Montana Book Company will host a free author event Monday, May 11, featuring filmmaker Leanne Allison in conversation with Corrie Williamson of American Prairie. The event centers on the book Buffalo Lessons: How Bison Returned to Banff National Park.

Allison is the wife of the late wildlife biologist and author Karsten Heuer, who helped lead the effort to reintroduce wild bison to Banff National Park — one of the more closely watched conservation projects in recent North American wildlife management. The book draws on behind-the-scenes photographs from that effort and traces the logistical and ecological challenges of the reintroduction.

Williamson, who works with American Prairie — an organization working to restore native grasslands and wildlife in north-central Montana — brings a local perspective to the conversation about bison recovery. The event is free and open to the public at Montana Book Company.