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Update from the field 2/20/03


Buffalo Field Campaign

News from the Field

February 20, 2003




Apologies for the duplicate email. Our earlier email was an unfinished version. This is the completed update.



In this issue:



* Update from the Field



* Colorado Middle School Witnesses Bison Capture



* Sojourner School Shares Life Lessons at Buffalo Field Campaign



* Calls and Letters Needed to Oppose Montana Bill to Allow Sport Hunting of Bison



* Bozeman Benefit on March 9th



* Last Words



----------------------------------



* Update from the Field



Dear friends and supporters...



We bring a close to this week with a mixture of emotions, from joy to outrage, and with much good news to balance the bad. We are thankful that it has been a week of visits and field trips, with a Sierra Club chapter from Missoula journeying here last weekend to learn more about the Yellowstone bison. Also with us last weekend were the Great Old Broads for Wilderness - a group of feisty eco-defenders of all ages and genders who, "use the voices and activism of elders to increase, protect and preserve wilderness." Check out their website: www.greatoldbroads.org



Our star visitors, without a doubt, have been the students and teachers from Sojourner Middle School in Boulder, Colorado. I cannot do their experience justice with a few lines here in this update, but here's an example of the dedication and heart of these incredible young people: their caravan pulled in just before midnight on Monday, and by 10am on Tuesday, the twelve students had already witnessed their first bison capture, and were standing together with signs and cameras, trying to get DOL agents and law enforcement officers to answer their questions about bison management. They have been a true blessing -- their laughter and energy have rejuvenated our spirits. Look for their words elsewhere in this update and please take a moment to learn of the potential fate of their school.



It has been a difficult week here too, as each of us, from Great Old Broad to youthful Sojourner, has been forced to accept the death of six more wild bull buffalo. During the haze witnessed by the students, 9 bison were captured (see our press release below). The next day, after a long night of captivity and its related injuries, four were released onto Horse Butte, delivered by the DOL almost to the same lands they had peacefully grazed upon the day before. Six were loaded into cramped trailers and driven to the slaughterhouse, to be held in fear until the moment of their horribly unjust fate. We hold those six brave teachers in our hearts, and will work to defend those remaining wild and free buffalo.



For the buffalo,

Jonas Ehudin & Ted Fellman

Media Coordinators

Buffalo Field Campaign



----------------------------------



* Colorado Middle School Witnesses Bison Capture



West Yellowstone, MT -- Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) agents hazed and captured 9 bull buffalo grazing on national forests along the Madison River while a middle school class watched nearby. The students from Sojourner Middle School in Boulder, CO have been researching the Yellowstone bison slaughter in preparation for their weeklong field trip to the Buffalo Field Campaign. Rangers from Yellowstone National Park, the US Forest Service, and game wardens with the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks assisted the DOL agents in pushing the bulls over 9 miles to Duck Creek where they were captured.



Most of the students saw their first wild buffalo today. "It was nice to see their last free moments in the wild," said Analee Perez, an 8th grader from the Sojourner School, "but they were not treated like wild animals, but like livestock."



"I felt sad because the DOL ran the buffalo for ten miles alongside the highway. The buffalo were not females, they were males, and the males are not able to transmit brucellosis," remarked Noe Molina, another Sojourner student in the 7th grade, "For me, it was difficult to watch the buffaloŠ the leaders of the group tired, with their tongues hanging out, without energy and scared by the snowmobiles."



The bull bison had been grazing peacefully on national forest land outside of Yellowstone National Park for over a week. Montana justifies its "bison management" activities in response to threats of brucellosis transmission to cattle from wild bison. There are currently no cattle present in the area, and ranchers will not bring cattle onto private ranch land for several months. Bull bison are considered to pose a "low risk" of brucellosis transmission by the US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Two of the bulls were already marked, signifying that they have been captured, tested negative for brucellosis exposure, and released previously by the DOL.



