January 2025

The BNGA team set up a booth at the Tribal Econ Summit in Bismarck North Dakota. They offered free BNGA swag items along with a raffle for 2 chances to win products from Native-Owned businesses. Tribes from across the nation and Canada met to share their experience as Indigenous entrepreneurs.

During the conference, the BNGA team uplifted the importance of nature- based economies, the value of preserving intact grasslands, and the significance of native seed preservation.

January 2025

BNGA welcomed Tiara Walks (Citizen of the Crow Tribe) as our new Outreach & Engagement Program Officer. Tiara brings a wealth of experience in community outreach. She will assist BNGA in outreach and engagement efforts.

January 2025

BNGA Announces its 2025 in-person gathering will be held June 9th - 13th in Rocky Boy, Montana. For more information, email us at info@bnga.org.

November 2024

BNGA announced we are hiring 4 positions: a Program Director, Grants Manager, Outreach and Engagement Program Officer, and Grasslands Specialist.

November 2024

Libby Khumalo, BNGA Technical Advisor, and Tony Morsette, Land Conservation Program Officer, began facilitating Fort Belknap Buffalo Program’s buffalo management planning process.

November 2024

BNGA’s Board of Directors formally adopted our Regional Conservation Plan and our 2025 - 2027 Strategic Plan

October 2024

Shaun Grassel, BNGA CEO, Quoted in NWF article on the North American Grasslands Conservation Act https://www.nwf.org/Home/Latest-News/Press-Releases/2024/10-9-24-North-American-Grasslands-Conservation-Act

September 2024

The BNGA Team met with Cornell Lab to discuss future collaborative efforts.

September 2024

Sunshine Claymore, Youth Engagement Specialist, worked with Libby Khumalo, BNGA Technical Advisor, to develop a draft Youth Engagement Plan. The plan will be approved in the new year!

August 25 - 31, 2024

The BNGA team set up a booth at the Wild 12, World Wilderness Congress. Every 4 years, Wild meets in a different location. However, this was the first year that it was hosted by indigenous people.

During the congress, the BNGA team met with dignitaries and conservationists from around the world, where they educated people on BNGA's activities.

August 2024

The Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC) completed pilot habitat suitability and connectivity maps for three species on five reservations. CLLC also completed a set of recommendations for future connectivity modeling with BNGA’s Tribal partners. BNGA is following-up with Tribes’ department leads to discuss possible next steps for supporting Tribes’ connectivity priorities.

August 2024

Shaun Grassel, BNGA CEO, attended the Midwest Grasslands Summit in Des Moines, IA, where he participated in a panel discussion to discuss Tribal perspectives.

August 5th - 9th

The BNGA team visited with sixteen program leads in five Native Nations, Cheyenne River, Standing Rock, Fort Belknap, Rocky Boy, and Blackfeet, to learn more about their programs, understand some of their goals and challenges, and discuss ways BNGA might support their work.

July 2024

In July, Tony attended the Esri User Conference in San Diego, CA, where he met with Tribal/non-Tribal GIS professionals in an effort to build collaboration among different organizations focused on GIS related activities.

July 2024

In July, Tony Morsette, Land Conservation Program Officer, met Adriann Killsnight, Wildlife Biologist for Northern Cheyenne, and colleagues in Northern Cheyenne to assist with mapping prairie dog colonies and data entry, in support of the Tribe’s black-footed ferret restoration work.

Additionally, Shaun Grassel, BNGA CEO, met with partners in Northern Cheyenne to discuss grassland reseeding options.

June 11 - 13, 2024

Thirty-four people participated in the gathering in Oacoma, South Dakota and Lower Brule Reservation.

Participants from 9 Native Nations and partner organizations strengthened their collaborative connections with each other, growing shared understanding of BNGA’s vision, mission, strategies, and goals, as well as next steps for supporting partners’ grassland restoration and ecological connectivity goals.

Representatives from conservation nonprofits and federal agencies highlighted partnership opportunities for restoring grasslands and building climate resilience in the Northern Great Plains.

Shaun Grassel and Joel Bich showcased grasslands restoration areas on Lower Brule Reservation, the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe’s Department of Wildlife Fish and Recreation office, the Tribal farm, the Missouri River restoration site, and the Wata Onazin Recreation Area.

Through engaging conversations with the many experienced and knowledgeable people in the room, participants created two-year action plans for advancing conservation and community engagement in their respective communities and organizations.

March - May 2024

This spring, Libby Khumalo, BNGA Technical Advisor, provided a series of grant-writing trainings to the Wildlife Biologists Network

April 2024

Shaun Grassel, BNGA CEO, and Jeff Kelly, Director of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Fish and Game Director, organized the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society Great Plains Regional Conference, held in Billing, MT on April 16-18.

