Buffalo Field Campaign
Yellowstone Bison
Update from the Field
March 18, 2010

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* Update from the Field
* Only 3,000 Wild Buffalo Left in the Nation
* BFC on Capitol Hill: Appropriations Hearings Underway
* BFC Heads to Hollywood
* Last Words
* Kill Tally
* Important Links
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* Update from the Field

Two female buffalo relaxing in Yellowstone, near Gardiner, MT. BFC file photo.

Buffalo are beginning to move with the spring tide. Along Yellowstone’s western boundary, a few very small groups of buffalo are slowly approaching Montana. There is a very special family – a mother, daughter, and their two calves – who have done an amazing job of keeping themselves alive and unnoticed in Montana since last season. We couldn’t tell you about them before because it would have drawn undesirable and possibly fatal attention to them. Mike Mease, BFC’s co-founder, will share a special telling of their incredible story in a future Update.

Soon the migration will begin in earnest, as buffalo make their way to their calving grounds on and around Horse Butte and other areas of the Gallatin National Forest. With the natural phenomena of buffalo migration comes the dangers of them having to cross Highways 191 and 287. BFC will be a visible presence on the road with our hot pink “Buffalo Crossing” signs, helping warn motorists. If only signs were enough to keep the Montana Department of Livestock away from the buffalo. Patrols have seen DOL agents out on snowmobiles looking for buffalo, and they have also been seen numerous times working on the Duck Creek buffalo trap. No doubt the quiet times will soon be over.

Along Yellowstone’s northern boundary buffalo have been mostly absent since the three bulls were killed by Nez Perce hunters near Gardiner two weeks ago. The Nez Perce’s hunt ended on Monday, March 15.

BFC spent time in the Gardiner area’s amazing landscape last week, but our full presence there has been short this season due to the minimal presence of buffalo and the financial constraints of keeping two camps open without dire need. While we were there in this massive wildlife migration corridor, we were blessed with the opportunity to see big horn sheep, pronghorn, elk, mule deer, coyotes, and three lovely buffalo. Our BFC family in Gardiner has been keeping an eye on these three gorgeous females who have their own secret strategy of moving between areas where they are safe.

While in Gardiner, we also got a first-hand look at the ridiculous fencing project being developed for the Royal Teton Ranch buffalo “corridor to nowhere,” west of the Yellowstone River; a wasteful project that maintains the status quo of treating wild buffalo like livestock. The fencing will also make life more difficult for other ungulates in the area, including Yellowstone’s only population of pronghorn, which is hanging on to existence by a thread. At the same time, Yellowstone National Park and Gallatin National Forest are embarking on re-vegetation projects in this immediate area, which further fences in scores of acres for the next 20 years, to help restore native bunch and buffalo grasses. Prior to being protected as public land, years of cattle ranching nearly killed these once-rich grasslands. It’s encouraging that re-vegetation is finally taking place, but it would be far wiser to allow the buffalo to help with such a project, since they can heal the wounded land. A few miles north of Yellowstone’s boundary, we visited the poor buffalo who remain in the Corwin Springs quarantine facility. They were clearly unhappy with our presence, showing immediate signs of fear and agitation, rare things to see in buffalo, but a stark indicator of mistreatment. We can only imagine the horrors they go through being kept in confinement, treated like cattle and routinely handled by scientists. Those now locked away on Ted Turner’s land will also continue to go through five more years of such treatment.

In spite of more than a century of government and livestock industry efforts to domesticate and control wild buffalo, the buffalo continue to persist, resist, and endure and BFC will be here to help them every step of the way.

Roam Free!

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* Only 3,000 Wild Buffalo Left in Yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park yesterday released their 2010 buffalo population estimate. Sadly, only 3,000 wild buffalo currently exist, according to the survey. Before European settlement and westward expansion, tens of millions of buffalo coexisted with First Nations. These 3,000 wild buffalo are the nation’s last continuously wild population of American bison. Confined by politics to Yellowstone’s ecologically meaningless boundaries, American buffalo remain ecologically extinct. Even so, livestock interests still believe 3,000 buffalo is too many. Yet the U.S. is infested with nearly 100 million invasive cattle, occupying and destroying the native buffalo’s historic range. Yellowstone National Park has issued documents stating that the Park can sustain 6,200 buffalo, a number buffalo have never been allowed to reach. With surrounding Gallatin National Forest lands, and private lands that welcome buffalo, the landscape could easily support tens of thousands in the immediate area. Instead, livestock-driven government actions cut them down and continue to threaten these unique and sacred herds with extinction.

Read a short article and please consider writing a Letter to the Editor.

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* BFC on Capitol Hill: Appropriations Hearings Underway in U.S. House

Buffalo Field Campaign’s Josh Osher has been in Washington, DC for the past several weeks drumming up support to protect the buffalo and reinvigorating members of Congress to take action.

Appropriation hearings are underway for the Departments of Interior and Agriculture including American taxpayer funding for the Interagency Bison Management Plan under which over 3,200 wild buffalo have been slaughtered by Yellowstone National Park and the Montana Department of Livestock.

We encourage all buffalo advocates to contact their Congressional Representatives to support habitat based solutions for wild buffalo to roam free. Look for an upcoming special alert on how to help redirect your tax dollars that are funding the slaughter of America’s last wild buffalo to purchase habitat forever.

It is up to all of us to let our representatives in Congress know that we want buffalo and their native habitat protected. Working the Hill to develop a grassroots lobby is an additional expense to our already extended budget, yet is vital to our broader campaign to protect the buffalo. Your financial support of our efforts on the front-lines and in the nation’s capital would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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* Buffalo Field Campaign Needs Your Help

As you can tell from this week’s Update, we have been extremely busy on the frontlines, in the legal arena, and in the halls of Congress. With the buffalo poised on the brink of their annual Spring migration, we will literally be working around the clock to protect them. With more than 70% of our operating funds coming from our incredible network of individual supporters, we are not beholden to corporations, large foundations, or anyone else. But we are dependent upon you. While Spring always brings BFC’s heaviest workload, it is also one of our slowest seasons in terms of donations. If you care about wild buffalo and believe in the work of Buffalo Field Campaign, please support our work with a tax-deductible contribution.

Donate HERE or send a check to: BFC, PO Box 957, West Yellowstone, MT 59758.

Thank You!

Dan Brister
Executive Director
Buffalo Field Campaign

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* BFC Heads to Hollywood

Buffalo Battle, a special TV documentary featuring the work of Buffalo Field Campaign and produced by Planet Green, has been nominated for a Prestigious Genesis Award. BFC Campaign Coordinator Mease will be in Los Angeles this week to attend the ceremony and will host a special reception on Friday night. If you live in the area, or know people who do, please join us for front-lines stories, exclusive footage, and exciting clips from Buffalo Battle. Vegan Hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be served. $5 suggested donation.

Friday March 19, 7:00-10:00PM

2HeadedHorse
1770 Glendale Blvd Echo Park
Los Angeles

For more info and to download a flyer about the event click here

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* Last Words

“A 400-page United Nations report from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) states that cattle farming is responsible for 18% of greenhouse gases. The production of cattle to feed and clothe humans is assessed to be one of the top three environmental problems in the world on a local to global scale. The report, entitled Livestock’s Long Shadow, also surveys the environmental damage from sheep, chickens, pigs and goats. But in almost every case, the world’s 1.5 billion cattle are cited as the greatest adverse impact with respect to climate change as well as species extinction. The report concludes that, unless changes are made, the massive damage reckoned to be due to livestock may more than double by 2050, as demand for meat increases. One of the cited changes suggests that intensification of the livestock industry may be suggested, since intensification leads to less land for a given level of production.”

~ From “Livestock’s Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options.” Published by the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2006.

Do you have submissions for Last Words? Send them to bfc-media@wildrockies.org. Thank you all for the poems, songs and stories you have been sending; you’ll see them here!