At least 11 snowmobiles and 3 law enforcement vehicles were involved in the capture. While Montana faces an enormous budget deficit, the Montana Department of Livestock continues to spend tax dollars every week hazing, capturing and killing wild bison. The DOL has spent nearly $3.5 million since 1996 on bison management operations that have killed 1,827 wild bison.



The Buffalo Field Campaign is the only group working in the field, everyday, to stop the slaughter of Yellowstone's wild buffalo. Volunteers defend the buffalo on their traditional winter habitat and advocate for their protection. Daily patrols stand with the buffalo on the ground they choose to be on and document every move made against them.



----------------------------------



* Sojourner School Shares Life Lessons at Buffalo Field Campaign



From Lee Azar, a teacher with Sojourner Middle School:



This trip to the Buffalo Field Campaign has been a really powerful way to start ending our school's short history. As a charter school in the Boulder Valley School District in Colorado, we have been given a lot of autonomy and flexibility in creating and implementing our curriculum. We believe the most meaningful and lasting learning comes from service and through our trips. Our students have studied civil rights in the South, and some of our students are right now looking at community-sustainability and endangered species in Baja, Mexico.



At the Buffalo Field Campaign we have learned about activism and seen democracy in action. How can a civics teacher and textbook in the classroom compete with the lesson taught by the Montana Department of Livestock, the West Yellowstone Sheriff's Department, and the Forest Service on Tuesday? Sojourner students politely and inquisitively asked officials their serious and legitimate questions about the buffalo hazing and capture only to be met by a stonewall of silence, stern faces, and police barricades. Compare that to the Buffalo Field Campaign's nightly meetings, which are based upon consensus and volunteerism, and you have a very personal lesson on democracy that students will carry with them for life.



We have studied biology in preparation for our trip, experienced cold-weather and simple living, learned survival skills, and had physical education class snowshoeing to Houdini's Meadow or going on early morning patrol to Fir Ridge. We studied geography as we learned about where the buffalo choose to roam and where the patrols go and we have been writing and talking and thinking since we arrived.



Unfortunately, Sojourner also has some of the lowest state- administered test scores in Colorado, and our low-income students have been labeled, along with the school, as "unsatisfactory." Our compassionate, resilient, engaged students often struggle with reading, writing and other "basic skills." These factors, as well as an acute lack of funding, have left us little choice but to close our doors at the end of this school year.



Our students, however, will continue to be Sojourners wherever they go and this experience with the Buffalo Field Campaign will contribute to creating empowered and passionate young people who will continue working to create a more just world.



For more information on Sojourner Middle School, call us at 303-494-9210 or email Lee Lazar at lazar@bvsd.k12.co.us



---------------------------------



* Calls and Letters Needed to Oppose Montana Bill to Allow Sport Hunting of Bison



Senate Bill 395, introduced by Montana Senator Gary Perry (R-SD 16) and assigned to the Montana Senate Fish and Game Committee, will open a sport hunting season on bison in the state of Montana under the guise of disease control.



The bill, if passed, will immediately allow the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MDFWP) to issue special licenses to hunt bison when authorized by the Montana Department of Livestock (MDOL). The bill instructs the MDFWP to adopt rules in cooperation with the MDOL that provide for, among other things, license drawing procedures, notification of license recipients as to when and where they may hunt, possession limits and transportation and exportation requirements. A copy of the text of the bill can be found at:

http://laws.leg.state.mt.us/pls/laws03/LAW0203W$BSRV.ActionQuery?P_BLTP_BILL_TYP_CD=SB&P_BILL_NO=395&P_BILL_DFT_NO=&Z_ACTION=Find&P_SBJ_DESCR=&P_SBJT_SBJ_CD=&P_LST_NM1=&P_ENTY_ID_SEQ



More than a decade ago, Montana stopped bison hunting due to enormous public outcry stemming from national media coverage of hunters shooting bison as they left the boundaries of Yellowstone Park. Having no fear of human presence after years of Park protection, the bison did not try to escape their gruesome fate and were gunned down at point blank range. Despite the firing line advantage, many animals suffered terribly prolonged deaths (15 minutes or more) due to hunter ineptitude, shocking the national public and contributing to a negative image of hunters and hunting. Sport hunting animals who have no fear of people can in no way be characterized as "fair chase" and should be condemned by hunters and nonhunters alike. Montana must not repeat the mistakes of the past.



