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What: Reconnecting with Buffalo: Restoring and Managing a Local Buffalo Herd, by Kristi Olney and Darwin SockzehighWhen: Tuesday, February 4, 7:00pm
Where: Yakima Valley College Conference Center and livestreamed (link TBA)
Kristi Olney and Darwin Sockzehigh will share their experiences managing a herd of nearly 200 buffalo as part of the Yakama Nation Buffalo Project. Olney, a Big Game Biologist with Yakama Nation, will talk about buffalo behavior, their benefits to the land, the story of the current herd, and how an Intertribal program is helping to restore the buffalo and cultural connections. Sockzehigh, the Herd Manager, will describe the challenges and successes of managing a local herd of buffalo to support Yakama Nation food sovereignty.
Speaker Bios
Kristi Olney, WIldlife Biologist
Kristi Olney is a member of the Yakama Nation and a descendant of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. She grew up on the Warm Springs Reservation in Oregon. Kristi started working for the Yakama Nation Wildlife Program as a seasonal technician in 2012. After receiving a bachelor’s degree, she started full time with the program in 2017 and in 2020 became head of the Big Game program where she manages the big game species and the buffalo program.
Darwin Sockzehigh, Herd Manager for Yakama Nation Buffalo Project
Darwin Sockzehigh a member of the Yakama Nation, Shoshoni-Bannock descendent, and the youngest of two. He started working for the Yakama Nation Wildlife Program in 1992 and has over 30 years of experience working with wildlife. He has lived his whole life on the Yakama Reservation, and has gained knowledge from real-life experiences with ranching, hunting, cowboying, and trapping. In 2018, Darwin became the bison herd manager for the Yakama Nation Buffalo Project.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
S 16th Ave & W Nob Hill Blvd, Yakima, WA, United States, Washington 98902
