Restoring Bison and Fire to Rewild America’s Prairies | Overview

In this lesson, students will explore how natural processes like bison grazing and fire are used to restore and maintain prairie ecosystems. Through engaging video content, students will learn how these processes historically shaped the landscape, helped maintain biodiversity, and are being reintroduced today to repair degraded ecosystems. The media highlights successful rewilding efforts, such as bison reintroduction, and demonstrates how these natural processes can revitalize ecosystems that have been impacted by human activities.

The lesson includes activities for students to apply what they’ve learned. Middle school students will research a local ecosystem and create a presentation on how reintroducing a lost or reduced species could help restore it. High school students will develop a detailed rewilding plan for a degraded ecosystem, considering how natural processes like grazing and fire could restore balance. By the end of the lesson, students will have a deeper understanding of rewilding and its potential as a tool for ecological restoration.

About the Author
Amelia Cook is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, Science Education PhD student, and science teacher educator at the University of Oklahoma. Amelia is a teacher ambassador with the National Center for Science Education, EcoRise, and a NOAA Planet Steward. Amelia’s research interests include culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy, Indigenous perspectives and values in science education, and Indigenous representation in STEM.