The Great Plains were once North America’s Serengeti—a landscape teeming with millions of bison, elk, pronghorn, wolves, and grizzly bears. Within a century, this wildlife spectacle was nearly erased. But what if we could bring it back?

Daniel Kinka, PhD, Director of Rewilding at American Prairie, is doing exactly that. Through strategic land acquisition, bison restoration, and ecosystem-based management, American Prairie is building a 3.2-million-acre wildlife refuge in central Montana—a bold vision to restore the Great Plains to their former glory.

In this episode, Danny shares the devastating history of the plains, explains how rewilding works at scale, tackles the complexities of carnivore recovery, and offers a powerful message of hope: restoration is possible, even in one of the most degraded ecosystems in North America.

What You’ll Learn

• How the Great Plains lost their wildlife spectacle in less than 100 years—and why we forgot to conserve our own backyard
• American Prairie’s strategy: building a 3.2-million-acre protected landscape by purchasing ranches and converting them from commodity production to conservation
• What rewilding really means—restoring ecosystem functionality through keystone species like bison, prairie dogs, and fire
• Why wolves can’t return yet but grizzly bears could—and the stepwise approach to carnivore recovery
• How American Prairie navigates community skepticism and builds trust with ranching neighbors
• Why this project matters globally: proof that even heavily degraded ecosystems can be restored

Take Action

• Visit American Prairie – Danny emphasizes that one of the most impactful things you can do is visit. American Prairie’s lands are open for camping, hiking, stargazing, and wildlife watching. Your presence supports the mission and helps demonstrate public value for wild spaces.
• Support the Mission – American Prairie operates entirely on philanthropic support. If you’re inspired by their work and it’s within your means, consider making a donation at americanprairie.org.
• Engage with Your Local Wildlife Agency –Want to support wildlife recovery in your own region? Danny encourages everyone to get involved with their state wildlife agency—attend public meetings, submit comments during decision-making periods, and advocate for science-based wildlife management.
• Read and Learn – Educate yourself about the history and ecology of the Great Plains. Understanding what was lost—and what’s possible—is the first step toward supporting restoration.
• Share the Story – Rewilding is a message of hope. Share this episode, talk about American Prairie’s work, and help shift the narrative from despair to possibility.

Meet the Guest

Daniel Kinka, PhD is American Prairie’s Director of Rewilding, leading efforts to restore wildlife and habitat while promoting human-wildlife coexistence. He also directs science and monitoring, serving as a liaison to researchers, agencies, and partner organizations. Danny joined American Prairie in 2018 after earning his PhD in Ecology from Utah State University and has called the American West home since 2010.

Key Concepts

• Rewilding – Restoring ecosystem functionality through wildlife recovery and natural processes
• Keystone species – Species like bison that have disproportionate impacts on ecosystem structure
• Ecosystem engineers – Species like prairie dogs and beavers that physically modify habitats
• Trophic cascade – Top-down ecological regulation by predators (like wolves)
• Heterogeneity – The “messiness” and diversity that support biodiversity in landscapes

Historical Context

• Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806) – First written Western accounts of Great Plains megafauna
• George Catlin – 19th-century artist who called for the Great Plains to be America’s first “nation’s park”
• John James Audubon – Naturalist who documented Great Plains wildlife in the 1830s
• The Pleistocene/Holocene transition – The period when North American megafauna began declining