TEA Center: íítaanní/Tataga (Buffalo) Research and Education Center

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A goal of the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) is to increase the intellectual leadership of TCUP institutions so that they can address scientific or engineering needs or interests, specifically for their tribes or communities, or broadly for the Nation. The TCU Enterprise Advancement Centers (TEA Centers) strand allows TCUP institutions to capitalize on their investments in STEM instructional and research capacity. This project aligns directly with that goal, and moreover will extend the body of knowledge and number and credentials of tribal members who seek to ensure stewardship of the ecology and restoration of sovereignty over reservation lands.Aaniiih Nakoda College embarks on an extensive and interconnected set of studies to learn about and restore and sustain the native ecology of the Fort Belknap Indian Community (FBIC). Working with partners from FBIC, the Smithsonian’s Conservation Biology Institute, the World Wildlife Fund, and Little Dog Wildlife, the TEA Center will study the impact of reintroduction of several native species to the reservation. Key among these studies is the effect of buffalo (American bison) on the plains ecology, including flora, and is paralleled by studies on the curlew, black-footed ferret, swift fox, and prairie dogs. Project personnel will conduct ecological research on the Fort Belknap buffalo herd and its associated grassland habitat and species. Research projects will address identified needs and priorities of the FBIC and support the sustainable management and protection of the buffalo herd and surrounding prairie landscapes – now and in the future. The project will provide academic training and community education to prepare future caretakers of tribal wildlife and associated natural resources and to increase community knowledge of, and support for, sustainable management of Fort Belknap's buffalo herd and its habitat.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.