Billy the Bison enjoyed his visit at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center Thursday, and he helped about 40 people of all ages learn a little more about the buffalo population in Minnesota.

Alex Watson, a regional naturalist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resource’s Division of Parks and Trails, visited the Nature Center for two shows to get people more excited about buffalo.

“We are reintroducing bison into Minneopa State Park and to get people excited about bison I’ve been doing some programing,” Watson said.

During the morning program, Watson discussed why buffalo, which was once a common animal in Minnesota, is now rare, where the afternoon program introduced Billy the Bison — an actor dressed in a buffalo costume — to help children learn more about buffalo.

“We’re doing just kind of a fun get-to-know bison with families and children,” Watson said. “We’re trying to hit all ages.”

Watson was an intern at the nature center in 2007, and he learned some effective teaching methods and how to keep children’s focus on the lesson plan. He hopes the program will encourage children to find a state park near them and find what they love about nature.

“It’s medicine, the outdoors are medicine for people,” Watson said. “It’s good medicine and it keeps me healthy.”

Watson enjoys working with nature, protecting natural and cultural resources.

“Working in state parks there’s a lot of natural resources and cultural resources that it’s my job to help protect and get people excited about,” he said. “And so there’s a never ending stream of stories.”