Flags and Flagships: Symbolism, Conservation, and the National Bison Legacy Act

Plains bison ( Bison bison bison ) currently number over 500,000 in the United States, but the vast majority are raised as commercial livestock. Historically, bison were an ecological and cultural keystone species in the Great Plains, but only a handful of conservation herds exist today. In 2016, amid ongoing conflict over bison conservation, the National Bison Legacy Act (NBLA) was signed into law, making bison the official national mammal. Previous research on symbolically significant species suggests that the NBLA could be a promising sign for bison conservation, whereas scholarship on national symbols indicates the act could be about national identity instead. We analyze legislation and newsprint media to explore the values and rationale underpinning the NBLA. We conclude that the NBLA enshrined bison as a symbol of national identity rather than a symbol of particular use to conservation efforts. These findings bring together knowledge of animal symbolism to demonstrate that symbolic recognition reflects human values rather than inspiring support for the species itself.