* Kill Tally

AMERICAN BISON ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S.
2009-2010 Total: 4

2009-2010 Slaughter: 0
2009-2010 Hunt: 4
2009-2010 Quarantine: 0
2009-2010 Shot by Agents: 0
2009-2010 Highway Mortality: 0

2008-2009 Total: 22
2007-2008 Total: 1,631
Total Since 2000: 3,706*
*includes lethal government action, quarantine, hunts, highway mortalities
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Media & Outreach
Buffalo Field Campaign
P.O. Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-0070
bfc-media@wildrockies.org
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org

BFC is the only group working in the field every day
in defense of the last wild buffalo population in the U.S.

KEEP BFC ON THE FRONTLINES WITH A TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION TODAY

Join Buffalo Field Campaign — It’s Free!

Tell-a-Friend!

Take Action!

ROAM FREE!

Buffalo Field Campaign
Yellowstone Bison
Update from the Field
March 11, 2010

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——————————
* Update from the Field
* BFC Returns to Washington
* BFC Co-Founder Mike Mease to Speak at L.A. Film Awards
* Summer Coordinator & Volunteers Needed
* Buffalo Calendar Update: We Need Your Feedback!
* Last Words
* Kill Tally
* Important Links

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* Update from the Field

Young bachelor bulls north of Yellowstone. BFC file photo.

Small numbers of buffalo have begun to appear along the north and west boundaries of Yellowstone National Park.

Late last week, three bull buffalo were shot by Nez Perce hunters near Gardiner, Montana. The Nez Perce are hunting under treaty rights through Monday, March 15. Another small group of buffalo have migrated past Yellowstone’s north entrance gate, but have not yet entered areas where they are vulnerable to hunters or government actions.

Along Yellowstone’s western boundary, several buffalo have approached, but not crossed into, Montana. If and when they do enter the state, their migration corridor will carry them right past the Department of Livestock’s Duck Creek Trap, so BFC patrols are keeping a close eye on the buffalo and any government activity in the area.

The situation with the eighty-eight Yellowstone buffalo, currently locked away from the public on the private ranchlands of Ted Turner, has not changed, though their story continues to make the news.

A growing number of people are coming to the understanding that they have been purposefully mislead by the government, the media, and compromising conservation organizations.

When these 88 bison, born wild within Yellowstone Park, were transported to Ted Turner’s ranch the public lost all access to them.

If you haven’t yet seen BFC’s video about FWP’s Turner scheme, check it out and share it with your friends.

Winter was unusually mild this year and Spring has arrived early, revealing and awakening the sleeping grasses. With the greening of the earth, the buffalo will come: last years’ calves grown into dark and wooly yearlings, bulls young and frisky and adult and enormous, elegant mothers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, grandfathers and grandmothers. With these families will come the pregnant buffalo who hold the gift of the next generation within them. Raise your voices loud and strong for the buffalo and help tell their story so that when they do arrive those who mean them harm will know that the buffalo’s allies are strong and growing.

Roam Free!

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* BFC Returns to Washington

Buffalo Field Campaign’s Josh Osher has been in Washington, DC for the past several weeks drumming up support to protect the buffalo and reinvigorating members of Congress to take action. In the past, we have pursued several congressional strategies including Appropriations Amendments, The Yellowstone Buffalo Preservation Act, and a congressional oversight hearing. BFC was also instrumental in getting Congress to ask for a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) which was released in 2008 and found that the agencies implementing the Interagency Bison Management Plan were failing on several levels and needed to improve bison management. Based largely on this report, the agencies have made some limited changes that benefit buffalo outside the Park. It is these changes that the Montana Department of Livestock is currently trying to undo.

Currently, we are focusing our efforts on the upcoming Appropriations bills for the Departments of Interior and Agriculture. We are developing proactive ideas that the various agencies could implement for the benefit of buffalo. Look for more details about our efforts and strategies in next week’s Update and prepare to lend your voice to these efforts. The buffalo have not been in the forefront of the national legislative agenda recently and it is up to all of us to let our members of Congress know that we want the buffalo protected.

In the meantime, your financial support of our efforts in the nation’s capitol would be greatly appreciated. Josh’s trip to Washington comes at an additional expense to our regular operating budget, yet is vital to our broader campaign to protect the buffalo.

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* BFC Co-Founder Mike Mease to Speak at L.A. Film Awards

Buffalo Battle, a special TV documentary featuring the work of Buffalo Field Campaign and produced by Planet Green, has been nominated for a Prestigious Genesis Award. BFC Campaign Coordinator Mease will be in Los Angeles next weekend to attend the ceremony and will present a special reception on Friday night. If you live in the area, or know people who do, please join us for front-lines stories, exclusive
footage, and exciting clips from Buffalo Battle.

Vegan Hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be served
$5 suggested donation.

Friday March 19
7:00-10:00PM

2HeadedHorse
1770 Glendale Blvd Echo Park
Los Angeles

For more info and to download a flyer about the event click here.

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* Summer Coordinator & Volunteers Needed!

For the past fourteen summers BFC has staffed information tables inside Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. This public education program has always been a central part of BFC. During the summer tabling program we meet prospective volunteers and supporters and generate needed donations. Most importantly, we educate park visitors about the endless aggression and harassment the bison endure during the time of year when most park visitors are not here.

We are currently recruiting bright, personable, and passionate people who can volunteer a minimum of three weeks to table in the Parks. The three week commitment will allow you to gain a solid understanding of the bison issue.

If you are interested and possess the qualities described above, please apply by sending me an email at volunteer@buffalofieldcampaign.org.

We are also looking for a person more involved in the issue and all its facets, who has volunteered with the campaign for at least a month previously, to spearhead and oversee our summer program. This person would need to make a full summer commitment from June through Labor Day, and be able to train, lead and organize a small to medium-sized group of volunteers. Besides being educated and articulate on bison issues, our Summer Coordinator needs to be a licensed driver in good standing.

If you have interest in filling this role contact me to discuss details.

We thank you for everything you do for these sacred bison and for our campaign. Your support keeps us going and gives us our strength.

Peet
BFC Volunteer Coordinator

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* Buffalo Calendar Update: We Need Your Feedback!

Thank you to everyone who has sent photos for BFC’s buffalo calendar project. We have enjoyed your incredible shots so much and are amazed at the terrific photographers you are and how you each capture the essence of the buffalo as seen through your eyes. It is an honor and a gift to have you share these with us.

We have some bad new and some good news regarding the calendar. The bad news is that the first publisher we submitted our proposal to turned us down. The good news is that this is not going to stop us and we are looking into publishing the calender on our own with the generous help of Art and Image Printing in Missoula.

In order for this project to succeed, we need your help! This is a huge commitment for us as we’ll need to print and sell at least 10,000 calendars. While we will be distributing some to stores in the Greater Yellowstone area and elsewhere in the country, we are relying on you, our supporters, to make this calendar a success.

In addition to making them available individually on our web site, we will be offering them in quantity at discounted prices for you to sell and distribute in your communities. Kind of like Girl Scout cookies.

Before we commit to ordering so many calendars, we’d like to get an idea of the level of support for such an undertaking. Please write bfc-media@wildrockies.org to express your level of interest and the number of calendars you think you can distribute in your community. Thank You!

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* Last Words

“Bison have the best chance of full recovery as wildlife by being allowed to roam freely across hundreds of thousands or even millions of hectares. Making this possible poses one of the biggest challenges for restoring bison herds as both public and private landowners will need to give their support.”

~ From an International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) press advisory announcing the release of their report, American Bison: Status Survey & Conservation Guidelines 2010.

Do you have submissions for Last Words? Send them to bfc-media@wildrockies.org. Thank you all for the poems, songs and stories you have been sending; you’ll see them here!