Montana residents should contact your state Senator and Representative IMMEDIATELY and ask that they vote NO on Senate Bill 395. To find out who your legislators are or for contact information, please visit the following link:

http://action.fund.org/directory/



In addition to contacting your own representatives, please send a message to members of the Senate Fish and Game Committee. A list of members can be found at:

http://leg.state.mt.us/content/committees/standing/2003_senate_committees.pdf Currently, the bill is scheduled to be heard in this committee on February 25, 2003.



For those people living outside Montana, please leave a message for all Montana legislators expressing your opposition to this bill by calling 406-444-4800 or by visiting the following website for e-mail addresses for all Montana legislators:

http://leg.state.mt.us/css/sessions/58th/Roster.asp?HouseID=2&SessionID=80



Points you may want to make to legislators:



* Opening up a hunting season on Yellowstone bison will seriously damage the image of Montana, hunters and hunting in the eyes of the general public. These animals are accustomed to human presence. Hunting an animal with no fear of people is unsporting and unethical.



* Hunting bison allegedly for disease control purposes lacks scientific basis. Given that there has never been a documented case of bison transmitting the disease brucellosis to livestock in the wild, there is no justification for hunting bison for disease "management." To claim otherwise, is to mislead the public and to cave in to the unsubstantiated fears of the livestock industry.



* Allowing sport hunters to kill and remove bison will negatively impact numerous species in the Yellowstone ecosystem, including imperiled species such as the grizzly bear, by reducing the potential number of bison carcasses that these animals rely on in order to survive.



* Yellowstone bison are genetically unique. From studies recently conducted, this herd may be the only wild bison in America not tainted with cattle genes. The carnage of the last century when bison were virtually eliminated by market and recreational hunters to subdue and conquer Native American cultures should serve as a reminder that these magnificent animals deserve our protection today both inside and outside park boundaries.



Andrea Lococo

Rocky Mountain Coordinator

The Fund for Animals

P.O. Box 11294

Jackson, WY 83002

Telephone 307) 859-8840

Fax 307) 859-8846

www.fund.org





HR 15, the Resolution to expedite brucellosis eradication reported in last week's update has passed through the House and was sent to the Senate on Monday. No hearing date has been set yet. If you are a Montana resident, please contact your state senator to voice your opposition to this resolution as well.



---------------------------------



**** Bozeman Benefit on March 9th!!



The Buffalo Field Campaign and our supporters invite you to a benefit event to celebrate the wild bison of Yellowstone National Park.



Join us in Bozeman at the Emerson Cultural Center on Sunday, March 9, 2003 from 3 PM until late. We'll have improvisational comedy, children's activities, copious bison footage, great food, an open mic, and live, local music from bands such as Andrew Gromiller & The Organically Grown, Wayne Stevens, Spruce, Joe Man, O.B.1 and The Force, Two Handed People and others (perhaps even a BFC band!)



Learn about the struggle of the Yellowstone bison and our efforts to protect them. We also welcome local environmental and social justice activists to set up tables and share your information. Admission will be free for tablers.



This is an event for the entire family, so bring the gang and we'll see you there.



Entry will be by suggested donation, on a sliding scale basis.



For more information about this event, please call (406) 646-0070 or

e-mail bfc-media@wildrockies.org



And spread the word to those you know in the Bozeman area!





Also, thanks to the great city of Boise, Idaho for hosting an incredible benefit show tonight (details next week) and keep your eyes peeled for info on a BFC Film Festival in Missoula in early April!



