Biography - Hongjin Li is a musician and film composer based in New York City. Outside of music, she is an avid outdoor person and wildlife lover. She leads a small expedition caravan called H&F (Hongjin & Friends), dedicated to exploring the U.S. in depth and fostering cultural exchange through travel, sound, and images! This photo was taken during their 12-day Wyoming Cultural Trip.
About the Photo - The photo was taken in August, before the sunrise in Yellowstone’s Hayden Valley, a herd of American bison crossed the river through morning steam. The rising mist caught the first light, turning the valley into a moving tapestry of gold and breath—a quiet moment of wilderness awakening.
History - Yellowstone’s buffalo history is a story of near extinction and remarkable recovery: once millions strong, massive 19th-century slaughter reduced them to a tiny remnant herd (around 23) in Pelican Valley by 1900, making Yellowstone the last place they survived wild, prompting conservation efforts, including captive breeding at Lamar Buffalo Ranch, which allowed the herd to rebound and become the genetically pure, free-ranging backbone of today’s population.
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