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* Kill Tally

AMERICAN BISON ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S.
2009-2010 Total: 4

2009-2010 Slaughter: 0
2009-2010 Hunt: 4
2009-2010 Quarantine: 0
2009-2010 Shot by Agents: 0
2009-2010 Highway Mortality: 0

2008-2009 Total: 22
2007-2008 Total: 1,631
Total Since 2000: 3,706*
*includes lethal government action, quarantine, hunts, highway mortalities
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Media & Outreach
Buffalo Field Campaign
P.O. Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-0070
bfc-media@wildrockies.org
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org

BFC is the only group working in the field every day
in defense of the last wild buffalo population in the U.S.

KEEP BFC ON THE FRONTLINES WITH A TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION TODAY

Join Buffalo Field Campaign — It’s Free!

Tell-a-Friend!

Take Action!

ROAM FREE!

Buffalo Field Campaign
Yellowstone Bison
Update from the Field
February 18, 2010

Buffalo Field Campaign relies on donations from people like you to fund our work to protect the bison. Please contribute today to keep us strong in the field and on the policy front.

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* Update from the Field
* Why Yellowstone Bison Do Not Belong on Ted Turner’s Ranch
* Buffalo Battle Nominated for Genesis Award!
* Last Words
* Kill Tally
* Important Links

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* Update from the Field

Lone bull buffalo. BFC file photo.

Montana’s buffalo hunt is finally over. This year, one bull buffalo was shot by a state hunter in early December. For the past two years, hunters have killed only one buffalo each season, even though Montana issued 144 tags to state hunters, and an additional 144 for tribal treaty hunts. The reason so few buffalo have been taken by hunters is because there have been almost no buffalo in Montana.

What kind of “hunt” is that? It’s the kind authorized by Montana’s cattle industry and sanctioned by the Interagency Bison Management Plan which defends the hegemony of livestock interests by chasing wild buffalo out of Montana or killing them if they choose to remain on their chosen ground. Two years ago more than 1,600 wild buffalo were killed by state and federal agencies, and the buffalo are having a hard time making a rebound. There is still no tolerance or year-round habitat for wild buffalo in Montana and the hunt has never been anything more than yet another means of killing buffalo that dare step over the line from Yellowstone into Montana, and if the hunters don’t kill them, the state of Montana most certainly will.

The Nez Perce will continue to hunt under treaty right through the middle of March, if any buffalo emerge from the Park. If buffalo do begin to migrate, the Nez Perce hunt could be disrupted by the Department of Livestock. As we mentioned in last week’s Update, the DOL has promised aggressive management actions – including capture and slaughter – against buffalo this year. Arbitrary numbers of buffalo on the landscape, based on the DOL’s “science” to facilitate the convenience of the agents who harass them, will instigate harsh management actions when the yearly spring migration occurs.

According to the DOL, the minimal tolerance shown to buffalo last season – which we knew was created to set buffalo up to fail these man-made tests – will not be repeated this year. So far, Yellowstone National Park and Gallatin National Forest are finally showing some courage and refusing to accept the DOL’s devolution from Adaptive Management. This doesn’t say much as last year’s “tolerance” was barely existent. But at least the agencies aren’t immediately completely caving to the demands of the livestock industry. Only time will tell how things play out in the field for the buffalo. The DOL is gearing up for aggression, that much we know: BFC patrols have seen DOL livestock inspector Shane Grube plowing snow from the Duck Creek buffalo trap.

For now, wild buffalo are eluding both hunters and the Department of Livestock.

Roam Free!

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* Why Yellowstone Bison Do Not Belong on Ted Turner’s Ranch

Yesterday, escorted by Homeland Security agents, four livestock trailers hauled eighty of the eighty-eight Yellowstone buffalo to the private lands of Ted Turner. Buffalo Field Campaign was there to document. Today, the remainder of these Yellowstone buffalo – eight bulls – will be sent to his ranch. Ted Turner is a prominent commercial buffalo rancher and he will get to keep 75% of these Yellowstone buffalo’s calves that are born on his land and use them for his commercial gains to improve the genetics of his domestic herds that he raises for meat and canned buffalo hunts.

These Yellowstone buffalo have been stolen from all of us: from the American people and from First Nations who have wanted to bring their relatives home for many, many years. More importantly, these buffalo have been stolen from their wild-born families and the lands that are their birthright.

Montana’s Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks (MFWP) and the media would have us all believe that the only options that these buffalo had were going to Turner or to slaughter, and if you are opposed to them going to Turner then you must be for slaughter. Ironic, coming from one of the agencies that participates in the slaughter of wild Yellowstone buffalo. This is a wily way to spin the facts in order gain blind public support for the Turner option, which was their last-minute bail-out plan because they completely failed to use their five years wisely. MFWP broke the promise they fed us when they initiated the Quarantine Feasibility Study: to return these Yellowstone buffalo and their calves to public or tribal lands. Privatization and commercialization were expressly forbidden. And now we are being force-fed the ultimatum of slaughter or a “good home” at Ted Turner’s big bison ranch. The fact is, there are other options including millions of acres on public and tribal lands in Montana and throughout the country. This is just one more instance of the government and livestock industry manipulating wildlife and public perceptions. In transferring these wild buffalo to corporate interests, MFWP has broken trust with the public and tribes. We believe they have broken the law. It is not enough to trust that Yellowstone buffalo going to Turner’s private lands is better than slaughter. Do not fall prey to the false government line that these are the only options.

There is another reason that Yellowstone buffalo should not go to Turner’s land: two years ago there was an anthrax outbreak on Turner’s Flying D ranch, a stone’s throw from Turner’s Green Ranch where the Yellowstone buffalo will be held for five years. Anthrax occurs in the soil and lies dormant under drought conditions until heavy rains occur. Turner lost 257 of his ranched buffalo to anthrax in 2008. It is also believed the outbreak was responsible for the deaths of wildlife: at least 2 deer and 14 elk. One domestic bull died from anthrax, and the Montana State Vet even recommended that cattle ranchers on lands adjacent to Turner’s land vaccinate their cattle against anthrax. With this highly deadly bacteria in the soil, this land should never have been an option for further quarantining Yellowstone buffalo.

Buffalo Field Campaign has opposed the Quarantine Feasibility Study from the beginning, knowing strongly that this experiment would manipulate and sacrifice the wild integrity and unique behavior of America’s last population of migrating buffalo. Proponents of quarantine would have us all believe that this is the only way that American buffalo will be restored to the landscape, but we advocate for natural bison restoration, one hoof at a time, via migration corridors to vast tracts of historic habitat enjoyed by all other wildlife. Buffalo advocates who honor the free-born bison and their right to roam their native lands should refuse to accept the privatization and commercialization of Yellowstone buffalo, and instead insist that disease-management be focused on domestic cattle. Since stress and confinement are instigators of disease, the only option that makes sense for wild buffalo is to roam free.

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* Buffalo Battle Nominated for Genesis Award!

Buffalo Battle, the TV-documentary highlighting the controversy surrounding the management of wild Yellowstone buffalo and the work of Buffalo Field Campaign has been nominated for a Genesis Award, presented by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). According to HSUS, “HSUS’s annual Genesis Awards recognizes artists, writers, and others in entertainment and the media who contributed their time and talents over the past year to raise awareness of the plight and suffering of animals.” Learn more.

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* Last Words

“If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them something more than the miracles of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.”

- President Lyndon B. Johnson, on the signing of the Wilderness Act of 1964

Do you have submissions for Last Words? Send them to bfc-media@wildrockies.org. Thank you all for the poems, songs and stories you have been sending; you’ll see them here!

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* Kill Tally

AMERICAN BISON ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S.
2009-2010 Total: 1

2009-2010 Slaughter: 0
2009-2010 Hunt: 1
2009-2010 Quarantine: 0
2009-2010 Shot by Agents: 0
2009-2010 Highway Mortality: 0

2008-2009 Total: 22
2007-2008 Total: 1,631
Total Since 2000: 3,703*
*includes lethal government action, quarantine, hunts, highway mortalities
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Media & Outreach
Buffalo Field Campaign
P.O. Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-0070
bfc-media@wildrockies.org
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org

BFC is the only group working in the field every day
in defense of the last wild buffalo population in the U.S.