April 2024

Tony Morsette, Land Conservation Program Officer, participated in the 13th Tribal Land Staff National Conference in Las Vegas, NV. Tony met with Cris Stainbrook, Executive Director of the Indian Land Tenure Foundation.

April 2024

BNGA has contracted the Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC) to use existing, public data to do habitat suitability modeling for elk and mule deer on Cheyenne River, Crow, Fort Belknap, and Rocky Boy Reservations. The species were selected based on interests our colleagues expressed and on what is most feasible for accomplishing in this three-month pilot project. A major goal of the partnership is to create a set of ecological connectivity modeling and mapping objectives and recommendations for BNGA to support from July 2024 – June 2025.

March 2024

BNGA welcomed Tony Morsette (Chippewa Cree) as Land Conservation Program Officer. Tony possesses extensive knowledge in project management, grant writing, and place-based spatial data analysis. With a rich educational background and years of experience, he will assist BNGA in land conservation efforts.

March 2024

BNGA welcomed Sunshine Claymore (Standing Rock) as Outreach Program Officer. Skilled in organizational planning and grant management, she has experience in roles such as Community Engagement Specialist and Regenerative Land Management Coordinator. She will support BNGA’s partners in their outreach and engagement efforts.

February 2024

Shaun Grassel, CEO, attended the meeting in Nebraska City, Nebraska to meet with partners and inform collaborative efforts towards conserving America’s grasslands.

February 2024

Shaun Grassel (CEO) has partnered with Kristy Bly (WWF Black-footed Ferret Restoration Program Manager) to host a wildlife biologist peer group with six, early career wildlife biologists from Tribal programs in the Northern Great Plains. The cohort has identified their shared learning goals and will meet biweekly as a community of practice.

January 2024

Coordinated by the Wyola Mighty Few Development Authority, Libby Khumalo (BNGA Technical Advisor) provided grant-writing training for 10 people from community-based, Native-led non-profit organizations in Crow Nation.

December 2023

Shaun Grassel (CEO) participated in the Private Lands Biologist Forum in South Dakota, sponsored by the Northern Great Plains Joint Venture. Shaun shared perspectives on protecting grasslands and established connections with numerous representatives from grasslands-supporting organizations and agencies.

December 2023

Shaun Grassel (CEO) participated in a Grasslands Retreat sponsored by the Volgenau Climate Initiative in Tucson, Arizona. The invite-only retreat focused on discussing how to elevate the importance of grasslands at a national level. Shaun contributed important insights and made important professional connections with people working to protect grasslands in the United States.

December 7, 2023

Chippewa Cree Tribe Business Council passed a resolution in support of BNGA’s Vision, Mission, and Goals. Jason Belcourt (Chippewa Cree Tribe Sustainability Director, left) and Theron Oaks (Chippewa Cree Tribe Buffalo Manager, right) invited BNGA to support the development of their buffalo management and restoration planning. Libby Khumalo (BNGA Technical Advisor) will coach the planning process.

November 3, 2023

Shaun Grassel (CEO), Monica Rattling Hawk (Board member), and Libby Khumalo (Technical Advisor) participated in the Returning Buffalo with Native Nations forum in Bozeman, Montana that connected Native Nations restoring buffalo with potential partners. The forum fostered deeper understanding among potential partners about Native Nation buffalo restoration visions, priorities, approaches, and opportunities. BNGA advisors Jonny Bearcub Stiffarm and Les Big Horn, of Fort Peck Tribes Game and Fish Program, and Chance Weston of Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation, among representative of six other programs, presented on their respective buffalo restoration initiatives.

November 1, 2023

Ten BNGA staff, Board members, and advisors gathered in Bozeman, Montana to complete strategic planning with Paul and Lesley Kabotie of Indigenous Collaboration, with financial support from First Nations Development Institute. Lesley and Paul guided the group through a planning process that brought forth the history that has shaped BNGA’s approach, BNGA’s intentions, contradictions, and next steps for implementation.

September 19, 2023

25 people participated in a gathering hosted by Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance (BNGA) in Billings, Montana and Crow Nation. Participants from 13 Native Nations and partner organizations strengthened their collaborative connections with each other, re-affirmed BNGA’s ten-year goal of securing 10 paths of connectivity for Native Nations in the Northern Great Plains, and created two-year action plans for advancing conservation and community engagement in their respective communities and organizations. Additionally, Dr. Emerson Bull Chief, Neva Tall Bear, and M. Wes Stops, Jr highlighted important links between Tribal colleges and natural resources programs by hosting a tour of Little Big Horn College, grasslands, and cultural sites on the Crow Reservation.

August 25, 2023

BNGA would like to thank Emily Boyd-Valandra for her years of service to the organization as a founding board member, as she steps off the board today to continue serving Native Nations in her many other capacities. Thank you so much, Emily!

