait informed me that information published by Fox News was wrong and as of today, the Fox News article was changed to say,

"The National Park Service (NPS) is looking for volunteers to assist in killing bison on the North Rim of Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park." (which changed the original phrase "killing hundreds of bison".)

The call for volunteers will be selecting only 12 hunters and only 12 animals will be euthanized, 1 per hunter, for this particular campaign.  The phone conversation between Mike and myself was very promising and I told him that we do not oppose hunting, as it is part of our Indigenous Food Ways, but we do oppose the extermination of hundreds of these animals when there are other solutions and needs out there and this would be a missed opportunity for future Indigenous Food Sovereignty.  Understanding there are many factors with live removal including labor, financing, and logistics, Mike implored to me that non lethal removal is their primary goal and he was excited for my offer to utilize our non-profit NATIFS.org as another resource for the Grand Canyon NPS to help problem solve more non lethal methods of distributing these animals to tribal communities to help us all build more food security in much needed areas around the US.  

Thank you so much to everybody who signed and shared this campaign and helped create these direct conversations and important connections that will hopefully help save the lives and find new homes for these amazing and sacred animals.

Wopila Tanka, 

Sean Sherman