KEEP BFC ON THE FRONTLINES WITH A TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION TODAY

Join Buffalo Field Campaign — It's Free!

Tell-a-Friend!

Take Action!

ROAM FREE!

Buffalo Field Campaign
Yellowstone Bison
Update from the Field
February 11, 2010

Buffalo Field Campaign relies on donations from people like you to fund our work to protect the bison. Please contribute today to keep us strong in the field and on the policy front.

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——————————
* Update from the Field
* BFC’s Mike Mease to Present Multimedia Shows in Eugene, OR
* BFC Board Member and Volunteers Join Haitian Relief Crew
* Last Words
* Kill Tally
* Important Links

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* Update from the Field

The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks has decided to turn over all 88 quarantined Yellowstone buffalo to the private game farm of billionaire Ted Turner. According to the details of the deal hatched in private between the media mogul and MT Governor Brian Schweitzer, Turner will get to keep 75% of the buffalo’s offspring for his commercial gains. Montana has just set a dangerous precedent of domesticating and privatizing public wildlife, removing them from the public domain, and abandoning them to for-profit commercial interests.

Read BFC’s press release.
Read FWP’s decison notice.

Please take a moment to contact the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks and let them know you do not support these plans to privatize 88 members of the Yellowstone bison population by sending them to media tycoon Ted Turner’s Flying D Ranch and giving the billionaire 75 percent of their offspring.

David Risley, Fish and Wildlife Division Administrator
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
1420 E. 6th Ave., P.O. Box 200701
Helena, MT 59620-0701
(406) 444-9817 phone
drisley@mt.gov

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* BFC’s Mike Mease to Give Multi-media Presentations in Eugene, OR

BFC Campaign Coordinator Mike Mease will be traveling to Eugene, OR for the 2010 Public Interest Environmental Law Conference later this month. He will be joined by musicians Good Shield & 7th Generation Rise and Phoenix & After Buffalo for two very special presentations. If you live in the area, please come out and support these shows:

“A Night for the Buffalo”
Presentation by Mike Mease
with Andrew Rodman as MC
Thursday February 25th, 9:00 p.m.
Sam Bond’s Garage
407 Blair Boulevard
Eugene, OR
Music by:
Good Shield &
7th Generation Rise;
Phoenix &
After Buffalo

Mike will also be leading a panel at the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference:
“Bring Back the Buffalo”
Saturday, February 27
3:45 – 5:00 pm.
Long House
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR

Contact Mike at: mease@wildrockies.org for more information.

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* BFC Board Member and Volunteers Join Haitian Relief Crew

BFC board member Roman Sanchez and volunteers Trenton and Aaron left Tuesday on a two-week trip to Haiti with a select team of street medics. As of this writing they are somewhere on the long road between Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and Saint-Marc, Haiti, where they plan on spending the next couple weeks volunteering at a field hospital. Please keep these three brave and caring men in your thoughts as they and thier crew engage in this important work.

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* Last Words

Even the National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) are not immune from the livestock industry’s influence. For instance, a joint federal/state plan for management of the Yellowstone National Park (YNP) bison herd-the only naturally occurring, (ostensibly) free-ranging bison herd in the United States-seems designed primarily to assuage cattle producers outside the park. This is so despite congressional mandates to “conserve . . . wildlife” in the parks and “provide against . . . their capture or destruction.” Bison that cross YNP’s northern border are treated like livestock, not wild animals.”

–Deborah Donahue, from: WESTERN GRAZING: THE CAPTURE OF GRASS, GROUND, AND GOVERNMENT

Do you have submissions for Last Words? Send them to bfc-media@wildrockies.org. Thank you all for the poems, songs and stories you have been sending; you’ll see them here!

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* Kill Tally

AMERICAN BISON ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S.
2009-2010 Total: 1

2009-2010 Slaughter: 0
2009-2010 Hunt: 1
2009-2010 Quarantine: 0
2009-2010 Shot by Agents: 0
2009-2010 Highway Mortality: 0

2008-2009 Total: 22
2007-2008 Total: 1,631
Total Since 2000: 3,703*
*includes lethal government action, quarantine, hunts, highway mortalities
——————————
——————————
Media & Outreach
Buffalo Field Campaign
P.O. Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-0070
bfc-media@wildrockies.org
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org

BFC is the only group working in the field every day
in defense of the last wild buffalo population in the U.S.

KEEP BFC ON THE FRONTLINES WITH A TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION TODAY

Join Buffalo Field Campaign — It’s Free!

Tell-a-Friend!

Take Action!

ROAM FREE!

Buffalo Field Campaign
Yellowstone Bison
Update from the Field
February 4, 2010

Buffalo Field Campaign relies on donations from people like you to fund our work to protect the bison. Please contribute today to keep us strong in the field and on the policy front.

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——————————
* Update from the Field
* IBMP Agencies Hold Secret “Public” Meeting
* Good-Bye Tolerance: DOL & Park Service Battle Over Adaptive Management
* Quarantine: FWP Decides to Send 88 Yellowstone Buffalo to Ted Turner
* Wild Buffalo: What Does this Mean to You?
* Last Words
* Kill Tally
* Important Links

——————————
——————————
* Update from the Field

Buffalo near Yellowstone's north boundary. BFC file photo.

But things could soon be changing. The Nez Perce, Confederated Salish-Kootenai, and the InterTribal Bison Cooperative are finally active participants in IBMP decision-making, and we expect that their much-needed participation will help guide a more respectful future for wild buffalo. This has the Department of Livestock and their ranching constituency feeling very uncomfortable, to say the least. As you will read below, the Department of Livestock appears to be feeling the coming pressure and is reacting much like a cornered animal, snarling and striking. Hard times are ahead for the buffalo, it seems, but people grow more tired of the cattle industry’s hegemony and the buffalo’s champions are gaining strength and numbers. They say the darkest time is just before the dawn, and so it may come to pass this season. Rest assured that BFC together with tribes and other bison advocates are going to turn the dark into light and realize some positive change.

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* IBMP Agencies Hold Secret “Public” Meeting

BFC recognizes serious flaws in the public process, but we take every opportunity to actively engage and make every attempt to attend all public meetings that affect the Yellowstone buffalo population. BFC has never missed an Interagency Bison Management Plan (IBMP) meeting … until this week. We were shocked to learn that the Interagency Bison Management Plan partners held a secret “public” meeting on Tuesday, February 2nd, with agenda items up for discussion that affect the buffalo and BFC greatly. Interestingly, none of the regular participants at these meetings were aware that it was taking place. Nor was the press. Montana’s Madison and Park County commissioners, however, were invited to the meeting, yet somehow it was kept hidden from the general public until after it was underway. The Montana Department of Livestock is currently the lead agency responsible for organizing meetings, and they failed to adequately notify the public that this meeting was happening, which violates Montana’s Open Meeting Law. It also goes against the recommendations from the U.S. Congress General Accountability Office, who suggested IBMP partners hold meetings in public in order to be transparent and accountable. BFC is taking action to ensure that these secret “public” meetings never happen again. Clearly the DOL didn’t want BFC or any of the buffalo’s strong allies to attend, and we now know why:

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* Good-Bye Tolerance: DOL & Park Service Battle Over Adaptive Management

While we may have been intentionally excluded from attending the meeting, BFC was on the phone with the Department of Livestock (DOL) and Yellowstone National Park officials and we’ve learned that extreme changes are being planned by the DOL.

