Mr. Willcutt is no ordinary rancher. He manages more than 31,000 acres here in the heart of Phillips County, one of the most remote counties in the continental United States.
He has been entrusted with the bison, which are seed stock for the start of a restoration project by the American Prairie Foundation, which owns 11,000 acres and leases 20,000 more.
On Nov. 17, the bison will be turned out of their pen onto the dun-colored prairie in the middle of their ancestral home.
The foundation's project is one of several major independent efforts under way across the West intended to re-create North America's ancient prairie. The players include the Nature Conservancy, the World Wildlife Fund and Ted Turner, the media mogul, who owns a large bison herd.
UPDATE: The Argus also has a story on bison today.
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