----------------------------------



* Last Words



What do the bison mean to you?



"They mean solidarity, they mean peace, they're gentle and nice creatures and they're just innocent."



from Casey Williams, Sojourner student



Buffalo Field Campaign

PO Box 957

West Yellowstone, MT 59758

(406) 646-0070

buffalo@wildrockies.org


--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Replying to:

I will be posting articles on the Yellowstone region on the discussion forum, especially AP stories reported in the Casper Star-Tribune. This paper has a lot of useful stories, especially from the Grand Teton region, but they roll their stories off every few days. I want them up much longer. This discussion forum only rolls off as it gets too large.




Jim

Update from the field 1/26/03

Buffalo Field Campaign

News from the Field

February 27, 2003




In this issue:



* Update from the Field



* Sport Hunting of Bison Off Target (Legislative Updates)



* Buffalo Exchange Earth Day Benefit for BFC



* Help Keep the Buffalo Volunteers Warm



* Thanks for your Support



* Bozeman Benefit on March 9th



* Last Words



----------------------------------



* Update from the Field



Dear friends and supporters...



It has been a peaceful, yet cold, week for the buffalo. Temperatures have dropped to -30 degrees Fahrenheit several mornings this week. Volunteers along the Madison River have recounted stories of the river freezing over and then cracking and thawing with the mid-day sun - a truly rare event, even in these chilly parts. Perhaps the cold has kept the whole Department of Livestock entourage away for the week, since only a few agents showed up for brief errands and snowmobile rides in the area.



Meanwhile, the buffalo continue to seek winter forage to survive the extreme cold of winter. We have observed some of the tagged buffalo in the field, having survived the harassment of last week: being hazed over 9 miles, captured and confined, put in a headlock for testing, transported to Horse Butte where they were released and hazed another few miles to the end of the peninsula. Even the brucellosis free bison have to endure harassment at the hands of the DOL.



For the buffalo,



Ted Fellman

Media Coordinator

Buffalo Field Campaign



----------------------------------



* Sport Hunting of Bison Off Target (Legislative Updates)



On Tuesday, February 25, the Senate Fish and Game Committee unanimously passed Senate Bill 395, Sport hunting of wild buffalo as a management tool. With little debate, Senators passed the bill without amendment, completely ignoring the concerns voiced by both supporters and opponents of the bill.



While it is a good sign that we are looking into new ways of managing Yellowstone buffalo, a hunt is not the appropriate step to take at this time. There are several steps the State must take before a hunt can be considered a viable management option. First, wild buffalo must be designated as wildlife in Montana and management authority be transferred from Montana Department of Livestock (MDoL) to Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP). Second, range land within Montana must be created for wild buffalo so that the species can grow to sustainable levels and truly be free-ranging wild animals. Third, Montana must recognize the federal definition of low-risk wild bison. Fourth, agreements must be reached in cooperation with federal agencies whose participation is essential for the success of any changes in the Joint Bison Management Plan (JBMP). When all of these conditions are met, then a hunt can be considered as a tool to manage bison populations in Montana.



Senate Bill 395, Sport hunting of wild buffalo, is packaged as part of a disease control program, consistent with the Joint Bison Management Plan. The stated goals of this plan are to insure free-ranging wild bison and to prevent the spread of brucellosis from bison to domestic cattle. There has never been a documented transmission of brucellosis from bison to cattle in the wild. Federal standards consider most wild bison a low-risk for transmission. Montana is not at risk of losing class-free brucellosis status because of infected Yellowstone bison. In fact, last year in Idaho, a documented case of transmission from elk to cattle did not jeopardize Idaho's class-free brucellosis status. This hunting bill does nothing to insure free-ranging wild buffalo or to address Montana's concerns about brucellosis transmission. This is simply a measure to control migrations of buffalo out of Yellowstone National Park by appeasing a minority hunting interest (The Montana Wildlife Federation did not endorse this bill) and to take pressure off of the MDoL for their part in killing Yellowstone bison.