At this IBMP “public” meeting on February 2, Yellowstone National Park and Gallatin National Forest went head-to-head with the Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) and consensus among the agencies was thrown out the window. The DOL “intends to make changes,” huge, backwards changes and strike out at the buffalo by removing the minimal tolerance all IBMP partners agreed to just last winter. According to Montana State Vet Marty Zaluski, who represents the DOL, “last year’s Adaptive Management Changes won’t be repeated.” The DOL intends to withdraw the minimal tolerance all IBMP agencies agreed to in December 2008. Under this Adaptive Management Plan, last spring unlimited numbers of buffalo were allowed to access public lands habitat on cattle-free Horse Butte until May 15, while smaller numbers of buffalo were given some access to critical winter range and spring calving grounds along the south side regions of the Madison River (Madison Arm). It was really the least the agencies could do, but still represented a few months of respite for the buffalo. Apparently, the DOL felt that the buffalo were afforded too much “tolerance” last year, and now they want to take it all back. Montana lost its brucellosis-free status, and it had nothing to do with the buffalo, so why do they insist on taking these drastic actions against them when the IBMP is clearly failing on both of its goals: to maintain a viable free-ranging population of bison and to protect Montana’s brucellosis-free status?

The specifics of DOL’s intended actions this coming season are still unclear, but we do know that they want to begin hazing and capturing buffalo if more than 100 migrate out of the Park’s western boundaries between February 15 and April 10. This means that right after the hunt, and while tribal treaty hunts are still underway, we could see disgusting repeats of DOL actions from winters past, where agents on snowmobiles chase buffalo through deep snow, forcing them to use energy stores that they need to survive the winter. The DOL also said they will seek to erect the Horse Butte buffalo trap, and they fully intend to slaughter. When BFC asked if IBMP partners would need to come to consensus on these drastic management changes, Marty Zaluski said no. Montana, apparently, can do whatever it wants; as horrible as the IBMP is, the DOL can make things worse. But, if that’s the path they choose, it will be all on Montana, especially if the Park Service and Forest Service have the courage to uphold their opposition.

At this secret “public” meeting, like at the November IBMP public meeting, tribal representatives, Gallatin National Forest and Yellowstone National Park disagreed with the DOL’s stringent and backwards suggestions. Yellowstone stated that they feel strongly about continuing operations as outlined in the Adaptive Management Plan, and will continue to seek more tolerance for buffalo outside Yellowstone’s boundaries. Tribes, Gallatin NF and Yellowstone NP all agreed that they need more time with the existing Adaptive Management Plan to evaluate its effectiveness before proposing any amendments to it. You can read through a series of interesting documents, including powerful letters from Yellowstone National Park and the InterTribal Bison Cooperative here.

These renegade actions by the DOL could initiate the dissolving of the Interagency Bison Management Plan. We still don’t know if Yellowstone and Gallatin will refuse to assist the DOL, but they should be encouraged to refrain from participating. Please take a minute to contact Yellowstone Superintendent Suzanne Lewis and Gallatin National Forest Supervisor Mary Ericson and thank them for taking a stand for the buffalo and encourage them to drop out of the failing Interagency Bison Management Plan!

BFC will be there do document and challenge the DOL’s devolution every step of the way, and we will continue to show the world what these cowboys are doing to the last wild population of American buffalo. These actions by the DOL demonstrate that they know their time harassing and killing buffalo is coming to an end.

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* Quarantine: FWP Decides to Send 88 Yellowstone Buffalo to Turner

It is worse than we feared: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has decided to send all 88 quarantined Yellowstone buffalo to the private lands of billionaire Ted Turner. Turner will get to keep 75% of the Yellowstone buffalo’s offspring for his commercial gains. Montana has just set a horrible precedent of privatizing public wildlife and they have shown great disregard to Native American tribes who for years have wanted to bring the buffalo home.

Read BFC’s press release.

Read FWP’s decison notice.

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* Wild Buffalo: What Does this Mean to You?

This is a question that is going to be asked throughout Montana over the next few years, and we want to hear what you think. What does WILD buffalo, truly free-living wild buffalo, mean to you? How do you see their return taking shape on the landscape? What challenges can you think of, and the ways to overcome them? Think big, think practical, dream the buffalo back. Let us know ~ send your thoughts to bfc-media@wildrockies.org.

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* Last Words

Tell the bison not to go

where they have always been,

…for the bison and wolves of the Yellowstone ecosystem and Northern Rockies, for the trees and plants and rocks, for the elephants and orangutans, for the bees and the gorillas, the butterflies and birds, for the voles and nematodes, for the frogs and salamanders and the bats, for the otters, dolphins, whales, and polar bears, for the turtles and the coral and the krill, for the plankton and the leopard, for the beetles and the worms, for the waters, earth, and air…

© February 3, 2010 Carol Snyder Halberstadt

Do you have submissions for Last Words? Send them to bfc-media@wildrockies.org. Thank you all for the poems, songs and stories you have been sending; you’ll see them here!

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* Kill Tally

AMERICAN BISON ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S.
2009-2010 Total: 1

2009-2010 Slaughter: 0
2009-2010 Hunt: 1
2009-2010 Quarantine: 0
2009-2010 Shot by Agents: 0
2009-2010 Highway Mortality: 0

2008-2009 Total: 22
2007-2008 Total: 1,631
Total Since 2000: 3,703*
*includes lethal government action, quarantine, hunts, highway mortalities
——————————
Media & Outreach
Buffalo Field Campaign
P.O. Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-0070
bfc-media@wildrockies.org
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org

BFC is the only group working in the field every day
in defense of the last wild buffalo population in the U.S.

KEEP BFC ON THE FRONTLINES WITH A TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION TODAY

Join Buffalo Field Campaign — It’s Free!

Tell-a-Friend!

Take Action!

ROAM FREE!

Buffalo Field Campaign
Yellowstone Bison
Update from the Field
January 21, 2010

Buffalo Field Campaign relies on donations from people like you to fund our work to protect the bison. Please contribute today to keep us strong in the field and on the policy front!

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——————————
* Update from the Field
* Off-Fence, De-Fence: Lend a Hand to Free the Land
* Live Auction! Bid Now on an Awesome Colorado Ski Trip
* High Quality Photos Needed for Buffalo Calendar
* BFC Needs a New Stove
* Last Words
* Kill Tally
* Important Links

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* Update from the Field

Buffalo have still not migrated into Montana. Every day patrols are donning skis and snowshoes, heading out into the field to check migration corridors and all the areas favored by buffalo, but the shaggy giants are currently absent from Montana’s wintry landscape. A few buffalo hunters arrived over the week, but there were no animals available for them to kill. Montana’s buffalo hunt ends in just a few weeks, at sunset on February 15. We hope the buffalo will continue to find the forage they need in Yellowstone’s boundaries until then, and keep safe from the bullet.

BFC has taken advantage of this quiet time to embark on a very satisfying habitat improvement project, which will have immediate benefits for buffalo and other area wildlife. When the buffalo do begin their migration, accessing portions of their habitat will no longer be as trecherous. Please read on, watch the short video, and learn how you can lend a hand to free the land.

Roam Free,
~Stephany

BFC volunteer cuts barbed wire off public land along Highway 287. BFC file photo.

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* Off-Fence, De-Fence: Lend a Hand to Free the Land

On January 15th, Buffalo Field Campaign started a barbed-wire fence removal effort in cooperation with Gallatin National Forest. This extremely satisfying habitat improvement project, which we fondly refer to as our “off-fence / de-fence” effort, began with the removal of a two-mile stretch of barbed-wire fence on Gallatin National Forest lands near Duck Creek, a critical wildlife migration corridor especially loved by bull buffalo.

Eleven BFC volunteers, including two awesome individuals from the Natural Resources Defense Council, started the project last Friday. We plowed through the snow, dug up buried strands, cut the fence free from posts, and rolled it up for the Forest Service to collect and dispose of. It took just two and a half days to remove it all, and now this part of the landscape — frequently used by buffalo, moose, elk, fox, eagles, grizzly bears, and many other area wildlife — is finally free of the cruel fencing.

Watch a short BFC video clip of the project.

