Buffalo Allies of Bozeman

Here are the articles which appeared in the media during the last few days.

7/1
State vets plan to eliminate brucellosis in Yellowstone bison
KULR-TV, Billings
http://www.kulr8.com/news/state/22795274.html

6/30
Federal brucellosis policy is unrealistic
Casper Star Tribune
http://www.trib.com/articles/2008/06/30/editorial/editorial/fb559b10989ed5628725747700210022.txt

Outbreak renews brucellosis debate
KPAX-TV, Missoula
http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=8579758&nav=menu227_2

Boy injured by Yellowstone bison
Star Valley Independent (WY)
http://www.starvalleyindependent.com/2008/06/boy-injured-by-yellowstone-bison/

6/29
Letter: Policy degrades healthy gene pool (Robert Hoskins!)
Casper Star Tribune
http://www.trib.com/articles/2008/06/29/editorial/letters/239051d4f776e75d872574770001865f.txt

Letter: Hunters, trappers drive agenda (Kathleen Stachowski!)
Missoulian
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/06/29/letters/letters70.txt

Boy injured by bison in Yellowstone
Murcury News (San Jose, CA)
http://www.mercurynews.com/travel/ci_9736143?nclick_check=1

6/28
Boy, 12, injured by Yellowstone bison
Jackson Hole News and Guide
http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=3246

6/27
Bison injures boy posing for photos at Yellowstone
Associated Press
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jVqWhba8VGnYN98J5uOIJQnDyBpwD91INVF02

Hoping for best for Bison Range
Daily InterLake
http://www.dailyinterlake.com/articles/2008/06/27/opinion/opinion01.txt

6/25
Brucellosis prompts meeting of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho
Seattle Post Intelligencer
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6600ap_wst_brucellosis_meeting.html

6/24
Wyoming may lose brucellosis free status
The Lingle Guide (WY)
http://www.lingleguide.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=398&page=72

Cattle group calls for elk, bison reductions in Yellowstone
KXMC, Minot, ND
http://www.kxmc.com/News/250663.asp

Cattle group’s brucellosis proposal draws fire
Billings Gazette (Brown, AP)
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/06/24/news/wyoming/22-brucellosis.txt

Yellowstone bison, elk reduction urged
Desert News (Utah)
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,700237375,00.html

6/23
USCA calls for long-term brucellosis eradication within Greater
Yellowstone Area
Cattle Network
http://www.cattlenetwork.com/Content.asp?ContentID=231380

Cattle group calls for ekl, bison reductions in Yellowstone
KPAX-TV, Missoula
http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=8543181&nav=menu227_7

Cattlemen want to reduce YNP’s bison, elk numbers (with video)
KPAX-TV, Missoula
http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=8543755&nav=menu227_6

6/22
Solving the brucellosis problem
Great Falls Tribune
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080622/BUSINESS/806220320

Perspective: Solutions to feedground problems aren’t easy
Casper Star Tribune
http://www.trib.com/articles/2008/06/22/editorial/forum/14294451fc2f70838725746f00210b9d.txt

6/20
Aborted elk calf found outside park tests positive for brucellosis
The Prairie Star
http://www.theprairiestar.com/articles/2008/06/21/ag_news/local_and_regional_news/local12.txt

Montana Stockgrowers disagree that split-state would have worked
The Prairie Star
http://www.theprairiestar.com/articles/2008/06/21/ag_news/opinion/let%2012.txt

National Bison Range: CSKT, FWS sign pact
Missoulian
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/06/20/news/local/news04.txt

State Vets Plan to Eliminate Brucellosis in Yellowstone Bison
KULR-TV - Billings,MT,USA
By Alden Downing

This shows the true colors of the livestock industry and how they want to control how our wildlife is managed for their benefit. Buffalo in the Yellowstone are among the few genetically pure buffalo left in North America and they are the only buffalo which have a continuos connection to the land that they inhabit.

This plan has been tried in the past and it was an utter failure. This continuous genetic bottleneck will result in a decline of genetic diversity and will negatively effect the health the heard thus putting them at risk of extinction.

Brucellosis is endemic in many species of wildlife and is exacerbated by the elk feedgrounds in Wyoming.

Ralph Maughan has posted his feelings about this plan here:
http://wolves.wordpress.com/2008/07/02/state-vets-plan-to-elminate-brucellosis-in-yellowstone-bison/

Buffalo Field Campaign
Yellowstone Bison
Update from the Field
June 26, 2008

KEEP BFC ON THE FRONTLINES WITH A TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION TODAY
https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?id=1807
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In this issue:

* Update from the Field
* COMMENT: Montana Buffalo Hunt Planned for 2008-2009
* “Buffalo News” ~ Collaborative Newsletter for the Buffalo Available
* “Let Buffalo Roam” License Plates for Every State!
* Photo of the Week
* Last Words
* Kill Tally

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* Update from the Field

Dear Buffalo Friends,

Summer is here and our field volunteers are now inside the boundaries of Yellowstone with the surviving mighty bison, educating national park visitors. BFC tables inside Yellowstone every summer in an effort to let park visitors know what happens to the buffalo they are there to admire. Our shaggy friends gain a lot of support from people visiting Yellowstone from across the nation and around the globe. If you are planning to visit Yellowstone this summer, look for us in the Park. And, if you have an interest in helping BFC tell the buffalo’s story in Yellowstone this summer, please contact Iwi at summer@buffalofieldcampaign.org.

