The Cabela Family Foundation (CFF) and International Order of T. Roosevelt (IOTR) recently announced a new conservation initiative they're embarking on together as part of their recently launched partnership. The organizations will combine efforts and funding for a research project on plains bison on an island off the coast of Kodiak, Alaska.

“The history of the American Bison and Teddy Roosevelt go hand in hand, as he was largely responsible for saving them from extinction,” said Dan Cabela, Executive Director of the Cabela Family Foundation. “Once I learned about the work being done here toward conservation and community projects, I knew IOTR would want to roll up their sleeves and help.”

“We are committed to working with the Cabela Family Foundation to tackle these strategic conservation initiatives across North America,” said Luke Hilgemann, Executive Director of the International Order of T. Roosevelt. “The buffalo is a crucial part of America’s heritage, and we are proud to be part of such an important effort – an effort that our organization’s namesake would wholeheartedly support.”

In 2017, the Alutiiq Tribe of Old Harbor, Alaska, acquired plains bison, which were subsequently introduced on a large, remote, privately-owned island named Sitkalidak located off the coast of Kodiak. This wild, free-ranging herd coexists with brown bears and has been strictly managed for hunting as a food resource in the remote village community.

Local community leaders, biologists, and researchers recently made an effort to learn more about these bison as they look to expand the herd in years to come. The Cabela Family Foundation and IOTR have stepped in to fund this crucial research as part of a multi-year partnership the two organizations launched in March 2024.

As part of the initiative, the two groups will travel to Sitkalidak and partake in a bison capture and collaring. Together, they have funded state-of-the-art video collars that they will place on members of the herd to yield data which will help make better conservation-minded decisions in the future. The entire initiative will be filmed for “Hard Truths of Conservation”, a conservation-based television series which airs on the History Channel. The show follows Dan Cabela’s travels across the globe in search of impactful conservation stories from the front lines. Along the way, viewers are introduced to a myriad of characters and unsung heroes who are making a real difference for wildlife and wild places today.

The Cabela Family Foundation, a legacy foundation started by Dick and Mary Cabela, founders of “Cabela’s: The World’s Foremost Outfitter” in 1961, aims to build and create partnerships and projects which promote outdoor recreation, conservation, and charity toward others.

Formerly known as the Shikar Safari Club International Foundation, the newly rebranded International Order of T. Roosevelt is a hunting and conservation foundation focused on proactively protecting the rights of hunters and sustaining the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.

To learn more about the Cabela Family Foundation, go to https://www.cabelafamilyfoundation.org/. To learn more about the International Order of T. Roosevelt, go to https://t-roosevelt.org/.