According to SB 395, the MDoL would establish the terms for when, where, and which animal would be hunted. FWP would then issue a permit. There are no provisions in SB395 to insure a "fair-chase" hunt, a condition that all of the hunting interests in support of the bill required for their approval. Concerns were also raised about the need for MDoL's involvement in a hunt. Elk carry and have transmitted brucellosis but are not under MDoL authority.



Additionally, Montana is currently obligated by federal and state law to participate in the Joint Bison Management Plan. The plan that Montana agreed to specifically excludes hunting as a management tool. Initiation of a hunt would be a violation of both state and federal law, forcing the federal agencies to withdraw their participation in the Plan. This action would lead to a lengthy court battle and would cost Montana taxpayers a small fortune. Currently, the State contributes less than $3,000 of the million plus that is spent on bison management. If Montana were to lose federal support, it would also lose federal funding. There would also be public outcry over a bison hunt that could lead to costly tourism boycotts of Montana. Tourism is Montana's second largest and fastest growing industry.



SB 395 will lead Montana down a path that we have traveled before with dire consequences; massive public outcry, costly lawsuits, high costs to taxpayers, and a big black-eye for the State. I urge you all to call your State Senators and Representatives and voice opposition to SB 395.



Joshua Osher

Legal Coordinator

BFC-advocate@wildrockies.org



-- Information on Contacting Montana Legislators



The phone number for the Montana Legislative Information Office is (406) 444-4800. At this number you can receive information related to the session, and leave messages for legislators.



FAX numbers:

House of Representatives (406) 444-1865.

Senate (406) 444-4875.



Session mailing addresses:

Representative _______

MT House of Representatives

PO Box 200400

Helena MT 59620-0400



Senator ________

MT Senate

PO Box 200500

Helena MT 59620-0500



You can send a message to a legislator online. There is a web form as well as links to many legislators' personal email addresses available online at:

http://leg.state.mt.us/css/sessions/58th/default.asp



We will, of course, keep you informed as this bill reaches the floor of the Montana Senate or House of Representatives.



* Also, House Joint Resolution 15, the Resolution asking the federal government to expedite brucellosis elimination in bison will be heard in the Montana Senate Agriculture committee on March 10th in room 422 at 3pm. Any letters, calls, or personal testimonies would help the buffalo.



----------------------------------



* Buffalo Exchange Earth Day Benefit for BFC



Thank you to all BFC supporters for your timely and enthusiastic response to our open call for volunteers to help with this year's Buffalo Exchange Earth Day Benefit! It has been an inspiration to us here in the field, to know our extended BFC family is ready and willing to help in whatever capacity necessary.



The Buffalo Exchange will be hosting an all day, Earth Day, benefit for the BFC at their 28 stores in 11 states on Saturday, April 26, 2003. We have heard from willing volunteers from all but four cities. Please contact me at buffalo@wildrockies.org if you can help out in Dallas, Flagstaff, Las Vegas, or Sacramento. For those of you who have already expressed interest in participating, please bear in mind that it is an all day event and that several cities have more than one store to cover, as outlined below.



Phoenix/Tempe 2 metro area stores; 1 Buffalo Kids store

Bay Area 2 San Francisco stores; 1 Berkley store

Tucson 4 stores

San Diego 2 stores

Portland 2 stores



Other stores include: Seattle, Eugene, Boise, Philadelphia, Denver, Boulder, Albuquerque, Austin, Houston, and Bozeman.



If you have not yet responded but would like to help, don't be shy -- the more the merrier and the more effective this benefit will be. In addition, there are opportunities to help promote the event even if you cannot table on April 26. We could use assistance with posting fliers, getting out petitions, recruiting volunteers to table the event, community outreach before and/or after the event, etc. All Buffalo Exchange store managers will receive a video from the BFC entitled "Why We Exist". All interested volunteers are welcome to use this video and other promotional materials to organize a presentation in your local community and to educate Buffalo Exchange employees as to the perils facing our wild buffalo. To find the Buffalo Exchange location nearest you, go to buffaloexchange.com, go to location, then all stores. To access more information about the event go to buffalo news at the Buffalo Exchange web site -- you will find a link to the BFC there as well.