Meanwhile, Montana’s loss of it’s coveted brucellosis-free status is barely making news headlines. One would think that if this was the huge economic disaster they have always claimed, it would make the front page every day. But, the media has been relatively quiet. And to date, the cattle industry has not been able to rule out that the transmission could have come from cattle. Of course, quick to place blame, the cattle industry immediately points the finger at wildlife inhabiting the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, calling for “reductions” in elk and bison populations. Killing half the bison population wasn’t enough to please them, apparently, even though wild bison have never transmitted the cattle disease to cattle. Perhaps it’s time for a reduction in the cattle populations that encroach on this majestic wilderness region, because it’s clearly not working in this landscape. Nor is the industry’s prized practice of “test-and-slaughter” programs aimed at grass-eating wildlife.

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is one of the last remaining wild places left in the lower-48, one of the last homes to bison, elk, wolves, grizzly bears, wolverines, and countless other wild species that cannot tolerate the lethal invasion brought by cattle and the industry’s accompanying politics. Priorities and attitudes must change, and they are changing, in a direction that recognizes the irrational behavior and expectations of the cattle industry and the strong economic, cultural, spiritual, biological, and ecological benefit of wild bison all over this land!

Roam Free!
~Stephany

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* COMMENT: Montana Buffalo Hunt Planned for 2008-2009

Given the slaughter of this past season we are shocked to report that Montana intends to carry on with a buffalo hunt this coming season. Apparently, half the last wild population dead just isn’t enough for Montana, the “big skull state.” Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission has decided to go ahead with the exact same bison hunt as last season. Only this time, hunters don’t have to attend an education course. The state has still not provided any year-round habitat for wild bison in Montana, and they are still aggressively and lethally “managed” by the Montana Department of Livestock, the agency that is also authorizing the hunt. Wild bison aren’t even considered a wildlife species in Montana. The only time they are allowed to step foot in the state is from November 15 to February 15, during the hunt, so they can be shot. The buffalo are a national treasure, and now, due to Montana cattle politics, fewer than 2,100 wild American bison currently exist and they will be under the gun again this winter.

TAKE ACTION FOR THE BUFFALO! Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is accepting public comments through July 18, and they need to hear from you! Please visit the link below to submit your comments today and please spread the word to save the herds!!!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=2qclNo_2bC_2fpYkxAlq6kIeLA_3d_3d

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* “Buffalo News” ~ Collaborative Newsletter for the Buffalo Available

BUFFALO NEWS, is a new collaborative newsletter jointly published by a diverse group of wild bison allies: Buffalo Field Campaign, Gallatin Wildlife Association, Horse Butte Neighbors of Buffalo, Natural Resources Defense Council, the InterTribal Bison Cooperative and Tataka Oyate: 7th Generation Fund. Working collectively, all these groups have put together an update of what has occurred with this year’s slaughter, ideas on how to counter the IBMP agencies, and a stellar center-fold map of potential and available bison habitat in SW Montana.

These are perfect outreach tools for you to use in your communities to help educate and inspire bison advocates from wherever you may roam. Copies of the newsletter are now available for distribution. Contact BFC Office Coordinator, barb abramo via email at buffalo@wildrockies.org or via snail mail at PO Box 957, West Yellowstone MT 59758-0957. Contributions for the cost of postage are greatly appreciated.

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* “Let Buffalo Roam” License Plates for Every State

American bison once spanned the continent, 50 million strong, making their home in nearly all 50 states. One way people across the land of the wild buffalo can show support for their return is to make a statement with Montana’s new ‘Let Buffalo Roam’ license plates.

In Montana, official plates are available right now! If you don’t live in MOntana, you can still get a plate! Throughout the country, anyone can acquire a sample plate to let everyone know you think Montana should let the buffalo roam! Check out Photo of the Week below to see a perfect example of an out of state sample plate. Purchase of plates goes directly towards BFC’s front lines work.

Learn how to get yours at http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org.

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* Photo of the Week

Patagonia’s Ron Hunter, Nevada resident, uses his sample license plate to say: Montana MUST Let Buffalo Roam! Learn how to get your “Let Buffalo Roam” plate at http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org.

If you have trouble viewing this photo please visit http://gallery.buffalofieldcampaign.org/v/photo_of_the_week/Photo+of+the+Week+6-26-08.jpg.html

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* Last Words

“Our approach to Nature is to beat it into submission. We would stand a better chance of survival if we accommodated ourselves into this planet and viewed it appreciatively, instead of skeptically and dictatorially.”

~ E.B. White

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* Kill Tally

AMERICAN BISON ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S.
2007-2008 Total: 1,613
2007-2008 Slaughter: 1,447
2007-2008 Hunt: 166
2007-2008 Quarantine: 112

Total Since 2000: 3,678*
*includes lethal government action, quarantine, hunts

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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.

