NAYTAHWAUSH, Minn. — The White Earth Nation’s Bison Program welcomed its first calf to its breeding herd near Naytahwaush.

“This historic birth marks a new chapter in our ongoing efforts to restore the bison to Anishinaabe lands,” the tribal nation stated in a post on Thursday, Aug. 7.

Jack Heisler, bison foreman of the program, said they weren’t expecting a calf until spring 2026 at the earliest.

“Wildlife doesn’t follow a script. This bison calf being born, it didn’t follow a script either, because the mama is so young,” he said. Bison typically give birth during the springtime.

Heisler said there were no plans to begin breeding until this summer.

Bison, or mashkode-bizhiki in the Ojibwe language, once roamed and thrived on Minnesota’s prairies in large numbers. By the 19th centur

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