The fencing we removed was once part of a public lands cattle-grazing allotment, which has been vacant (without cows) for many years. Gallatin National Forest recently closed this land to cattle for good, yet the harmful fence was left behind. During hazing operations, BFC has often witnessed buffalo being run into this section of barbed-wire fence by the Montana Department of Livestock, and we’ve also witnessed other wildlife having difficulty negotiating the fence. For years BFC offered to remove it, so when we finally got the green light form Gallatin National Forest, we went right to work. Gallatin National Forest provided the leather gloves and the barbed wire pick-up, and we organized the people power. Now, when buffalo begin to migrate through this area they will no longer have to negotiate the hazardous barbed wire. We are excited to continue working with Gallatin National Forest to remove other sections of barbed-wire fence on our public lands, and we hope you will become inspired to take on similar projects around public lands in your region.

BFC and NRDC volunteer for Gallatin National Forest to remove barbed wire fence near Duck Creek.

LEND A HAND TO FREE THE LAND! Thousands, even millions of acres in the U.S. are strangled by barbed wire fencing, much of it strewn across our public lands which have been leased to ranchers for cattle grazing. Some of these cattle grazing allotments are closed, but the fence remains. Barbed wire is difficult enough for wildlife to navigate and can prevent some wildlife from accessing critical habitat, and does cause injury and sometimes death. Neglected barbed wire can be worse because it’s unseen, with loose strands hiding tangled in vegetation, a veritable trap waiting to maim or kill. BFC wants to encourage everyone who can to contact their local National Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management offices and offer your volunteer services to remove dangerous barbed wire fence. A quick search of the Internet may show you fence-removal projects already underway that you can participate in. It is very satisfying work and you will be making a huge and immediately positive difference for wildlife across the country! BFC will be creating an informative web page to help educate and empower people to lend a hand to free the land, but don’t let that stop you from beginning your own off-fence/de-fence projects today! If you do take on this gratifying work, please share your stories and photos with us. Thank you!

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* Live Auction! Bid Now on an Awesome Colorado Ski Trip

The Colorado ski trip auction is now live! The winner will receive six nights of lodging in a Gold-Plus rated, four-bedroom, 3-bath condominium 500 yards from the base of the Silver Queen ski lift, eight ski lift tickets courtesy of Crested Butte Mountain Resort, and more than 700 dollars worth of ski clothing from Patagonia. 100 percent of the proceeds will go directly to the front-lines work of Buffalo Field Campaign, the only group working in the field and on the policy front to permanently protect the Yellowstone bison, America’s only continuously wild population.

Retail value of this package is more than $5,987.

For more information, please click here and good luck!

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* High Quality Photos Needed for Buffalo Calendar

Buffalo Field Campaign is excited to announce that we have the opportunity to create the first-ever buffalo calendar, which would become available in time for the 2011 calendar year. This calendar will focus on the positive aspects of buffalo life in hopes that more people will come to fall in love with these gentle, shaggy giants and take an active interest in the issues affecting them. Knowing that many of you have spent time in and around Yellowstone with the buffalo, we wanted to invite you to submit your favorite high-quality shots. If your photos are chosen for use in the calendar, you will, of course, be given full credit.

Photo submission guidelines: Calendar photos must be stellar! We need high-quality digital photos at 300dpi, high resolution JPEG or TIFF files. Photos should be in color. We cannot accept “photoshopped”, scanned, web camera, or photos taken from a web site. There should not be any dates or text of any kind visible on the photos. If you have photos that meet these requirements and you’re willing to let us submit them for inclusion in the calendar, please send them to Stephany at bfc-media@wildrockies.org. You may also send a CD of photos to Stephany/Buffalo Calendar, P.O. Box 957, West Yellowstone, Montana 59758. We can also send you a more detailed document on photo submission guidelines required by the calendar’s publisher, so just email for a copy if you intend to submit photos.

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* BFC Kitchen Needs a New Stove

The BFC kitchen is in need of a new stove! Our current oven has been on the fritz for a few years now and we are looking to replace it before it finally gives up the ghost. We are looking for a commercial grade 6-burner gas range with a large capacity oven. During our main season we feed anywhere from 15-40 volunteers three meals a day seven days a week, so a heavy duty, reliable range is one of our most important tools at camp. If you have this kind of a range, or know someone who does, and would like to donate it to BFC, or if you would like to help us purchase a new one, please call our kitchen coordinator, Brandy, at 406-646-0070. Thank you!

Please visit BFC’s Wish List to find out about other items we are in need of. All donations – monetary and in-kind – are tax deductible.

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* Last Words

“You, O buffalo, are the earth! May we understand this!”

~Lakota Sun Dance prayer

Do you have submissions for Last Words? Send them to bfc-media@wildrockies.org. Thank you all for the poems, songs and stories you have been sending; you’ll see them here!

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* Kill Tally

AMERICAN BISON ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S.
2009-2010 Total: 1

2009-2010 Slaughter: 0
2009-2010 Hunt: 1
2009-2010 Quarantine: 0
2009-2010 Shot by Agents: 0
2009-2010 Highway Mortality: 0

2008-2009 Total: 22
2007-2008 Total: 1,631
Total Since 2000: 3,703*
*includes lethal government action, quarantine, hunts, highway mortalities
——————————
Media & Outreach
Buffalo Field Campaign
P.O. Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-0070
bfc-media@wildrockies.org
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org

BFC is the only group working in the field every day
in defense of the last wild buffalo population in the U.S.

KEEP BFC ON THE FRONTLINES WITH A TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION TODAY

Join Buffalo Field Campaign — It’s Free!

Tell-a-Friend!

Take Action!

ROAM FREE!

Buffalo Field Campaign
Yellowstone Bison
Update from the Field
January 14, 2010

Buffalo Field Campaign relies on donations from people like you to fund our work to protect the bison. Please contribute today to keep us strong in the field and on the policy front!

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In this issue:
* Update from the Field
* Buffalo Field Campaign to Auction Colorado Ski Trip
* Thank You for Commenting for Quarantined Yellowstone Buffalo
* Ask the Discovery Channel to Show Buffalo Battle
* Support a Wish for Buffalo Field Campaign
* Last Words
* Kill Tally
* Important Links

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* Update from the Field

A breathtaking view from Sandy Butte, inside Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Dana, BFC volunteer.

Buffalo Field Campaign patrols have been enjoying some amazing wildlife experiences. On a recent patrol into Yellowstone National Park while watching ravens far in the distance from the heights of Sandy Butte, volunteers spotted three black wolves near the elk kill site we mentioned last week. They were very far away, and visible only through binoculars, so we were not able to get photos to share with you. Even from far away, the wolves were very aware of our presence and watched us closely while we were there. On another patrol along the Madison River, BFC skiers spotted a solitary wolf who seemed determined to enjoy some Trumpeter swan for lunch. Red fox, elk, otters, and eagles have been showing themselves recently, and so have quite a number of moose.

Moose are very interesting creatures. They may seem a little goofy and awkward, but they can, in fact, be quite dangerous and require a lot of space. Unfortunately, moose, like all area wildlife, must try to survive the Yellowstone ecosystem’s harsh winters while being enveloped in the constant noise of recreational snowmobilers. These experiences can be very trying for all wildlife, but moose especially demonstrate their agitation and sometimes show that they are fed up with humans.

On a patrol the other day, we were about to go for a reconnaissance along the north bluffs of the Madison River, a favored migration corridor for buffalo and other wildlife. We spotted a young bull moose about fifty yards from where we were going to begin our trek, which happened to be right next to a snowmobile route. The first volunteer gave the moose a very wide and respectful berth, but the moose had apparently been bothered a lot that morning, and he made a bee-line for the volunteer. We shouted a heads-up to the volunteer, but the moose pursued, and the volunteer had to turn and quickly move to safety. Thankfully, all ended well. The moose, after establishing his strong – and understandable – desire to be rid of humans, went his way, and we chose another route to give him the space he needed.