Stay informed! Get our weekly email Updates from the Field:
Send your email address to bfc-media@wildrockies.org

* View BFC Video Footage:
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org

* NEW VIDEO! To Protect the Wild Bison
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/aboutus/documentaries.html

* Why are they killing the last wild buffalo?
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/issueinbrief.html

* NEW! Buffalo Field Campaign Blog
http://www.blog.buffalofieldcampaign.org

* Protect Horse Butte for Wild Buffalo!
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/legal/horsebutte.html

* BOYCOTT BEEF! It’s what’s killing wild buffalo
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/actnow/boycott.html

* Speak Out! Contact politicians and involved agencies today:
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/actnow/politicians.html

* Write a Letter to the Editor of key newspapers:
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/actnow/lte.html

* Help the buffalo by recycling your used cell phones & printer cartridges:
It’s free and easy. http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/support/recycleprint.html

Cattle group calls for elk, bison reductions in Yellowstone

Rather than facing the real issue with brucellosis, namely the elk feed grounds in Wyoming where artificially high concentrations increase the prevalence of brucellosis, the California-based U.S. Cattlemen’s’ Association wants you, the public, to accept more killing of Yellowstone wildlife for industry.

13 More Cattle in Wyoming Have Brucellosis.
By BOB MOEN of the Associated Press

These cattle appear to be from the same herd that tested positive for brucellosis last week.

Ralph Maughan has posted about the previous cases.
Brucellosis now confirmed in cows near Sublette County, WY elk feedlot

Join wild buffalo advocates at a benefit for Buffalo Field Campaign! Tatanka 2008 will take place in Victor, Idaho June 20-21. Events will be MC’d by BFC’s co-founder Mike Mease! Musical acts include B-Side Players, Army, MooGot2, Anthony Smith’s Trunk Fulla Funk, Chanman’s Roots Band, Teton Honkeytonk, All-Stars, Big Fatty, Ten Cent Lure, CB Radio, and DJ MAM! Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 the day of the show. Contact The Knotty Pine at 208-787-2866 or Big Hole Music at 208-354-3659 for ticket information. Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more information.

On Saturday, June 28, BFC will participate in Patagonia’s “Voice Your Choice” program.
Customers vote from June 10-July 19 on the enviro group that most deserves a $4,000 grant!
Learn more and stop by the Patagonia Outlet in Dillon and vote for BFC!

Here are the stories which appeared in the press of the last several weeks.

6/19
Op-Ed: Myths add to brucellosis blame game (Nadia White, UM professor of journalism)
The Missoulian
http://missoulian.com/articles/2008/06/19/opinion/guest/guest77.txt

Tribes, gov’t will share management of Bison Range
San Diego Union-Tribune
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20080619-1301-wst-bisonrangemanagement.html

TenderBison joins the Winn Meat company roster of fine proteins (Yellowstone, conservation mention)
The Earth Times
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/tenderbisontm-joins-the-winn-meat-company-roster-of-fine-proteins,440702.shtml

6/18
Mexico not behind Montana’s brucellosis outbreak (BFC mention)
Billings Gazette (AP)
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/06/18/news/state/14-mexico.txt

Officials begin digging into brucellosis case
Billings Gazette (AP)
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/06/19/news/wyoming/24-brucellosis.txt

Nebraska Dept. of Ag issues import order for Montana cattle and bison
CattleNetwork.com
http://www.cattlenetwork.com/Content.asp?ContentID=230244

Blackfeet tribe begins a buffalo project for economic development
Glacier Reporter
http://www.goldentrianglenews.com/articles/2008/06/18/glacier_reporter/news/news2.txt

6/14
A letter from the Governor
West Yellowstone News
http://www.westyellowstonenews.com/articles/2008/06/13/news/news5.txt

Montana loses its brucellosis-free status
Brownfield ~ Ag News for America
http://www.brownfieldnetwork.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=74342C2D-E2F2-1431-3CA538980FDBCC39

How bad is it?
News Talk KBLG 910AM, Billings
http://www.kblg.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=8282

6/13
Buffalo Allies calls upon Governor to withdraw from IBMP
West Yellowstone News
http://www.westyellowstonenews.com/articles/2008/06/13/news/news3.txt

More restrictions ordered for cattle
Great Falls Tribune, Across the Big Sky
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080613/NEWS01/806130321/1002

6/12
Debunking brucellosis myths
New West (Bill Schneider)
http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/debunking_brucellosis_myths/C41/%20L41/

Montana bison hunt quotas likely staying the same (video footage)
Montana’s News Station
http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=8485180&nav=menu227_3

Wyoming may have new brucellosis case
Casper Star Tribune
http://www.trib.com/articles/2008/06/12/news/breaking/doc485194ae85e7c146998238.txt

Ochenski: Udder failure: The politics behind Montana’s brucellosis discovery
Missoula Independent
http://www.missoulanews.com/index.cfm?do=article.details&id=7958B09B-14D1-13A2-9F378912943DCE73

