Harper’s Magazine has published an article in its June edition about the history of the buffalo issue.

If you are a subscriber you can read it here:

They shoot buffalo, don’t they:
Hazing America’s last wild herd
By Christopher Ketcham

http://www.harpers.org/archive/2008/06/0082064

IBMP YELLOWSTONE BISON POPULATION MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES
Report Available here:

5_15_08.doc

figure-1-western-mgmt-distribution

figure-2-northern-mgmt-distribution

Buffalo Field Campaign
Yellowstone Bison
Update from the Field
May 15, 2008

——————————
——————————
In this issue:
* Kill Tally
* Update from the Field
* Buffalo Advocates Rally in Helena
* Buffalo Field Campaign Needs Summer Volunteers
* Photo of the Week
* Last Words
-—————————–
AMERICAN BISON ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S.
2007-2008 Total: 1,604
2007-2008 Slaughter: 1,438
2007-2008 Hunt: 166
2007-2008 Quarantine: 112

Total Since 2000: 3,669*
*includes lethal government action, quarantine, hunts

——————————
* Update from the Field

Dear Buffalo Friends,

For eight years now my family and I have been migrating from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to the home where the Buffalo have been roaming for centuries now. And like the buffalo, I find refuge in the banks of the Madison, the flats along it’s bluffs, the incredible flora and fauna of this migratory paradise. In all my travels and wanderings I have yet to find a place that penetrates my very core in the way that this stretch of land and her surrounding forests, rivers, mountains, and wild inhabitants have. Here you taste the wild, here the wild courses through your veins and remains a part of you–it swallows you and changes you forever. Here you feel all the possibilities and you understand the greatness of this land before “civilization” and “management plans.” And there is something within me that’s trying to strike some balance between outrage and understanding; that this game between good and evil is so much bigger than me–that maybe I am not here to save the bison but to save the WILD in me. It seems the Wild within us has become a very faint and distant memory, that the continual chaos of present day culture shuts us down and turns us off.

Continue Reading »

The Park Service just released this press release indicating that the buffalo on Horse Butte will be hazed during the peak of calving season even though there are NO cattle on Horse Butte and there NEVER will be. The first cattle to arrive generally don’t arrive until mid-June but with the extended winter it is unlikely that cattle will arrive to the area until after all of the buffalo have given birth and are no longer able to transmit brucellosis.

—————————————————-
See Press Release Below

Continue Reading »

BISON ADVOCATES HOLD RALLY ON THE CAPITOL LAWN
Gathering in Helena to Hold Schweitzer Accountable for Largest Slaughter Since 1800s

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 13, 2008
Press Contacts: Mike Bowersox, BFC, (5/13) 406-646-0070 (5/14 rally site) 416-622-2461
Stephany Seay, BFC, 406-646-0070

(HELENA, MT) - Wild bison advocates will gather in Helena, Montana, Wednesday, May 14th, on the lawn of the State Capitol, 1301 East Sixth Avenue, to draw attention to Governor Brian Schweitzer’s role in the largest wild bison slaughter since the 1800s and to ask him to leave bison alone on the Horse Butte Peninsula, an area where cattle never graze. The gathering will take place from 12:00 noon until 2:00 p.m. There will be speakers, street theatre and food provided by Seeds of Peace. The rally is open to everyone.

More than 1,600 wild American bison (buffalo) have been killed under state and federal management decisions this winter, resulting in the elimination of more than two-thirds of the last wild bison population left in the United States. There are fewer than 2,100 wild bison remaining, and winterkill is still underway. Yellowstone National Park is holding over 330 bison at the Stephens Creek bison trap awaiting spring green up. Seventy-seven wild bison calves have been born in the trap. 112 buffalo calves have been separated from their mothers and family groups and sent to quarantine pens near Corwin Springs, Montana.

“At the rally Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer and Yellowstone Superintendent Suzanne Lewis will be presented with the Buffalo Bill Award for killing the most wild bison since the late 19th century,” said BFC spokeswoman Stephany Seay. “They will be remembered for this shameful act that has devastated our national heritage, the American bison.”

