Buffalo herds decimation ‘environmental catastrophe’
By Medicine Hat News on October 13, 2017.
Medicine Hat News A presentation on the decimation of the buffalo herds of the North American Plains will be held Oct. 18 at Medicine Hat College, starting at 7 p.m. Preceding the presentation, in Room F156 at the college, will be a brief SouthEast Alberta Archeological Society meeting. In a press release, the SEAAS says the decimation of the herds “was an environmental catastrophe which is too often laid at the boots of American hide hunters who swarmed the region following the Civil War.” Singling them out is “overly simplistic,” says Bruce Shepard, the current president of the SEAAS, “because there is ample evidence, derived from a number of disciplines including archaeology, that the great herds were being significantly reduced north of the international boundary for nearly a century before the hide hunters even appeared.” Using a multi-disciplinary approach, Shepard will argue that the near extermination of the bison is better understood as a long, slow inexorable decline beginning in the 18th century and stretching over the decades until the mid-1870s; then with a sharp decline due to the arrival of the hide hunters. People planning to attend should enter at the north door and watch for signs. Everyone is welcome. There is no admission charge, but donations are appreciated. Refreshments and memberships will be available. For further information, contact Shepard at shepardb@telus.net or Randy Stotz at randystotz@shaw.ca. 9-8