August 2023

Sammi Lin, a World Wildlife Fund and BNGA intern, presented to BNGA’s advisors on “Cultivating Equitable Access: How Payments for Ecosystems Services Programs Can Be Made More Accessible for Native Ranchers in the Northern Great Plains”. BNGA’s advisors then discussed the issue and provided guidance on how BNGA could contribute to supporting equitable access.

August 8 – 10, 2023

Shaun Grassel, CEO, served on the America’s Grasslands Conference’s planning team this year. He also at significant presence at the conference, giving a presentation entitled "Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance: Connecting People to Ensure Grasslands for Generations". Shaun moderated a session on Indigenous and community-based stewardship of grasslands, and he contributed as a panelist in a discussion of strategies and challenges for balancing wildlife conflicts, with reflections on grasslands conservation efforts. Board members Emily Boyd-Valandra, Adriann Killsnight, and Monica Rattling Hawk also attended the conference.

August 2023

Shaun Grassel has been appointed a board member of the Northern Great Plains Joint Venture.

June 2023

Ceres Trust has awarded BNGA a grant in support of developing a conservation trust fund. Thank you, Ceres Trust!

June 2023

BNGA welcomed Sammi Lin, a WWF BRIDGE summer intern, who for ten weeks will be exploring opportunities for BNGA to support Native ranchers’ access to payments of ecosystems services.

May 2023

CEO Shaun Grassel gave two presentations at the Native American Fish and Wildlife’s Great Plains Regional Conference, one providing and update on BNGA and the second entitled "Financing Conservation on Tribal Lands: Conservation for Climate Resiliency".

May 2023

BNGA’s Board of Directors marked their transition from a working board to a professional board with training provided by Montana Nonprofit Association in Billings, MT.

April, 2023

Shaun Grassel (BNGA CEO), Adriann Killsnight (BNGA Board Director), and Libby Khumalo (WWF Manager of Conservation Integration) attended the 40th Annual Native American Fish and Wildlife Society meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, networking with Indigenous leaders from around the country and learning about innovative approaches to conservation in Indian Country.

March, 2023

The Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance welcomes Shaun Grassel, PhD (Lower Brule Sioux Tribe) as our new CEO! Shaun brings a wealth of experience, having worked as a wildlife biologist for the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe for nearly 25 years.

Read more about him and his experience.

December, 2022

BNGA would like to thank Ceres Trust for their generous grant this month! Ceres Trust’s investment will assist BNGA with hiring and retaining staff, accomplishing BNGA’s three-year strategic plan, and developing a conservation trust fund.

Nov 30, 2022

BNGA adopted its strategic plan for pursuing our mission between January 2023 through December 2025. The plan details measurable outcomes and activities costs for pursuing BNGA’s six objectives.

Oct 20, 2022

BNGA welcomes two new board members, Adriann Killsnight (Northern Cheyenne) and Rachel Hanisch. Together they bring many years of combined experience in natural resources management, traditional cultural practices, nonprofit development, and law.

Oct 17-20, 2022

35 BNGA board members and advisors gathered in Standing Rock. Participants came from 13 Native Nations in the Northern Great Plains and from a diverse range of Tribal programs, Native-led organizations, and partner organizations

Through site visits and small and large group discussions, the gathering accomplished its three goals of:

1. Building a shared understanding of BNGA’s vision, mission, strategies, and goals, and next steps for creating a conservation trust fund;

2. Building a shared understanding of conservation and financial planning, identifying lessons learned from planning in Native Nations, and determining how to ensure that BNGA’s investments in planning result in implementation and continuity; and

3. Identifying programmatic priorities for the next three years so that BNGA can hire excellent staff, grow, and demonstrating its capacity to build climate resiliency and reach our 10-year goals.

Oct 3-6, 2022

BNGA hosted visits with community partners in Pine Ridge, Rosebud, and Lower Brule Reservations. A total of 19 representatives of funding organizations met with conservation and community development leaders from BNGA, Red Cloud Renewable, Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation, Rosebud Indian Reservation, Sicangu Co, Wolakota Buffalo Project, Wakanyeja Ki Tokeyahci Wounspe Oti Language Immersion School, Lakota Youth Development, and Lower Brule Sioux Tribe Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Recreation

Aug 15, 2022

Indian Land Tenure Foundation (ILTF) has just awarded BNGA a general operation grant, which will go a long way toward assisting BNGA with hiring a new staff member and continuing to grow as an organization. Thank you ILTF!

Aug 9, 2022

BNGA would like to announce that the Turner Foundation has awarded us a grant for general funding! We thank Turner Foundation for their generous support, and for equipping us to grow our new organization.

Aug 1, 2022

BNGA announces its 2022 in-person gathering will be held October 18 – 20th at the Prairie Knights Casino & Resort in Standing Rock. We invite current and interested advisors to attend, and we are offering a number of grants to aid with travel costs, thanks to generous support from the First Nations Development Institute.