Buffalo migration has yet to begin, even with the significant snowfall we experienced last week. No hunters have been seen in the area either. Montana’s buffalo hunt season will be over in about a month, and we are hopeful that it will remain quiet for our shaggy friends. When buffalo do begin their migration, they will find some of their habitat improved; Buffalo Field Campaign will be removing a significant stretch of barbed wire fence on the Gallatin National Forest along land adjacent to Duck Creek, which is a favored migration corridor for bull bison. Too many times BFC has documented buffalo being run into this fence during hazing operations. Removal of the fence should also help keep buffalo off of Highway 287, since they will have a much easier time accessing this habitat. This area was once a public lands cattle grazing allotment and has been vacant for years. The Forest Service finally permanently closed it to cattle, and tomorrow, BFC will lend a hand to free the land so that buffalo and other wildlife will no longer have to negotiate this cruel stretch of wired injustice.

Roam Free,
~Stephany

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* Buffalo Field Campaign to Auction Colorado Ski Trip

The winner of this auction will receive six nights of lodging in a Gold-Plus rated, four-bedroom, 3-bath condominium 500 yards from the base of the Silver Queen ski lift, eight ski lift tickets courtesy of Crested Butte Mountain Resort, and more than 700 dollars worth of ski clothing from Patagonia. 100 percent of the proceeds will go directly to the front-lines work of Buffalo Field Campaign, the only group working in the field and on the policy front to permanently protect the Yellowstone bison, America’s only continuously wild herd.

Retail value of this package is more than $5,987.

The auction will begin on Monday, January 18.

For more information, please click here.

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* Thank You for Commenting for Quarantined Yellowstone Buffalo

Enormous thanks to all to all who sent in comments encouraging Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) to place quarantined Yellowstone buffalo on public or tribal lands, rather than allowing them to go to the private ranch of Ted Turner. A public meeting was held by FWP in Bozeman, Montana last week, and the public was overwhelmingly in support of these buffalo being given a home on state, federal or tribal land. While it is true that Ted Turner has done some great things for animals on his private acres, the privatization of public Yellowstone bison would set a horrible precedent, it violates the public trust and it clearly goes against the stated goals of the Quarantine Feasibility Study. FWP would like the public to believe that the only choices for these buffalo are Turner or slaughter, but this is simply not true, as many tribes have expressed strong interest in receiving the animals, and there are also many thousands of acres of public land in Montana where they could live out their lives respectfully. If you sent in comments, you should hear directly from FWP regarding their decision, and, of course, we will be sure to inform you as soon as we know.

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* Ask the Discovery Channel to Show Buffalo Battle

Good news! Planet Green has reported that the premiere of Buffalo Battle received good ratings, which means this could help get a series off the ground! We have been hearing from many of you that you have been unable to watch Buffalo Battle because you are not able to get Planet Green. Planet Green is owned by the Discovery Channel, which is more widely available to TV viewers. We are encouraging folks to contact The Discovery Channel and ask them to carry Buffalo Battle so it can be seen by more people. Please take a moment to get in touch with The Discovery Channel’s Viewer Relations department and ask them to bring Buffalo Battle to a wider audience. Thank you all for tuning in!

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* Support a Wish for Buffalo Field Campaign

Big thanks for the recent in-kind donations of items represented on Buffalo Field Campaign’s Wish List! We are always in need of various equipment to keep our office, field patrols and kitchen functional, so see if there’s anything you can help us with by taking a moment to visit our Wish List. All donations are tax deductible and treasured! Thank you!

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* Last Words

“One thing I have learned over the years is that the impossible can be possible and superior odds are to be looked at as a challenge to overcome. It does not matter what the strength of the enemy is. What matters is the determination of our opposition to the enemy. They fight for money, we fight for life. They are motivated by greed and we are motivated by a passionate compassion. [We] have more courage and determination and that is what will make the difference once again. ”

~ Hans Lak, Sea Shepherd Volunteer

Do you have submissions for Last Words? Send them to bfc-media@wildrockies.org. Thank you all for the poems, songs and stories you have been sending; you’ll see them here!

——————————
* Kill Tally

AMERICAN BISON ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S.
2009-2010 Total: 1

2009-2010 Slaughter: 0
2009-2010 Hunt: 1
2009-2010 Quarantine: 0
2009-2010 Shot by Agents: 0
2009-2010 Highway Mortality: 0

2008-2009 Total: 22
2007-2008 Total: 1,631
Total Since 2000: 3,703*
*includes lethal government action, quarantine, hunts, highway mortalities
——————————
Media & Outreach
Buffalo Field Campaign
P.O. Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-0070
bfc-media@wildrockies.org
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org

BFC is the only group working in the field every day
in defense of the last wild buffalo population in the U.S.

KEEP BFC ON THE FRONTLINES WITH A TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION TODAY

Join Buffalo Field Campaign — It’s Free!

Tell-a-Friend!

Take Action!

ROAM FREE!

State of Montana wants to give them to Ted Turner

Buffalo in quarantine - Kim Acheson

As is typical with this issue, the State of Montana has set up a false dichotomy with the bison in the quarantine program. They say that the bison need to be given to billionaire Ted Turner or slaughtered because they have no other options. This is nonsense.

As I have discussed before on Ralph Maughan’s blog, there are other options including working with the Fort Belknap Reservation to locate the quarantined buffalo there, placing them back into the Park, or placing them on a state wildlife refuge, all of which would keep these bison in the public domain which was required under the plan. If Ted Turner receives these 78 buffalo he wants 190 of their progeny in return for his own commercial operations which also violates the agreement with the National Park Service to keep them in the public domain.

“There’s land in Montana,” said Stephany Seay with the Buffalo Field Campaign. “The alternatives are not Turner or slaughter. But that’s what we are being fed.”

Activists call for bison on state land
By DANIEL PERSON Chronicle Staff Writer

Buffalo Field Campaign
Yellowstone Bison
Update from the Field
January 6, 2010

Buffalo Field Campaign relies on donations from people like you to fund our work to protect the bison. Please contribute today to keep us strong in the field and on the policy front!

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——————————
In this issue:
* Thank You Buffalo Friends!
* Update from the Field
* TAKE ACTION! Comment on FWP Bison Quarantine Proposal
* Great Work! Your Messages Get Response from Governor Schweitzer
* Buffalo Battle Showing Again Tonight & Thursday, Jan. 7
* Ski & Ski Boot Donations Needed
* Last Words
* Kill Tally
* Important Links

——————————
* Thank You Buffalo Friends!

Bull bison in blizzard. BFC file photo courtesy of supporter K. Kaiser.

Out here on the Yellowstone boundary, bearing witness to the harsh government treatment of America’s only continuously wild population of bison, it can sometimes seem as if we are alone in our struggle to stop the slaughter. Your actions remind us that we are not.

Your response to our year-end funding plea has been incredible. Thanks to your donations we have exceeded the $75,000 goal necessary for us to qualify for the Earth Friends Challenge Grant. Donations, merchandise orders, and letters of encouragement continue to pour into our mailbox from all corners of the country and the the world. Your support literally makes our work for the bison possible, and we can not express enough how much it means to us. THANK YOU!

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* Update from the Field

Happy New Year to all of our buffalo friends! It has been a good start to the new decade for the buffalo; things have remained quiet in the field and, save for the one bull bison killed on Horse Butte, Montana’s bison “hunt” has been uneventful thus far.

After an unseasonably dry beginning, the snow has finally started falling in earnest. Over the course of the last two days we’ve gotten nearly two feet! While breathtakingly beautiful, the snow definitely brings challenges, especially when it falls all at once. We are spending lots of time plowing and shoveling around our headquarters. Our snow plow is really old, but it’s holding up and helping to clear paths so our two barely-working patrol vehicles can make it down the driveway to transport volunteers into the field. Patrols must now ski or snowshoe to get around, or risk being immediately exhausted by post-holing through the deep cold powder. Our supply of skis has been used well over the last thirteen seasons in the field, which means a lot of wear and tear and wanting for working equipment.

The snow may also inspire the buffalo to migrate to lower elevation lands, so we are keeping close watch along Yellowstone’s boundary throughout the buffalo’s migration corridors.