Commissioners back proposed bison hunt
KXMC - Minot, ND
http://www.kxmc.com/News/247542.asp

Buffalo Allies of Bozeman call on Schweitzer to withdraw from IBMP
New West Unfiltered
http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/buffalo_allies_of_bozeman_calls_upon_schweitzer_to_withdraw_from_interagenc/C37/L37/

6/11
Second brucellosis case will cost cattle industry millions (BFC quoted)
Casper Star Tribune (McKee)
http://www.trib.com/articles/2008/06/12/news/wyoming/df5c7993e0aa83c88725746500003a1c.txt

Cattle industry losses could reach millions
Billings Gazette (Tom Lutey)
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080611/OPINION01/806110309

To late - this time - for split-state brucellosis status
Great Falls Tribune
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080611/OPINION01/806110309

Brucellosis free status
ABC Montana ~ Missoula
http://www.abcmontana.com/news/state/19695294.html

Giant buffalo sculpture cast in Billings
Billings Gazette
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/06/11/news/local/24-giantbison.txt

Rancher of infected cow considers slaughtering herd (BFC quoted)
Billings Gazette (McKee)
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/06/11/news/state/18-rancher.txt

Ranchers and conservationists at odds as bison herd numbers plunge
Flathead Beacon
http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/ranchers_and_conservationists_at_odds_as_bison_herd_numbers_plunge/3825/

‘Black cloud’ for Montana
Casper Star Tribune (McKee)
http://www.trib.com/articles/2008/06/11/news/wyoming/df5c7993e0aa83c88725746500003a1c.txt

Can valley elk live without winter feed?
Jackson Hole News & Guide (Hatch)
http://www.kulr8.com/news/state/19695694.html

6/10
State loses brucellosis-free status
Belgrade News
http://www.belgrade-news.com/view.php?article=9257

Montana finds brucellosis case
Feedstuffs ~ The Weekly Newspaper for Agribusiness
http://www.feedstuffs.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=F4D1A9DFCD974EAD8CD5205E15C1CB42&nm=Breaking+News&type=news&mod=News&mid=A3D60400B4204079A76C4B1B129CB433&tier=3&nid=521C75F736F24B8894A364C87AE16E7A

6/9
Montana to lose brucellosis free status
KULR8, Billings MT
http://www.kulr8.com/news/state/19695694.html

Sick cow costs Montana its brucellosis-free status
New West
http://www.newwest.net/city/article/sick_cow_costs_montana_its_brucellosis_free_status/C396/L396/

Montana to lose its status as brucellosis-free
Billings Gazette
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/06/09/news/state/21-bruce.txt
- appeared on
* San Diego Union-Tribune http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20080609-1804-wst-montana-brucellosis.html

Montana cow tests positive for brucellosis
Associated Press (Brown)
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hE4vV5dGdP6fxdT07LBD6fwuHkSAD916RNSGB

6/8
Letter: DOL bison policy ignores disease facts (Karrie Taggart!)
Billings Gazette
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/06/08/opinion/letters/22-bison.txt

6/6
Letter: Bison should not be managed as livestock
West Yellowstone News
http://www.westyellowstonenews.com/articles/2008/06/06/opinions/letter2.txt

How not to save the bison
Plenty Magazine
http://www.plentymag.com/blogs/political/2008/06/how_not_to_save_the_bison.php

6/5
Letter: Federal agencies should revamp bison protections
Howard County Times (Maryland)
http://www.explorehoward.com/opinion/9160/letter-federal-agencies-should-revamp-bison-protections/

Ted Turner
Big Sky Weekly
http://www.thebigskyweekly.com/article.php?id=368

6/4
Suit opposes elk feeding in Wyoming
New York Times (Robbins)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/04/us/04refuge.html?_r=1&ref=environment&oref=slogin

Groups seek to restore health of elk refuge herds
The Earth Times
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/groups-seek-to-restore-health-of-elk-refuge-herds,418997.shtml

Greens sue to close Elk Refuge
Wyoming Business Report
http://www.wyomingbusinessreport.com/article.asp?id=94160

Group wants to halt elk feeding program
United Press International
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/06/04/Group_wants_halt_to_elk_feeding_program/UPI-40991212587838/

Refuge feeding fought in suit
Jackson Hole News & Guide (Hatch)
http://www.jhguide.com/article.php?art_id=3155

Suit seeks to stop elk feeding on Wyoming refuge
Associated Press (Brown)
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hcGafVBAJEY67cZSFvXTOg7SnlXgD9135K2O0

Conservation groups protest against elk feeding
ENews
http://www.enews20.com/news_Conservation_Groups_Protest_Against_Elk_Feeding_08439.html

5/30
In Montana, bison plan paused (BFC quoted)
Christian Science Monitor (T.Wilkinson)
http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2008/06/03/in-montana-bison-plan-paused/

Crews haze bison back into park
Casper Star Tribune
http://www.trib.com/articles/2008/05/30/news/wyoming/b1ba0a1a5817da148725745800838662.txt

5/29
Bison hazed off private property, back into Yellowstone
Montana’s News Station
http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=8398355&nav=menu227_7

MDOL takes bison home
DOL press release
* TEXT pasted below

MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF LIVESTOCK TAKES BISON HOME
Thursday, May 29, 2008/FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Steve Merritt
Public Information Officer
Montana Department of Livestock
406/444-9431

MDOL Takes Bison Home

Acting under directives from the Montana Board of Livestock, and with the cooperation of Interagency Bison Management Plan (IBMP) partners, the Montana Department of Livestock (MDOL) today conducted a bison hazing operation on Horse Butte peninsula west of Yellowstone National Park.

