Wanuskewin Heritage Park has welcomed several new residents in the form of baby bison. They were born on Earth Day, on Red Dress Day and the most recent on Mother’s Day.

There are three females and one male and Wanuskewin officials say they are the offspring of a new herd bison and the first generation of bison calves to be born on that land since the signing of Treaty Six in 1876.

Bison nearly became extinct in the late 1800’s dwindling from an estimated 25 to 30 million throughout the great plains to fewer than 1000.

Wanuskewin CEO Darlene Brander says these baby bison have become a powerful symbol of hope and resilience during these trying times of isolation.

Park officials describe bison as a keystone species and says they have undertaken a grasslands restoration project noting that native prairie grasslands are the most endangered ecosystem in the world and bison are part of the critical link in the food chain.