How One Idaho Student Turned a Bake Sale into Bison Conservation

Dec 16

Conserving the vast Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem often starts small. It begins with a conversation, a question, or the spark of an idea that grows into something much larger. That’s exactly what happened to Idaho sixth grader Olivia Nance. What started as a school research project on bison turned into a heartfelt effort that raised nearly $400 to support their conservation.

“I decided I wanted to do a bake sale and I wanted to help an animal,” Olivia recalls. “I was looking up endangered animals in Idaho and bison popped up. It looked cute and really soft—an animal I wanted to help. They’re pretty amazing.”

Amazing is right. Bison are essential to the health of the landscape. As they roam, they fertilize soils, open habitat for countless other species, and carry deep cultural significance for many Indigenous peoples across the region.

Listen to Olivia and Emilie’s conversation about her effort to help conserve bison.

Inspired to make a difference, Olivia enlisted the help of her friend and her aunts, and together they organized a Saturday bake sale last spring. Their goal was simple: share delicious treats, spark conversations about bison, and raise money to support the Greater Yellowstone Coalition’s work to ensure these iconic animals can thrive for generations to come.

“It was May 2025, and we had cookies, brownies, and these fudge oatmeal bars— I decided to call them ‘bison bars,’” she says with a smile.

The community loved them. By the end of the day, Olivia had sold an impressive $383.47 worth of bison bars and other goodies. She gathered the proceeds and sent them directly to the Greater Yellowstone Coalition.

“I learned what they could do with the money—build fences, buy trailers—and that just seemed like a good idea,” she says.

From a single idea to real impact on the ground, Olivia’s story is a beautiful reminder that anyone, at any age, can take a seemingly small idea and turn it into something greater to help protect wildlife and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

As promised, Olivia shared her Bison Bars recipe with us. Let us know how they turn out – or – host your own Bison Bar bake sale!

Olivia Nance’s Bison Bars

Cream together 1 cup butter, 2 cups brown sugar

Add 2 eggs, 2 ½ cups flour, 3 cups oats, 1 tsp soda, 1 tsp salt

In a separate bowl, melt the following together:

1 package of chocolate chips (Olivia says Hershey or Nestle work best)
2 Tbsp butter
2 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. salt
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Spread 2/3 of the batter along the bottom of an ungreased cookie sheet and pack it down. Pour and spread the chocolate mixture over the top evenly. Then sprinkle the remaining batter over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. It will not look done, but will darken as it cools.