Continue Reading »

Contact: Chris Klatt
406-599-3629
lodgepole@riseup.net
May 12, 2008

Buffalo Allies of Bozeman Is Founded to Take Action against the Slaughter and Hazing of Wild Buffalo

New group takes a grassroots approach toward advocacy of buffalo in the Yellowstone area.

(Bozeman, Mont.) - In a winter where more wild buffalo have been killed than at any time since the 19th century in and near Yellowstone National Park, concerned local residents in the Bozeman area have formed Buffalo Allies of Bozeman - a new grassroots group taking action on behalf of the American bison.
“We believed we needed to build a community of action so that the slaughter we have seen this year, where over 1,600 animals have been killed, never happens again,” said Mel Schroeder, one of the members of Buffalo Allies of Bozeman.

The theme of community is at the heart of the new group, which is open to everyone in the Bozeman area who accepts the group’s mission. Buffalo Allies of Bozeman calls for stopping the slaughter and hazing of Yellowstone’s wild buffalo herds, promoting the expansion of free-roaming buffalo outside of Yellowstone National Park, conserving the natural habitat of the buffalo herds, allying with and giving solidarity to groups working on related missions and supporting a diversity of strategies and tactics to achieve the mission. All those participating at meetings make decisions together on events and actions.
“What makes us a little different than some of the larger environmental groups is that we depend entirely on the energy of the public for making decisions,” said Schroeder. “There is no Executive Director of President; we all roam on this path together.”

Buffalo Allies of Bozeman held an educational event in March, featuring Mike Mease of Buffalo Field Campaign. On May 25 at 7 PM, the group will be hosting a potluck in Bogart Park that is open to the public. In June, the group will host a forum on the various ways Bozeman residents can take an active role in buffalo advocacy.

The group will also be working with the Gallatin Wildlife Association on changing Montana law so that buffalo are respected as wildlife and not treated as a disease control issue. Furthermore, Buffalo Allies of Bozeman will be speaking out against the recent deal made between state of Montana, the National Park Service and the Church Universal & Triumphant. According to Schroeder, “This is a bad deal that, contrary to what some have said in the media, is not a step forward for a single buffalo. The more I learn about it, the more I realize that this does not actually provide habitat, safety or respect for any buffalo - and at an exorbitant cost to taxpayers.”

Buffalo Allies of Bozeman meets every Wednesday at 7 PM at Montana State University’s Strand Union Building. For more information, please visit: http://www.buffaloallies.org.

Michael Van Laanen, of MVL Films, LCC, has released a documentary he produced about the ongoing war against the wild bison of the Yellowstone region. This three-part film gives a brief yet thorough glimpse at the issue. You’ll hear from livestock producers, government agents, wild bison advocates, and you’ll meet some of the country’s last wild buffalo. Some footage is difficult to watch, but important to see. Check out the film on http://www.lifeonterra.com/episode.php?id=152. Michael has spent many hours in the field with BFC and has attended numerous meetings and events to help tell this story. He hopes that an edition of this film will be picked up by Montana PBS later in the year. Many thanks to Michael and his amazing film crew for helping spread the word about these special herds.

There are 3 segments for this video so be sure to watch all of them.

In this issue:
* Buffalo Kill Tally
* Update from the Field
* Buffalo Field Campaign Needs Summer Volunteers
* Upcoming Events for the Buffalo
* Montana Food Bank Speaks to Bison Meat Acquisition
* Documentary: The Bison Haze: A Yellowstone Controversy
* Special Thank You TO JANE GOODALL AND JACKSON BROWNE
* Last Words
* BFC Contact Info & Important Links
——————————
AMERICAN BISON ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S.
2007-2008 Total: 1,604
2007-2008 Slaughter: 1,438
2007-2008 Hunt: 166
2007-2008 Quarantine: 112

Total Since 2000: 3,669*
*includes lethal government action, quarantine, hunts
——————————

* Update from the Field

Dear Buffalo Friends,
The road through Yellowstone is now open to cars. In years past, during this season, on a drive through the park you would be hard pressed not to see several hundred buffalo and many newborn calves. This season, people who have taken this drive have felt as if they were in a ghost town. As barb, BFC’s office coordinator, reports: “Darrell and i spent many hours [last Friday] in Yellowstone driving from the west gate to Old Faithful, counting buffalo. The news is not good. In that 30 mile stretch we saw fewer than 200 buffalo total! In 14 years of living in Montana and spending lots of time at this time of the year in the park, I’ve never seen less than several hundred buffs in the meadows at Mary Mountain trail head; [Friday] we counted 41 with only 4 calves … and that was the largest herd we saw all day.”

