Lehigh County May Give Four Buffalo to Council Restoring the Big Animals to Tribal Lands

Oct. 28, 2025

— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs

Lehigh County may have to operate under a tight budget, but it has buffalo to spare.

The County Commissioners will vote Nov. 12 to donate four male bison from the Lehigh Valley Zoo to “a member of the InterTribal Buffalo Council.”

The Buffalo Council is based in South Dakota. It is restoring buffalo to tribal lands. Its website says the Council includes 80 tribes in 20 different states, managing millions of acres.

Lehigh County has 14 buffalo, six males and eight females, at the Trexler Nature Preserve and says it’s in the best interests of the herd to send these four away.

Well, it sounds like a nice thing to do, and the county has done this before. The vote to send these four bison west will be held Nov. 12.

My own experience with bison is limited. I’ve seen them roaming free in some western states, the first time in Yellowstone National Park.

At first, it was a real thrill to see them. Then we saw some more. Lots more.

Then they started walking in front of my car. Big males can weigh a ton, and at one point, they were escorting me down the road until one stopped in front of us. At that point, maybe three tons of bison surrounded my rental car, and one of them was peering in at us.

I don’t know buffalo etiquette, but beeping at them did not seem wise.

Then I saw idiots standing about 10 feet from them to get pictures, and while I didn’t want to see anybody get hurt, I wouldn’t have blamed the bison.

For the song “Buffalo Stance” by Nenah Cherry, click here.

The Lehigh County Commissioners will meet at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at the government center, 17 S. 7th St. in Allentown.

Agendas are subject to change, just as buffalo are subject to charge.

Check the county website closer to the date of the meeting.

Here is the agenda item, complete with all the “whereases”:

COUNTY OF LEHIGH, PENNSYLVANIA
COMMISSIONERS BILL 2025 – 66
SPONSORED BY COMMISSIONER PINEDA
REQUESTED DATE: OCTOBER 15, 2025
ORDINANCE NO. 2025 –
APPROVING THE DONATION OF 4 MALE BISON FROM THE LEHIGH
VALLEY ZOO TO THE WILDLIFE RESTORATION
FOUNDATION FOR TRANSFER TO A MEMBER OF THE
INTERTRIBAL BUFFALO COUNCIL
WHEREAS, as part of the will of General Harry Trexler, the County of Lehigh
was bequeathed the Trexler Game Preserve (Preserve), now known as the Trexler Nature
Preserve, together with all the bison, deer, and elk contained therein; and
WHEREAS, bison have been a part of the Preserve since their introduction by
General Trexler 100 years ago, and are an integral part of the Preserve and Lehigh
County history; the image of a bison is even present on the Lehigh County seal; and
WHEREAS, the Lehigh County Department of General Services is responsible
for maintaining the Preserve’s herd of bison; and
WHEREAS, the current population of bison is fourteen (14) (comprised of six
(6) males and eight (8) females); and
WHEREAS, based on the current status of the bison herd and to maintain healthy
and varied genetics in its herd, it is the Lehigh Valley Zoo’s (Zoo) top priority to transfer
and/or donate four (4) male bison; and
WHEREAS, the Zoo is partnered with the Wildlife Restoration Foundation
(WRF), which is facilitating a Zoo Park and/or Tribe Partnership with the Zoo for the
purpose of dispositioning of and acquiring bison; and
WHEREAS, the WRF has agreed to help develop and implement a plan of action
for generating sustainable Zoo-Tribe and Zoo-Park Partnerships for the Zoo, specifically
involving the Zoo’s bison dispositions and possibly acquisitions; and
WHEREAS, the WRF will help the Zoo envision and work toward transforming
its bison herd into one that serves as a model conservation herd at a small scale; and
WHEREAS, the WRF will rely on its seasoned relationships with the lnterTribal
Buffalo Council (ITBC), a federally chartered Indian Organization established to provide
support to member tribes for the management of their bison herds, the National Park
Service (NPS), USDA Forest Service (USFS), and National Wildlife Refuge (NWR)
System, as well as other zoos and private conservancies, to explore and equip the Zoo with
vital knowledge and resources; and
WHEREAS, the Zoo seeks to establish a relationship with the ITBC to donate
bison to an ITBC conservation herd, whose purpose will be to further repopulate the herds
on the tribe’s protected lands; and
WHEREAS, in 2021, the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners approved the
Zoo’s donation of five (5) male bison to the ITBC via Ordinance No. 2021 – 130; and
WHEREAS, the WRF will facilitate the Zoo’s disposition of the four (4) male
bison to a member tribe of the ITBC; and
WHEREAS, on September 4, 2025, the Zoo entered into an agreement with WRF
for “Developing a Bison Herd Conservation Model for Lehigh Valley Zoo,” which will
occur between September 2025 and December 2026 and involve a $3,000 contribution
from the Zoo to WRF, which is an IRC 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization; and
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WHEREAS, the disposition/donation of the four (4) male bison requires
ordinance approval as an exception to the procedure set forth in the Administrative Code.
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY ENACTED AND ORDAINED BY
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF THE COUNTY OF LEHIGH,
PENNSYLVANIA, THAT:

1. 
   their entirety.
2. 
   The foregoing Whereas clauses are incorporated herein as if set forth in
   The disposition of four (4) male bison to the Wildlife Restoration
   Foundation, which will facilitate the Lehigh Valley Zoo’s disposition of the four (4) male
   bison to a member tribe of the InterTribal Buffalo Council is hereby approved and the
   transfer is hereby exempt from the provisions of Section 807 of the Administrative Code.
3. 
   The proper officers and other personnel of Lehigh County are hereby
   authorized and empowered to take all such further action, including any necessary
   transfers of funds, and execute additional documents as they may deem appropriate to
   carry out the purpose of this Ordinance.
4. 
   The County Executive shall distribute copies of this Ordinance to the proper
   officers and other personnel of Lehigh County whose further action is required to achieve
   the purpose of this Ordinance.
5. 
   Any Ordinance or part of any Ordinance conflicting with the provisions of
   this Ordinance is hereby repealed insofar as the same affects this Ordinance.
6. 
   This Ordinance shall become effective in ten (10) days after enactment.
   3
   ADOPTED this _ day of ________________, 2025, by the
   following vote:
   Commissioners AYE NAY
   Sheila Alvarado
   Ron W. Beitler
   Geoff Brace
   Zach Cole-Borgi
   Dan Hartzell
   Jeffrey Dutt
   Jon Irons
   Anthony Pineda
   April Riddick
   ATTEST: _______________________________
   Clerk to the Board of Commissioners
   APPROVED this day of
   , 2025.
   ENACTED this _______day of
   Phillips M. Armstrong
   Lehigh County Executive