We are such a confused species!!!!!...........We love to name and nickname our cars, sports teams and school mascots animal names while we simultaneously go about driving our wildlife to the brink of extinction......In a bizarre twist, a bipartisan bill backed by Western Senators has been introduced to designate the Bison as our national mammal..............I sugggest that rather than go through this exercise, the Senate should invest its time creating new wilderness areas and National Parks and insisting that the Dept. of Agriculture and the Interior Dept go about restoring our native species to those regions asap

Senators propose bison as 'national mammal'

By Ramsey Cox -         

Senators from plain states want the American bison to be designated as the national mammal of the United States.

Sens. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) introduced S. 3248, the Bison Legacy Act, on Thursday. The bill would "honor" the animal by making it the nation's mammal.

"I ask my colleagues to help me support and pass this legislation honoring the bison and designating it as our national mammal," Enzi said. "The bison has and will continue to be a symbol of America, its people and a way of life."

 

Three states have designated the bison as their state mammal and American bison freely roam national parks, such as Yellowstone and Grand Teton.

"The bison has been integrally linked to the economic and spiritual lives of many Native American tribes over the centuries," Enzi said. "Since our frontier days, the bison has become a symbol of American strength and determination."

The bipartisan bill is co-sponsored by Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Mike Johanns (R-Neb.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). The National Bison Association, Intertribal Bison Council and Wildlife Conservation Society also support the measure.