Thank you, again, for your commitment to our nation's last wild buffalo! Whether in the field or in your local community, any effort to change the current mistreatment of wild bison is important and just! Please contact me with any further questions and/or concerns.



For the Buffalo,



Justine Sanchez

Volunteer Coordinator

buffalo@wildrockies.org



----------------------------------



* Help Keep the Buffalo Volunteers Warm



As the winter progresses, our gear supplies are diminishing. Thank you to everyone who has helped us in the past by sending us gear to keep us warm and mobile in the field. Our gear gets very well used by all of our volunteers, and so it is that we are putting out another call for winter gear.



Here are a few of the things that we need:

… Winter boots. Boots need to be able to withstand extreme cold, like the -30 degree temperatures we have experienced lately.

… Wool pants. Wool pants are the survival gear of choice for our volunteers in the field. Old wool pants can often be found in Army/Navy surplus stores.

… Long underwear bottoms. We can use any polypropelene thermal bottoms. Please no cotton - it gets wet in the field.

… Long ski poles for cross country skiing. Please only send functional poles, i.e. no broken baskets.

… Also, if anyone has a good functioning sewing machine that they are no longer using, we could use it for repairing our gear. Please call or email first so that we don't get more than we can use (just for the sewing machine, that is).



Thank you in advance for any gear donations that will help us stay in the field all winter long.



----------------------------------



* Thanks for your Support



Thanks to Felixa and Jib from Minneapolis for the bulk herbs. Thanks as well to the Sisters of Camelot for donating the bulk food.



----------------------------------



* Bozeman Benefit on March 9th



The Buffalo Field Campaign and our supporters invite you to a benefit event to celebrate the wild bison of Yellowstone National Park.



Join us in Bozeman at the Emerson Cultural Center on Sunday, March 9, 2003 from 3 PM until late. We'll have improvisational comedy, children's activities, copious bison footage, great food, an open mic, and live, local music from bands such as Andrew Gromiller & The Organically Grown, Wayne Stevens, Spruce, Joe Man, O.B.1 and The Force, Two Handed People and others including the Buffalo Field Orchestra.



Learn about the struggle of the Yellowstone bison and our efforts to protect them. We also welcome local environmental and social justice activists to set up tables and share your information. Admission will be free for tablers.



This is an event for the entire family, so bring the gang and we'll see you there.



Entry will be by suggested donation, on a sliding scale basis.



For more information about this event, please call (406) 646-0070 or e-mail bfc-media@wildrockies.org



And spread the word to those you know in the Bozeman area!



----------------------------------



* Last Words



I have stood with the buffalo.

I have felt their spirit

Move through me like the wind.

Their presence I can feel

In the contours of these mountains,

In every tree,

In every bush,

In every willow,

Every track,

In my soul.

I have looked deep into their eyes

And felt their power

Run through me like

The river from which banks they have fed off,

And I too have been nurtured.

And in my hand, I have held their hair

Plucked from the side of a tree.

And I can see that it is no different from mine,

And I know that we are brothers.



I have seen the meaning of non-violent resistance,

In the face of hatred and ignorance,

In the face of oppression

I have been moved to tears

By the beauty of their gentle nature,

Their resilience - their determination.

And I am learning from them the meaning of patience,

Of love and of living the way they know is rightfully theirs,

Even if it means Death -

And I know I am only beginning to understand.



