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PAWHUSKA The Osage Nation is poised to close on the purchase of the 43,000-acre Bluestem Ranch from media magnate and conservationist Ted Turner.
Comprised of cross timbers and tallgrass prairie, the Bluestem Ranch is managed for bison grazing, which has proven to be very conducive to quality wildlife management. Bluestem primary species are whitetail deer, wild turkey and bobwhite quail. Waterfowl hunting and fishing are also popular, says a statement from Turner Enterprises Inc.
Turner purchased the ranch in 2001.
In a Jan. 21 letter to Turner, Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear wrote, These plains are part of the Osage Peoples original homelands. At last, we have the ability and opportunity to once again own this much land in one place.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/state/osage-nation-set-to-buy-ted-turner-owned-bluestem-ranch/article_6be16608-a1e3-502e-a9c7-c77218db023e.html
The tribe has also set aside money to buy the ranchs bison, though that is not included in the purchase, Native News Online said.
The Osage intend to keep the majority of this property as a working bison ranch and use it to connect our children and youth to nature, Standing Bear wrote in the letter to Turner, outlining the tribes plans for the land.
We can think of no better learning environment for our children than these lands, he wrote. Land is central to the culture, traditions and history of the Osage people. This land is perfectly centered between our traditional towns of Wa-hock-o-li (Pawhuska), Zon-zo-lin (Hominy) and Pah-su-li (Grayhorse). The Osage Nation will hold this property as a contiguous land base at the heart of the Osage Nation.
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/02/05/retrieving-homelands-osage-nation-wins-bid-ted-turners-43000-acre-bluestem-ranch-163322