The Vanishing American

There are Bison on Catalina Island. There wasn't always Bison here as they are native to the Great Plains area. As the story goes, a herd of 14 were brought to the island in 1925 for the filming of Zane Grey's western The Vanishing American. Naturally, using some old time Hollywood logic, they were left here on the island (and on the cutting-room floor; they never appeared in the film). Now the herd is anywhere from 150 to 200 head and when they number too many, they get a one way ticket back home to the prairie in South Dakota. Through an agreement with the Lakota Tribe, the animals live out their natural lives on their ancestral lands. While Catalina Island has a big problem with introduced species (especially herbivores and non-native plants) the Bison are managed by the Catalina Island Conservancy and through a series of investigations they have found that the herd, at its current size, is acceptably supported by the ecosystem. These relics of Americana may be non-native to the desert island climate, but have been woven into the fabric of our Catalina culture.
The American Bison and the North American Grasslands have faded from our country. Under pressure to disappear completely, a few herds hold on tight and like remnants of an ancient civilization, they help draw tourists to National Parks like Yellowstone in Wyoming and Wind Cave in South Dakota and wilderness areas like The Henry Mountains of Utah. While most of the Great American Prairie has receded there are various organizations trying to preserve the national icons of our landscape before they vanish completely.

http://www.americanprairie.org/

http://www.catalinaconservancy.org/