Driving a pickup truck to one of the two buffalo pastures on the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Reservation, William Thompson spots a group of about a hundred buffalo grazing at one of the herd’s typical spots near the pasture’s entrance. Though the wind is biting and the temperature is below freezing, the herd seems unfazed.
William Thompson, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s buffalo herd ranger, watches a group of buffalo at the tribe’s largest pasture, Selfridge, N.D. Jan. 9.
Two buffalo graze on grassland at Wozu Inc. on the Standing Rock Reservation, Cannon Ball, N.D., Oct. 17, 2025.
On the Standing Rock Reservation, a group of buffalo start a stampede after being spooked by the herd manager’s vehicle, Selfridge, N.D., Jan. 9.
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Two bulls rest at the top of a butte in Unit 41 at the Standing Rock Reservation, Selfridge, N.D., Jan. 9.
This story is a product of the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, an independent reporting network based at the University of Missouri in partnership with Report for America, with major funding from the Walton Family Foundation.





