North American Bison Discovery Center welcomes first calf of 2026 season

The first calf of the 2026 season has arrived at Jamestown’s North American Bison Discovery Center, and the birth is already marking the start of the stretch when the attraction typically picks up traffic from families, school field trips and travelers crossing Interstate 94.

The calf was born earlier this week in the North Pasture to Cow No. 40, one of the herd’s longtime residents. The center said the newborn joins a north herd made up mostly of mature cows that have lived together for years, a detail staff described as a sign the herd remains healthy and active. The calf’s sex had not been confirmed, and the center has framed that as a future gender reveal.

For visitors, the timing matters. The north herd, estimated at about 20 bison in two pastures, can be seen from the observation deck beside the museum when the animals are out grazing. Guided pasture tours are expected to begin in late May, giving families a clearer chance to see the calves up close as spring turns into summer. The south herd remains across Interstate 94.

Ilana Xinos, the center’s executive director, said each calf season is special, but seeing an older cow continue to contribute to the herd makes this one especially meaningful. That message fits the center’s larger role in Jamestown, where it serves as both a wildlife attraction and a seasonal stop that helps draw visitors to Frontier Village and the city’s broader Buffalo City identity.

The North American Bison Discovery Center describes itself as a nonprofit educational organization devoted to the cultural and natural history of bison and the prairie. It says its mission includes restoration of the American bison through education and outreach, and its website notes that the species has rebounded from fewer than 1,000 animals in the late 1800s to about 500,000 today. The center also manages its herds much like a commercial ranch, with herd size limited by grazing land and the need to keep the land healthy.

The institution’s roots in Jamestown go back to 1991, when area citizens formed the North Dakota Buffalo Foundation. The museum opened in 1993 and adopted the North American Bison Discovery Center name in 2024. Its location beside the World’s Largest Buffalo, installed in 1959, ties the calf birth to one of Stutsman County’s most visible landmarks and to a tourism season that is just beginning to build. The center’s next big public event is the Great Bison Bash on June 10 at the Jamestown Baymont.