July 14, 2022

Fort Belknap Indian Community Council has just passed a resolution recognizing and expressing a shared vision of the Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance. The Council also passed a resolution in support of their conservation and financial plan, for which BNGA provided technical guidance.

July 11, 2022

Today, the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians signed a resolution in recognition of BNGA’s effort and resolving to participate in partnership with BNGA and Native Nations in the Northern Great Plains towards fulfilling BNGA’s goals.

July 8, 2022

BNGA would like to thank Terry Tatsey for his service to the organization as a founding board member, as he steps off the board today to continue serving Native Nations in his many other capacities. Thank you so much, Terry!

July 7, 2022

First Nations Development Institute (FNDI) has just awarded BNGA a grant to host a workshop focusing on dialogue about climate impacts and resilience-building, completing a capacity needs assessment to identify the top ten needs of Tribal departments and Native non-governmental organizations s for implementing projects that align with BNGA’s goals, build climate resiliency, and to help fulfill Justice40, and to co-create a project proposal.

May 31, 2022

BNGA welcomes Leala Pourier (Oglala Lakota) to the team as our new Junior Social Media Manager! Leala will bring you new and inspiring content through our Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts, as well as through our website.

May 18, 2022

The Northern Cheyenne Tribal Council passed a resolution recognizing and supporting BNGA’s vision, mission, and goals and resolving to participate in partnership with BNGA and Native Nations in the Northern Great Plains towards fulfilling BNGA’s goals. We thank Northern Cheyenne for their support and leadership!

May 15, 2022

Following Board Director M. Wes Stop Jr.’s April presentation to the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leadership Council (RMTLC), RMTLC has issued a resolution expressing shared vision and recognition of the Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance. Thank you RMTLC!

Feb 21, 2022

Fort Belknap Indian Community Fish and Wildlife Department has completed their conservation and financial plans, with support from BNGA. The conservation plans delineate their vision, mission, strategies, goals, and activities for the next five years, while the financial plan contains detailed cost estimates for completing all of the planned activities. Congratulations Fort Belknap Indian Community!

Feb 14, 2022

BNGA announces its search for a CEO! The CEO of BNGA will serve as the Chief Administrator for BNGA under the guidance and direction of the Board of Directors (which consists of seven Directors). The CEO will be the public face of BNGA, creating and maintaining strong, collaborative relationships with all BNGA participants and people and organizations in the U.S. Northern Great Plains ecoregion, including Tribal Councils, Tribal Leaders’ Associations, Tribal natural resources departments, Native peoples, Native non-governmental organizations, federal agencies, and other organizations. The CEO will develop and implement a fundraising plan to enhance BNGA’s programs in accordance with its mission and goals. The CEO will also recruit and manage all of BNGA’s staff and contractors, create and manage BNGA’s annual budget, administer BNGA’s policy efforts and programs, and work with the Board of Directors and participants to ensure organizational sustainability.

Dec 7, 2021

BNGA’s Board of Directors hosted a board governance workshop, with facilitation and consultation provided by Jennifer Wolf and Rick Williams of Project Mosaic LLC. The 12-person gathering included both board governance training and clarification of key next steps for increasing governance transparency, communication, and effectiveness. The Board also welcomed three additional new Directors: M. Wes Stops, Jr. (Crow), Jennifer Martel (Cheyenne River), and Martha Kauffman representing World Wildlife Fund.

Dec 2, 2021

First Nations Development Institute (FNDI) has awarded BNGA a general operating grant for developing our new organization. Thank you FNDI!

Nov 29, 2021

BNGA is excited to announce that Indian Land Tenure Foundation (ILTF) agreed to fiscally sponsor BNGA through its early stages as a new organization. We thank ILTF for their support!

Nov 1, 2021

Native American Agriculture Fund (NAAF) has just awarded BNGA a grant. With this new funding, BNGA will engage Tribal councils and organizations, build buy-in at the community-level for BNGA, ensure BNGA’s decision-making is transparent, fair and reflective of Native Nations’ interests, record our history and communicate BNGA’s capability to reach our goals, and increase Native producers’ access to capital.

Oct 29, 2021

First Nations Development Institute (FNDI) has just awarded BNGA a Stewarding Native Lands grant. BNGA will use this funding to hire community-based facilitators and engage community leaders in planning conversations in Native Nations across the Northern Great Plains.

Aug 4, 2021

Today BNGA received official notice from the Internal Revenue Service that we are officially recognized as a 501(c)(3) organization! BNGA is registered in the State of South Dakota and led by a four-member Board of Directors Shaun Grassel (Lower Brule), Monica Rattling Hawk (Oglala Lakota), Emily Boyd-Valandra (Sicangu Lakota), and Terry Tatsey (Blackfeet). Aug 4, 2021