photo by: Mike Yoder

A herd of 22 bison grazes at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve near Strong City.

photo by: Mike Yoder

A calf and her mother graze on the 1,100 acre Windmill Pasture at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve near Strong City. 22 bison now populate the preserve. In 2009, 13 of them were brought from Wind Cave National Park site in the Black Hills region of South Dakota.

photo by: Mike Yoder

From left, Gene Matile, a bison caretaker at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Kristen Hase, chief of natural resources for the Flint Hills park and Matile's wife Paula, a conservation specialist for the Kansas wing of The Nature Conservancy, observe the herd of 22 bison at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve near Strong City. A project to bring the bison to the Flint Hills is a partnership between The Nature Conservancy and the National Park Service.

photo by: Mike Yoder

Chase County cowboy Gene Matile watches as a herd of 22 bison run toward his truck for some food at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve near Strong City. Matile is the bison caretaker and manager for the private ranching outfit that runs cattle on portions of the nearly 11,000 acres that make up the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve.

photo by: Mike Yoder

Kristen Hase, chief of natural resources for the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Paula Matile, a conservation specialist for the Kansas wing of The Nature Conservancy, walk toward the new visitors center and offices at the park near Strong City.

photo by: Mike Yoder

A herd of bison graze on the 1,100 acre Windmill Pasture at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve near Strong City. Twenty-two bison now populate the preserve. In 2009, 13 of them were brought from Wind Cave National Park site in the Black Hills region of South Dakota. The park hopes the bison herd will eventually grow to 75-100 and draw more visitors to the site to experience the Flint Hills landscape as it looked when crowded with buffalo.

photo by: Mike Yoder

People can hike many miles of trails on the at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve near Strong City. But if you chose to walk across the 1,100 acre Windmill Pasture, you are cautioned about the 22 resident bison populating the pasture.

photo by: Mike Yoder

Viewed from a scenic overlook on the 10,894 acre Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve near Strong City, a herd of bison roam the Windmill Pasture at the preserve.

photo by: Mike Yoder

Gene Matile is the bison caretaker and manager for the private ranching outfit that runs cattle on portions of the nearly 11,000 acres that make up the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve.

photo by: Mike Yoder

A bison cow and her calf graze on the 1,100 acre Windmill Pasture at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve near Strong City.