What is a 'Bison Buggy?'

The most unexpected addition to the Belwin Conservancy this year had to be the Bison Buggy. This custom constructed vehicle is bit unusual, but the Bison Buggy fits perfectly with our mission of restoring our connection to the natural world. There is no better way anywhere to visit the prairie in comfort and be introduced to the bison and this endangered natural community.

Two of the principal goals of the Belwin Conservancy include figuring out new ways to make conservation a sustainable practice and then sharing our experiences with the wider world. As we’ve talked about at great length, the bison are a key part of that mission. They represent one way that restoring prairie can be made into a financially sustainable practice. That bison are also potent outreach tools, makes telling this whole story a lot easier.

When we first introduced the bison in 2008, the number of people who stopped by to try and catch a glimpse of the herd blew us away. We began taking one or two people at a time out in the prairie in our utility vehicle. Jokingly, we referred to these little ad-hoc adventures as ‘Bison Safaris’. Everybody that we took out though, fell in love with the experience of being deep in the prairie, and surrounded by bison.

In 2009, we opened the observation platform to try and focus some of this energy. By giving visitors a place to go, we hoped to provide a memorable and educational experience for everyone who stopped by. Thousands have now climbed the tower – but it’s not a replacement for the experience of actually being on the prairie with the bison.

We wanted to keep taking visitors out, but we needed a way to bring more than three passengers along on these outings. To accommodate larger groups, we threw a couple of seats and some hay bales on an old trailer that we could pull behind our utility vehicle. This worked well and many visitors joined us for (now officially named) Bison Safaris using this setup, but it was decidedly not ideal. It was difficult for the driver to talk to riders, and the trailer was limited in where it could go. We needed another plan.

If the Belwin Conservancy has a secret weapon, it’s the incredible depth of knowledge and experience that we have on staff. The talents of our staff allow the Belwin Conservancy to undertake projects typically reserved for much larger agencies. The foundation of our operation is the incredible mechanical abilities of our two full-time caretakers: Eric Palmen and Martin McGough. Together, they work tirelessly on restoration while at the same time keeping our buildings properly maintained and equipment humming along.

Several years ago, a neighbor donated a 1971 Toro Parkmaster commercial lawnmower to the Belwin Conservancy. This tractor was underutilized due to some newer tools that we have on hand and spent most of its time in a barn. In the fall of 2009, Eric had a vision of how he could turn that old lawn mower into a special vehicle to tour visitors around the Belwin Conservancy in comfort – something light-years better than the trailer.

Eric began stripping this lawn tractor down to its frame. Then he began piecing together his vision. Using predominately recycled parts, the Bison Buggy began to take shape. The front end remained largely unchanged from the Toro tractor, but the back end came from from an old Chevy pickup. There are off-road truck tires, a pontoon boat canopy, school bus seats and a marine trim motor.

Eric and Martin pieced together what they could and fabricated the rest. When they were done, they had created something utterly unique and custom-designed for the task at hand.

We debuted the Bison Buggy when we released the bison this spring, and all summer long we’ve been taking Supporting members out on Bison Safaris. These trips are better than they’ve ever been. The Bison Buggy is comfortable, quiet and a lot of fun. It also is possible for the driver to converse with passengers and give them a little context for what they are experiencing.

The Bison Buggy is perhaps what the term ‘more than the sum of its parts’ was coined for. This fabulous and unique vehicle, built entirely at the Belwin Conservancy, will be used to take visitors on tours of the bison and our larger preserve. The more people who visit the Belwin Conservancy in this way, the more people we hope to inspire.

Bison Safaris are offered to Belwin Conservancy supporting members – who give at least $100 annually. It also routinely makes appearances at events in the Afton area and is used to tour around the preserve.