We are constantly reminded of how very lucky we are to keep company with buffalo, elk, moose, eagles, ravens, coyotes, fox and many other of the Yellowstone ecosystem’s amazing creatures. Last week, during a trek into Yellowstone, patrols were blessed with a rare and remarkable experience: they came across the fresh carcass of an old bull elk that had just been taken by wolves. Patrols were able to spot one of the wolves before it quickly retreated into the willows. The tracks surrounding the elk offered a rare, storied gift of the dramatic life-and-death dance, so rich in Nature’s poetry of expression. Wolf song has also been heard from the cabin, which is a thrill of mystery to everyone. We are so blessed to live among these wonderful, wild creatures and give thanks every day for their continued existence.

While the field has been quiet for the buffalo, there’s been a small flurry of activity on the policy front, so please read on and take action for wild buffalo! Buffalo Battle will also air again on Planet Green late tonight and tomorrow, so check your local listings and invite your friends to watch with you.

Here’s to hoping that 2010 is a good year and the beginning of a great decade for the buffalo, and you, our extended buffalo family.

Roam Free!
~Stephany

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* TAKE ACTION! Comment on FWP Bison Quarantine Proposal

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) has released a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) on the translocation of quarantined Yellowstone bison and is seeking your input through January 12, 2010.

FWP’s preferred alternative outlines the agency’s intention to hand over 74 Yellowstone bison to billionaire Ted Turner, setting the dangerous precedent of commercializing public bison. BFC has strongly opposed quarantine, alternatively advocating for wild bison to be naturally restored on their historic range via protected habitat and migration corridors. That said, it is important that bison advocates try to help these quarantined Yellowstone buffalo get out of captivity and be released onto public and/or tribal lands, as was the stated goal of the Quarantine Feasibility Study.

Learn more and TAKE ACTION NOW!

Comments are due January 12, 2010. For those who can travel, FWP will hold a public meeting on this issue Thursday, January 7, at 6pm at their Region 3 office in Bozeman, Montana, 1400 S. 19th Avenue. Comments will also be accepted at this meeting. Hope to see you there!

Alternatively, you may mail your comments to:
Bison Translocation
Wildlife Division
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
P.O. Box 200701
Helena, MT 59620-0701
Email: QFBison@mt.gov

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* Great Work! Your Messages Get Response from Governor Schweitzer

In December, while giving a speech to the Montana Stockgrowers Association, Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer proudly said: “No governor in Montana history has sent more bison to slaughter than this governor.”

You all were terrific in letting him know right away that Montana and Yellowstone’s shameful slaughter and mistreatment of America’s last wild bison population is nothing to brag about, but indeed a disgrace to the nation and the world. In fact, he received so many letters from bison advocates, he had his staff draft a response, which many of you have shared with us. If you haven’t seen it, you can read it here.

Granted, his letter is a sorry political spin that attempts to sugar coat the truth of the thousands of bison killed, harmed and harassed under Schweitzer’s rule as Governor. He tries to claim that bison are left alone during the harsh winter months, but that is totally untrue because in lieu of hazing, bison are now hunted when they cross Montana’s borders, and sometimes the hazing continues during the hunt. And you have seen what the war zone approach to hazing in May looks like, with calves suffering broken legs and being separated from mothers, adults being injured, and Montana’s landscapes being robbed of the presence of bison. We all know from first-hand experience and BFC’s documentation that wild buffalo still “enjoy” no tolerance in Montana, even on Horse Butte where cattle are never present. Ironically, Schweitzer’s letter also sites the quarantine project and how disease-free bison will be sent “to conservation herds,” yet Schweitzer himself encouraged private interest Ted Turner to apply for the quarantined buffalo, so he is responsible for trying to privatize America’s wildlife.

The point is, you put the pressure on Schweitzer’s administration, and they responded. GREAT WORK! Please continue to keep the pressure on, and if you are not from Montana, let Schweitzer know that you will not come to Montana unless it is to help the buffalo or until they roam free again.

Governor Brian Schweitzer
Office of the Governor
Montana State Capitol Building
P.O. Box 200801
Helena, MT 59620-0801
Phone: 1-406-444-3111
Fax: 1-406-444 5529
Email: governor@mt.gov

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* Buffalo Battle Airs Again Tonight & Thursday, Jan. 7

Tune in because it’s on again! Late tonight and on Thursday, January 7th, Discovery’s Planet Green will once again air Buffalo Battle. This Planet Green program, produced by Matthew Testa, tells the continuing story about the plight of the Yellowstone bison population and work of Buffalo Field Campaign. Buffalo Battle has been getting tremendously positive feedback, so Planet Green is giving the public more viewing opportunities. The more viewers they get, the more likely it is they’ll want to make a series and this will certainly help tell the world about what is happening to the last wild buffalo. Please check your local listings for showtimes and invite your friends and colleagues to watch Buffalo Battle with you late tonight and again on Thursday, January 7th. For more information visit Planet Green.

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* Ski & Ski Boot Donations Needed

Winter has arrived in earnest, and has delivered several feet of snow in a very short amount of time! Skiing and snowshoeing is a must now, and our supply of skis and ski boots are old and quickly reaching the point of disrepair, which is preventing some folks from getting out into the field. If you can help us with skis (three pins are great) or ski boots (three pin and large sizes especially), please contact our gear coordinator, Lobo, at gear@buffalofieldcampaign.org. BFC is always in need of certain items, so please check our Wish List for items you may be able to help us with. All donations -in-kind and monetary- are tax-deductible and very much appreciated. Thank You!!

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* Last Words

“Power concedes nothing without demand”

~ Written in 1857 by Frederick Douglas (1818-1895)

Do you have submissions for Last Words? Send them to bfc-media@wildrockies.org. Thank you all for the poems, songs, quotes and stories you have been sending; you’ll see them here!

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* Kill Tally

AMERICAN BISON ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S.
2009-2010 Total: 1

2009-2010 Slaughter: 0
2009-2010 Hunt: 1
2009-2010 Quarantine: 0
2009-2010 Shot by Agents: 0
2009-2010 Highway Mortality: 0

2008-2009 Total: 22
2007-2008 Total: 1,631
Total Since 2000: 3,703*
*includes lethal government action, quarantine, hunts, highway mortalities
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Media & Outreach
Buffalo Field Campaign
P.O. Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-0070
bfc-media@wildrockies.org
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org

BFC is the only group working in the field every day
in defense of the last wild buffalo population in the U.S.

KEEP BFC ON THE FRONTLINES WITH A TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION TODAY

Join Buffalo Field Campaign — It’s Free!

Tell-a-Friend!

Take Action!

ROAM FREE!

** SPECIAL ALERT! **

Buffalo Field Campaign

Dear Friends of the Buffalo,

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) has released a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) on the translocation of quarantined Yellowstone bison and is seeking your input through January 12, 2010.

FWP’s preferred alternative outlines the agency’s intention to hand over 74 Yellowstone bison to billionaire Ted Turner, setting the dangerous precedent of commercializing public bison. BFC has strongly opposed quarantine, alternatively advocating for wild bison to be naturally restored on their historic range via protected habitat and migration corridors. That said, it is important that bison advocates try to help these quarantined Yellowstone buffalo get out of captivity and be released onto public and/or tribal lands, as was the stated goal of the Quarantine Feasibility Study.

Learn more and TAKE ACTION NOW!

Comments are due January 12, 2010.

Alternatively, you may mail your comments to: Bison Translocation Wildlife Division Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks

P.O. Box 200701 Helena, MT 59620-0701Email:
QFBison@mt.gov

Thank you so much for being a voice for America’s last wild population of buffalo!

Roam Free,

Media & Outreach Buffalo Field Campaign

P.O. Box 957 West Yellowstone, MT 59758406-646-0070
bfc-media@wildrockies.org
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org

BFC is the only group working in the field every dayin defense of the last wild buffalo population in the U.S.

KEEP BFC ON THE FRONTLINES WITH A TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION TODAY

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