The Colorado Bison Herd Is Growing

The Laramie Foothills Bison Herd is up to 44 members.

The herd has grown to 4-times it's size since the initial bison release at Soapstone Prairie Natural Area and Red Mountain Open Space in the fall of 2015. The animals are related to the Yellowstone National Park bison herd.

In-Vitro fertilization is the key the herd's success. That process means the egg is fertilized in a lab. Researchers used eggs harvested from bison from Yellowstone National Park and fertilized them with sperm from bulls with Yellowstone genetics. It's a shared project with teams from both the Colorado State University and city of Fort Collins. The objective is simple, the preservation of this rare American Bison and maintaining their pure genetics.

You can visit these amazing animals. Here's how to see the bison.

Where: Soapstone Prairie Natural Area, 25 miles north of Fort Collins

How to find the place: From Fort Collins, travel Highway 1 to County Road 15 North. Then turn north on Rawhide Flats Road and continue on that road until you reach the entrance station. From Interstate 25, take Exit 288 to Buckeye Road and head west to County Road 15 north. Then follow the directions above.

When: They're open from dawn to dusk, March 1 through Nov. 30

Credit: The Coloradoan