The operation was approved last week by the Board at its regular bimonthly meeting, which was attended by members of the public and livestock industry representatives.

Board of Livestock executive director Christian Mackay called the operation a success.

“It was a clean sweep, and all of the bison that were on Horse Butte are now back in the park where they belong,” Mackay said. “Enough snow had melted to be able to conduct the operation safely, and green-up was sufficient to offer adequate feed for the bison to hold.”

MDOL moved approximately 110 bison off of the Horse Butte property formerly owned by the Munns brothers, and an additional 40 bison off of the north side of the butte back into the park.

Although state statute (MCA 81-2-120) gives MDOL authority to conduct bison operations on private property, the use of a helicopter to haze the bison precluded the need to exercise that authority.

Despite a melt-off and green up that was much later than normal, state veterinarian Marty Zaluski said hazing operations on the west side of the park this operational season were successful.

“With the completion of today’s operation, the risk management goals of the IBMP to maintain spatial and temporal separation between bison and cattle has been maintained,” Zaluski said.

The state legislature has identified bison - which carry a zoonotic disease known as brucellosis - as a species in need of special management, and has given MDOL broad authorities to manage wild bison.

This is the eighth winter the IBMP has been used to guide bison and brucellosis risk management actions. Under the IBMP, MDOL works with other agencies to protect and maintain Montana’s brucellosis-free status while cooperating to conserve a viable, wild bison population. Management actions are necessitated, in part, by a population estimate which was at a near-record high of 4,700 bison within Yellowstone National Park at the beginning of this year.

The latest Yellowstone Bison Population Management Activities report is out. There are reports that a population estimate was to be done but there is very little with regard to how many bison are left after the massive slaughter and winter kill of this past season.

Could the Park Service have killed far more than they had planned by not taking winter kill into account? Might there be fewer than the 2100 threshold in the IBMP?

PARKWIDE DISTRIBUTION:
*The information in the following paragraph is not intended as a population estimate. This information provides an approximate number of bison in certain geographic areas that have been surveyed in the past month. In no way is this information complete and accurate enough for a population estimate.

Approximately 200 bison are still utilizing the Blacktail Deer Plateau area. Nearly all of the other bison on the northern range are east of Tower Junction. In the central portion of the park, there are a few dozen bison in Pelican Valley (primarily adult males) and about 150 bison in Hayden Valley. The bulk of the central breeding group is still located in the Firehole Geyser basin and the Madison River Valley (approximately 200 west of Madison Junction).

Download the report here: YNP report_6_15_08.doc

Six groups have collaborated to publish a new Buffalo Newsletter. The newsletter will be distributed to Park visitors by Buffalo Field Campaign volunteers this summer and at events and fundraisers.

The newsletter is a joint project of the Buffalo Field Campaign, Gallatin Wildlife Association, Horse Butte Neighbors of Buffalo, Natural Resources Defense Council, InterTribal Bison Cooperative and Tatanka Oyate of the Seventh Generation Fund.

You can download it here: Buffalo News

Buffalo Field Campaign
Yellowstone Bison
Update from the Field
June 12, 2008

KEEP BFC ON THE FRONTLINES WITH A TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION TODAY
https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?id=1807

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In this issue:
* Update from the Field
* For the Buffalo! Bonnie Raitt Benefit Tickets Available!
* Buffalo in the News
* “Let Buffalo Roam” License Plates for Every State!
* Last Words
* Kill Tally

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* Update from the Field

Dear Buffalo Friends,

Big news has hit Montana: the state has lost its coveted brucellosis-free status.

Another Montana cattle herd was found to be infected with the livestock disease. That’s two cattle herds in less than two years, and so Montana’s status as being certified “brucellosis-free” is out the window.

The source of transmission is not yet known, but it is certain that it’s not wild buffalo. The owner of the infected herd, Arthur Burns of Emigrant, MT, had his cattle approximately 30 miles north of Yellowstone National Park.

The industry is already pointing fingers at elk, just as they did last spring. In May 2007, a cattle herd that had been pastured near Emigrant was found infected, but neither the Department of Livestock (DOL) nor the Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) produced any evidence linking Yellowstone wildlife–or clearing domestic or imported cattle–as the source of last year’s infection.

An interesting point is that both infected herds were comprised of Corriente cattle, a Mexican breed popular in rodeo roping events often imported from Texas. Texas only recently regained its brucellosis-free status and Mexico is not brucellosis-free.