On April 11, the Park Service estimated that there were fewer than 2,145 bison left. This figure does not account for winterkill, which is ongoing and will continue through most of May. Just yesterday we learned that Yellowstone captured once again. Another seventeen bull buffalo are in the Stephens Creek trap. Under the Interagency Bison Management Plan, when the bison population reaches 2,300 animals, they “may” slaughter, but when it reaches 2,100 animals they “shall” cease to slaughter. Given the April estimate and winterkill underway, it is critical to ask the Park what population threshold they are operating under. We can save the lives of these bulls. Please call the Park and ask them to do so: 307-344-2013.

Continue Reading »

In an earlier post about the sale of Bison meat to the Montana Food Bank the Billings Gazette got it wrong. We received this response to the article from the Montana Food Bank Network.

Hi. My name is James Dodge and I am the Food Resource Developer for the Montana Food Bank Network. I’m writing to set the proverbial record straight regarding the recent Billings Gazette story in which I am quoted saying that the Montana Food Bank Network “purchased” 15,000lbs of bison from the Department of Livestock for 42 cents per pound. As I clearly stated to Brett French of the Billings Gazette in the initial interview, the bison meat was donated free of any charge by the D.O.L. to the Montana Food Bank Network. We in turn paid 42 cents per pound to have the meat processed into burger for use by our clients. If we deliver the processed meat to an eligible food pantry or other hunger relief non-profit in Montana using our own trucks we charge an additional 4 cents per pound to help offset our fuel costs. The pantries also have the option to pick up the meat themselves in which case they only pay the 42 cents per pound for the processing costs. In either case this is significantly lower than the typical $1+ per pound that those food pantries would pay to purchase meat in a retail grocery store. The clients at these food pantries are never charged anything to receive this meat; it is provided completely free of charge to anyone who is food insecure. I asked the Billings Gazette to print a correction but they have declined. I just wanted you to know that the D.O.L. is not making any profit off the slaughter of bison in Yellowstone Park.

Thank You.

James

James Dodge
Food Resource Developer
Montana Food Bank Network

Buffalo Field Campaign
Yellowstone Bison
Update from the Field
May 1, 2008
——————————
Receive BFC’s updates or press releases.
Send your email address to bfc-media@wildrockies.org with “sub updates” or “sub press release” in the subject line.
——————————
AMERICAN BISON ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S.
2007-2008 Total: 1,604
2007-2008 Slaughter: 1,438
2007-2008 Hunt: 166
2007-2008 Quarantine: 112

Total Since 2000: 3,669*
*includes lethal government action, quarantine, hunts
——————————
——————————
In this issue:
* Update from the Field
* Call Out for Summer Volunteers
* Buffalo in the News
* Photo of the Week
* Last Words

——————————
* Update from the Field

This week on the Yellowstone National Park’s western boundary, the largest buffalo slaughter since the 18th century continues, even after Montana governor Brian Schweitzer promised two weeks ago that no more buffalo would be killed this season. The Montana Department of Livestock blatantly ignored the governor’s statement, capturing three bull buffalo at the Duck Creek trap on Monday and shipping them to slaughter without testing on Tuesday morning.

The continuation of the buffalo slaughter this week by the Department of Livestock adds insult to injury, with more than a third of the Yellowstone bison population having been eliminated since November, with no signs of stopping. The “historic announcement” issued by governor Schweitzer on April 17th, allowing buffalo more room to roam outside of the park boundaries, apparently has no merit along the park’s western boundary.

Continue Reading »