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



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* 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



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* 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.



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* 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



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* 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.



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* 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.



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* 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!



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* 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

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.

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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