Our close friend and ally, Robert Hoskins, had this to say: “There is no scientific proof that elk were the cause of last year’s brucellosis outbreak and good circumstantial evidence that the cause was imported Corriente cattle. A year after that incident, we still have no published epidemiological report from APHIS. Is that not suspicious?”

It certainly is suspicious. Especially given the propaganda machine that spits out fear of the threat of brucellosis transmission from wildlife to cattle, and the U.S. tax dollars that fund it. Thousands of wild buffalo have been killed at the whims of the livestock industry. Don’t you think these agencies, if brucellosis was the threat they claim, would have immediately tested the infected cattle to determine the source of infection? In fact, in 2007, APHIS failed to secure biological samples from 6 of the 7 cows of the herd identified as seropositive for brucellosis, out of ‘concern’ for the private property rights of the slaughterhouse owner.

In the end the agencies failed to collect adequate scientific data upon which to base any claim of causation, either for cattle, elk, or bison. In the press we rarely hear about livestock as a possible source of infection, as the vested powers are always so quick to blame wildlife as the source.

Will Montana’s cattle industry now press for an elk test-and-slaughter program?

There has never been a documented case of wild bison transmitting brucellosis to cattle, and the only known cases involving elk have occurred on government feedlots. The cattle industry brought brucellosis to this country, infected our wildlife with it, and now slaughters them for carrying it.

This incident clearly illustrates the failings of the Interagency Bison Management Plan. As we have seen time and again, the plan isn’t living up to either of its two main goals. It neither ensures a “viable, free-roaming population of wild bison,” as it is supposed to, nor does it protect Montana’s brucellosis-free status.

As we saw in Wyoming, who lost its brucellosis-free status in 2004, loss of brucellosis-free status will hardly put a dent in the profits of Montana’s livestock industry. Whatever the cost winds up being, it will pale in comparison to the ecological, cultural, historical, and financial impact of the slaughter of more than 1,600 wild American bison during the 2007-2008 season.

The fewer than 2,000 wild buffalo that remain, hundreds of which have been forcefully driven from Montana under the guise of protecting Montana’s brucellosis-free status, are now within Yellowstone National Park’s boundaries. The cattle industry portrayed the militaristic hazing operations that drove the buffalo off of cattle-free Horse Butte and surrounding public lands as “sending them home.” Apparently, they have forgotten - or, more likely, choose to ignore that much of the entire North American continent is the buffalo’s home, not just the tiny, ecologically meaningless confines of Yellowstone National Park’s boundary. For now, after the most intense season of slaughter experienced since the 19th century, things are peaceful in the field. The agents, thankfully, are gone. Sadly, so are the buffalo. With such an enormous death toll, the genetic integrity of this last wild population of American bison left in the U.S. is truly, seriously, and dangerously in jeopardy. Will the herds rebound in a healthy way that will allow them to evolve with changing environments? We do not know. But some buffalo remain, and they have shown themselves to be strong survivors. We will fight for their right to roam until they are once again home on the vast prairies of this landscape.

ROAM FREE!
~Buffalo Field Campaign

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* For the Buffalo! Bonnie Raitt Benefit Tickets Available!

The Guacamole Fund has generously offered Buffalo Field Campaign 20 tickets to legendary singer/songwriter Bonnie Raitt’s concert coming to Big Sky, MT on August 27, 2008. Tickets are $200 each and include an aftershow backstage visit with Bonnie!

Enjoy incredible music by the beautiful and talented Bonnie Raitt while helping keep Buffalo Field Campaign on the front lines with the last wild buffalo! Get your tickets now http://www.novoiceunheard.org/TicketOrderBR2.html

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* Buffalo in the News

6/12 - Udder failure: The politics behind Montana’s brucellosis discovery
Missoula Independent
http://www.missoulanews.com/index.cfm?do=article.details&id=7958B09B-14D1-13A2-9F378912943DCE73

6/12 - Second brucellosis case will cost cattle industry millions
Casper Star-Tribune
http://www.trib.com/articles/2008/06/12/news/wyoming/df5c7993e0aa83c88725746500003a1c.txt

6/12 - Ranchers and conservationists at odds as bison herd numbers plunge
Christian Science Monitor / Flathead Beacon
http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/ranchers_and_conservationists_at_odds_as_bison_herd_numbers_plunge/3825/

6/12 - Brucellosis Free Status
ABC Montana
http://www.abcmontana.com/news/state/19695294.html

6/11 - Too late - this time - for split-state brucellosis plan
Great Falls Tribune
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080611/OPINION01/806110309

6/8 - Letter: DOL bison policy ignores disease facts
Billings Gazette
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/06/08/opinion/letters/22-bison.txt

6/6 - Letter: Bison should not be managed as livestock
West Yellowstone News
http://www.westyellowstonenews.com/articles/2008/06/06/opinions/letter2.txt

6/4 - Greens sue to close elk refuge
Wyoming business report
http://www.wyomingbusinessreport.com/article.asp?id=94160

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* “Let Buffalo Roam” License Plates for Every State

Get the new “Let Buffalo Roam” license plate that lets you show your support for wild buffalo!

