Lamar Buffalo Ranch: Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park has one of the most incredible ecosystems in the world. It’s home to more than 10,000 thermal features and the largest concentration of mammals in the lower 48 states.

Lamar Buffalo Ranch, located within the 2.2 million-acre footprint of Yellowstone, was set up in the early 1900s as a conservation effort to save the American bison from extinction.

The Lamar Buffalo Ranch is one of the first and most important efforts in the US to rescue a wild species from the brink. The bison herd in Yellowstone recovered from only a few dozen in 1900 to thousands today.

Yellowstone’s bison are among the few herds in North America that remain largely genetically “pure,” meaning they have very little cattle-bison hybridization.

The ranch was essential in increasing their numbers while preserving and restoring wild traits.

History

• Late 1800s
  By the end of the 19th century, American bison had been hunted nearly to extinction. Even in Yellowstone, only a few wild bison remained.
• Congressional funding (1902-1907)
  In 1902, the U.S. Congress appropriated funds ($15,000) to buy domestic bison to rebuild Yellowstone’s herd.
• Establishment of the ranch (1907)
  In 1907, 28 bison from Fort Yellowstone were moved to the Lamar Valley, where the ranch was established, to raise a semi-domesticated herd that would augment the free-roaming bison herd.
• Operations and management
  The ranch provided:
  • Veterinary services and feed.
  • Growing hay in the valley.
  • Mixing the ranched herd with the wild herd.
• Changing philosophy
  By the mid-20th century, the National Park Service reduced the amount of human intervention. The winter feeding program and herd management were viewed as interfering with natural ecology. The active ranch operations ended in 1952.
• Historic status
  The ranch is preserved and, in 1982, was put onto the National Register of Historic Places. The buildings on the ranch include a barn, bunkhouse, ranger station/ residence, corral, and an assistant keeper residence.

Today, the ranch is an education center managed by the Yellowstone Forever Institute.

For more information about the Lamar Buffalo Ranch, visit their website.

Off-grid Power System

Within this beautiful setting, Onsite Energy was tasked to install a solar + storage system that would blend into the scenery.

Onsite Energy built and tested the energy storage system in a 40-foot shipping container. Once the container was onsite, an envelope simulating a log building was built around the container to provide a historical aesthetic.

The energy storage system inside the container is shown below. The adjacent solar arrays, totaling 50 kW of solar capacity, use MT Solar top-of-pole mount racks.

Summary

The Lamar Buffalo Ranch, nestled in Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley, is a historic site dedicated to wildlife conservation and education. The ranch provides a unique opportunity to see how conservation efforts can restore a species on the brink of extinction. It now serves as a hub for research, field education, and sustainability initiatives, connecting visitors to the park’s rich natural and cultural heritage, all powered by Discover Energy products.

For information on the AES RACKMOUNT and SLIMLINE Enclosure, visit the Discover Energy Systems website.

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