--Román Sanchez, BFC volunteer





Buffalo Field Campaign

PO Box 957

West Yellowstone, MT 59758

(406) 646-0070

buffalo@wildrockies.org

Update from the field 3/4/03


Special Update from Gardiner, Montana

3/4/03





Dear friends and supporters of the buffalo,



For the first time since the 1996-1997 season, Yellowstone National Park has reopened the Stephens Creek buffalo trap, which is inside the Park near the north entrance. Yesterday, agents from the Park and the Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) captured over 100 buffalo there, and as I write this they are being driven in several trailers to area slaughterhouses. The trap can hold 125 bison, and after sending approximately 50 bison to slaughter today, the Park rounded up the other 60+ bison in the area. As many as 50 more bison will be driven to their death tomorrow. In a matter of hours, this has become the most disastrous season for the bison in the last five years.



In response to the building tension in the Gardiner area, five BFC volunteers traveled to there on Monday morning. They were present during the capture yesterday and were even allowed to document the activities inside the trap. Marsha Karle, Park spokesperson, granted access to the operation for two members of our film crew. Today, access was denied to all but a Park journalist for the reason of overall safety. We have been assured that a media tour and opportunity to gather more footage will be made available tomorrow.



This is a hard day for us all. We send our thoughts and prayers out to you, our worldwide circle of support, and look forward to the day when we will put a stop to the killing.



For the buffalo,

Jonas Ehudin & Ted Fellman

Media Coordinators





Today's press release:



Yellowstone National Park Sends Over 100 Wild Bison to Slaughter; Over 60 More Buffalo Captured Today



For Immediate Release: March 4, 2003

Gardiner contact: Mike Mease (406) 848-7414

West Yellowstone contacts: Ted Fellman, Jonas Ehudin (406) 646-0070



Gardiner, MT - Yellowstone National Park sent approximately 47 wild bison to slaughter today without testing them for brucellosis. Over 100 buffalo were captured yesterday inside the Park at the Stephens Creek trap near the north entrance. A similar number of captured buffalo will be shipped to slaughter tomorrow. Over 60 buffalo in the area near the trap were hazed and captured today. The Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) assisted with the operations.



Trailers with heavy police escort moved the buffalo through Gardiner this morning on their way to the slaughterhouses. Mike Mease, a Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) coordinator, was on the scene. "The Lamar Valley herd was almost completely wiped out back in 1997 and now these bison are being killed off again inside Yellowstone National Park without even being tested, " said Mease. "There are over 50 native tribes that have requested live bison to be introduced onto their reservations, and yet the state of Montana considers killing to be the only solution."



Since the Winter of 1996-1997 when 1,084 wild bison were killed, the National Park Service (NPS) has taken a back seat to the Department of Livestock as the lead agency for bison management activities in Montana. The DOL has spent over $3 million since 1996 on bison management operations that have killed 1,833 wild bison. The NPS is one of five federal and state agencies bound by the Interagency Bison Management Plan. The plan has a $45 million budget for 15 years. This is the first time since 1997 that wild bison have been captured at the Stephens Creek trap north of Gardiner. This is also the first time since 1997 that the Park Service has been the lead agency in a capture and slaughter operation.



The Yellowstone herd is the only continuously wild herd in the United States. It is descended from just 23 wild bison that survived the mass eradication of the 19th century and is the largest remaining single population of genetically pure bison. "An estimated 60 million wild bison once roamed this continent, and now 4,000 is considered too many?" remarked BFC volunteer Larry Godby.



The Buffalo Field Campaign is the only group working in the field, everyday, to stop the slaughter of Yellowstone's wild buffalo. Volunteers defend the buffalo on their traditional winter habitat and advocate for their protection. Daily patrols stand with the buffalo on the ground they choose to be on and document every move made against them.



Video footage is available upon request.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Replying to:

I will be posting articles on the Yellowstone region on the discussion forum, especially AP stories reported in the Casper Star-Tribune. This paper has a lot of useful stories, especially from the Grand Teton region, but they roll their stories off every few days. I want them up much longer. This discussion forum only rolls off as it gets too large.




Jim