In Montana:
These beautiful plates are available at any Montana DMV! Proceeds will go to the front lines work of Buffalo Field Campaign’s efforts to defend wild bison and their habitat. You can help spread the word about these remarkable plates by downloading this flyer http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/plates/LicensePlateBW.pdf with the artwork of the new plate and information for getting them. Help us spread the word! If you live in Montana, please print up the flyer and put them all over your town.

Out of State:
Buffalo advocates outside of Montana can acquire sample plates to display on your vehicle or in other visible locations. These plates will only be for show, and cannot legally registered.
For $20 you can get a sample plate with AAA-000 on the plate.
For $30 you can personalize the plate with up to 6 characters of your choice.
Contact Mike at mease@wildockies.org with questions or send a check to License Plates c/o Buffalo Field Campaign, P.O. Box 957, West Yellowstone, MT 59758.

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* Last Words

“Seldom in history have so many been so thoroughly brainwashed by so few. The truth of the matter is: No industry or human activity on earth has destroyed or altered more of nature than the livestock industry. The slow-talking cowboy and his docile cows … are the center of a monstrous myth, a part of Americana that rests on concocted imagery and fabrication — an enormous falsehood based on profound ignorance.”

~ From Sacred Cows at the Public Trough, by Denzel and Nancy Ferguson, 1983

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* Kill Tally

AMERICAN BISON ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S.
2007-2008 Total: 1,613
2007-2008 Slaughter: 1,447
2007-2008 Hunt: 166
2007-2008 Quarantine: 112

Total Since 2000: 3,678*
*includes lethal government action, quarantine, hunts

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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.

Stay informed! Get our weekly email Updates from the Field:
Send your email address to bfc-media@wildrockies.org

* View BFC Video Footage:
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org

* NEW VIDEO! To Protect the Wild Bison
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/aboutus/documentaries.html

* Why are they killing the last wild buffalo?
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/issueinbrief.html

* NEW! Buffalo Field Campaign Blog
http://www.blog.buffalofieldcampaign.org

* Protect Horse Butte for Wild Buffalo!
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/legal/horsebutte.html

* BOYCOTT BEEF! It’s what’s killing wild buffalo
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/actnow/boycott.html

* Speak Out! Contact politicians and involved agencies today:
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/actnow/politicians.html

* Write a Letter to the Editor of key newspapers:
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/actnow/lte.html

* Help the buffalo by recycling your used cell phones & printer cartridges:
It’s free and easy. http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/support/recycleprint.html

Commissioners Back Proposed Bison Hunting Rules AP

Montana’s bison hunting season and quotas for 2008 would be the same as in 2007 under rules tentatively supported by state wildlife commissioners.

For immediate release: June 11, 2008

Montana to Lose Brucellosis Free Status-Source of Infection Not Known

PRESS CONTACT: Dan Brister, Buffalo Field Campaign: (406) 726-5555

West Yellowstone (MT) - The Montana Department of Livestock reported June 9, 2008 that a cow has tested positive for brucella abortus and Montana’s brucellosis status will be downgraded from “Class Free” to “Class A.” This is the second time since May of 2007 that a cattle herd has been reported infected with the bacteria in Montana.

While the identity of the owner of the infected herd has been withheld by the livestock agency, the Billings Gazette and Bozeman Chronicle have identified him as Arthur Burns of Emigrant, Montana. According to public records, the Burns property is more than 30 miles north of Yellowstone National Park.

The cattle herd infected in May 2007 was also pastured near Emigrant, and was owned by Montana state legislator Bruce Malcolm. The Montana Dept of Livestock and the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have not produced any evidence linking Yellowstone wildlife–or clearing domestic or imported cattle–as the source of last year’s infection.

Both the Malcolm and Burns herds were comprised of Corriente cattle, a Mexican breed popular in rodeo roping events often imported from Texas, a state that only very recently regained its brucellosis-free status. European cattle originally infected Yellowstone wildlife with brucellosis.

The fact that both the 2007 and the current brucellosis detections have occurred in Corriente cattle, a breed closely associated with brucellosis, has many questioning whether cattle, and not Yellowstone wildlife, are responsible for the transmissions resulting in Montana losing its brucellosis free status.

According to Robert Hoskins, an independent Wyoming conservationist, “There is no scientific proof that elk were the cause of last year’s brucellosis outbreak and good circumstantial evidence that the cause was imported Corriente cattle. A year after that incident, we still have no published epidemiological report from APHIS. Is that not suspicious?”

In fact, APHIS failed to secure biological samples from 6 of the 7 cows of the Malcolm herd identified as seropositive for brucellosis, because of a ‘concern’ for the private property rights of the slaughterhouse owner. As a result, the agency never got adequate scientific information upon which to base any claim of causation, either for cattle, elk, or bison.

Montana’s loss of brucellosis free status is especially frustrating in light of the fact that had the state followed through with plans to pursue “split-state” status from APHIS, Montana would not be losing its status and the overwhelming majority of Montana livestock producers would not be affected by the recent transmission. Governor Schweitzer backed down from his plans for “split-state” status after facing opposition from the Montana Stockgrowers Association last year.

