The first six bison will arrive at Wanuskewin Heritage Park in January, with a herd of around 50 expected to be re-introduced to the prairie, bringing it back to what it was like 6-thousand years ago. Director of Programming, Lamarr Oksasikewiyin , explains that the bison will forage the land, which will change the ecosystem.

The Saskatchewan Teachers Federation in partnership with Wanuskewin is developing Grades 4 and 5 lesson plans to give students some base knowledge before they arrive for a tour. That way they can have deeper conversations about the importance of the bison and the relationship with Indigenous peoples.

Some of what the students will be learning is that bison are matriarchal and similar to elephants, they mourn their dead. All the bison come to lick the animal and the same happens with newborns.

The lesson plans will be launched in April, but Oksasikewiyin expects there will be students coming out to see the bison before that. The Grade 8 Eco Justice class at St. Francis School has surveyed the land and the students have taken pictures so they can compare with the changes once the bison have arrived.

Oksasikewiyin says there has been talk at Wanuskewin about bringing the bison back since it opened in 1983.