Help Tara Heal Grandmother Earth with Bison Restoration

The Serious Type is the umbrella 501c3 for the Oniya Bison Climate Change Project. Oniya is owned and operated by the Sheahan family. After a small administration fee to The Serious Type, your donation will go to the Oniya projects listed below. Thank you for your support!

Oniya means "to breathe” in Lakota language. We are dedicated to healing for GrandMother Earth and her people through Oniya Bison Climate Change Project in southern Colorado.

The seed of Oniya began with Tara Sheahan's heart-felt commitment to heal GrandMother Earth in her lifetime. She lived through the passing of her son Aidan, her Mom LuLu, and -15 degree below zero temperatures in an RV this past winter, to ‘dry in’ the Adobe gathering center home on Oniya's 40 acres property.

This gathering center will allow for communal healing, spiritual practices, and strategic planning for all who feel called to join this re-wilding journey of bringing back the bison not only to the land but also into our hearts and souls.

Tara’s ‘day job’ is helping to inspire people to live from their highest potential by healing trauma. Through breath work, meditation, guided visualization, energy and bodywork she has helped thousands of people discover the wonder of who they truly are. She’s been a student of Indigenous wisdom, the Oneness Movement in India, and other master teachers and healers; she attributes all of her tools and techniques to these master teachers.

With your funds it’s possible to do the following this summer!

-Pay balance due for plumbing and electrical: $14,500

-Pay balance due to builder: $75,000

-Pay balance due for labor: $10,000

-Finish plumbing and electrical, tiling, tub, toilet installation for 2 bathrooms. Kitchen counters, cabinetry, wall oven, refrigerator installation. In-floor heat hook up including combi boiler, compression tank, in house water tank: $30,000-80,000 (depending on volunteer labor and materials as we are receiving LOTS of love!)

-Complete Solar panel and inverter hook up to run water pump: $4,400

-Final stucco coat on all interior and exterior adobe walls: $20,000

-Film documentation and operating costs: $6,100

-Ongoing development and management of construction and re-wilding projects: $3,000/month for 6 months ($18,000 total)

Finally, if all goes well we hope to add to our summer fundraising goal to:

Landscape around construction site to secure soil and create outdoor gathering spaces: $20,000

Fencing, purchasing, land preparation, and care for Oniya’s first small herd: $100,000

May 15, 2024 article in The Guardian: Herd of 170 Bison could help store CO2 equivalent of 43,000 Cars

Quote from Professor Oswald Schmitz of the Yale School of the Environment, "These creatures evolved for millions of years with grassland and forest ecosystems, and their removal, especially where grasslands have been ploughed up, has led to the release vast amounts of carbon. Restoring these ecosystems can bring back balance, and 'rewilded' bison are some of the climate herors that can help achieve this." Article link

Join us to Rewild the soil though Bison restoration at Oniya!

Come visit Oniya and Tara will bake a sourdough loaf for you!!