Buffalo Field Campaign is the only group working in the field, every day, to stop the slaughter of the wild American buffalo. Volunteers defend the buffalo and their native habitat and advocate for their lasting protection. Buffalo Field Campaign has proposed real alternatives to the current mismanagement of American bison that can be viewed at http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/actnow/solutions.html. For more information, video clips and photos visit: http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org.
- 30 -

Sick Cow Costs Montana Its Brucellosis-Free Status
By Robert Struckman, 6-09-08
New West

Montana cow tests positive for brucellosis
By Matthew Brown
ASSOCIATED PRESS

According to Marty Zaluski, the Montana State Veterinarian, it was “very unlikely” bison from Yellowstone National Park were the source, since none had been documented near the ranch where the disease was found. That leaves another cattle herd, elk or other wildlife as possible vectors of the disease.

Earthjustice is representing Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, Defenders of Wildlife, Wyoming Outdoor Council and the National Wildlife Refuge Association in federal court in a fight against the National Elk Refuge to close the feedground there which is exacerbating the brucellosis problem and likely going to spread chronic wasting disease like wild fire if it reaches the refuge.

Read about it here:
Suit Opposes Elk Feeding in Wyoming
Jim Robbins
New York Times

Join wild buffalo advocates at a benefit for Buffalo Field Campaign! Tatanka 2008 will take place in Victor, Idaho June 20-21. Events will be MC’d by BFC’s co-founder Mike Mease! Musical acts include B-Side Players, Army, MooGot2, Anthony Smith’s Trunk Fulla Funk, Chanman’s Roots Band, Teton Honkeytonk, All-Stars, Big Fatty, Ten Cent Lure, CB Radio, and DJ MAM! Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 the day of the show. Contact The Knotty Pine at 208-787-2866 or Big Hole Music at 208-354-3659 for ticket information. Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more information.

Buffalo Field Campaign
Yellowstone Bison
Update from the Field
May 29, 2008

KEEP BFC ON THE FRONTLINES WITH A TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION TODAY
https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?id=1807

NOTE: This will be the last weekly issue of the Update from the Field until mid-November. For the summer and fall months, the Updates will come to you every other Thursday. Thanks for being with us and for the buffalo!!

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In this issue:
* Update from the Field
* Buffalo in the News
* BFC Needs Summer Educators & Maintenance Volunteers
* Upcoming Event: Tatanka Music Festival 2008
* LOOK! Photo Journal of the Week
* Last Words
* Kill Tally
——————————
* Update from the Field

Dear Buffalo Friends,

As BFC’s 2007-2008 field season begins to wind down, with volunteers making their way to the four directions, the landscape remains active with wild bison and agent activity. Though our numbers are dwindling we, of course, remain with the buffalo.

On a couple of occasions this week, the Montana Department of Livestock donned their cowboy attire, complete with macho attitudes, to chase two mama buffalo and their newborn calves out of the Town Park in West Yellowstone. The buffalo were, of course, causing no harm and were being admired by tourists and locals alike. The calves were napping, the mamas peacefully grazing. Then DOL agents Shane Grube and Mark Anderson showed up. As soon as the mama buffalo saw the riders approach, their tails went up (a sign of distress) and they went over to their babies to shepherd them away from the aggressive cowboys. The buffalo took off, and the agents were hot on their heels, looking ridiculous riding through the streets of West Yellowstone.

After being told time and again by private property owners on the Horse Butte peninsula that wild bison were welcome, but the Department of Livestock was not, the agents flexed their assumed muscles of authority and chased wild buffalo off of Horse Butte today. There are no cattle on Horse Butte at any time of year now. While the agents attempted to cover themselves by not stepping foot or hoof onto the property, they instead used their helicopter, with DOL agent Rob Tierny inside directing the pilot — flying as low as 20 feet– to chase the buffalo off of the Galanis property, disrupting all the residents on Horse Butte in the process. The Galanis family has let it be known numerous times that the DOL is not welcome there, but wild buffalo certainly are. The Galanis family purchased the 700+-acre ranch, formerly known as the Munns’ Ranch, and designated it a “Bison Safe Zone,” the largest in Montana.

This morning, BFC also documented DOL agent Shane Grube and another DOL agent, both on horseback, as they proceeded to chase a single bull buffalo through a residential area. The homeowners were furious, coming out of their homes, yelling at the agents, but their cries fell on deaf ears. The residents promise to take action, so this will not be the last that Montana and its Department of Livestock hear from them.

The DOL blatantly ignored the private property rights of Horse Butte residents, and the fact that there are no longer any cattle ever anywhere on Horse Butte. They wasted U.S. tax dollars and harassed both human and wildlife residents, forcing buffalo east towards Yellowstone National Park. Check our web site for video footage, which is being edited as this is written.

Meanwhile, the Montana Stockgrower’s Association has been outraged about wild buffalo being on cattle-free land outside of the park. They have gone so far as to file suit against the Department of Livestock because buffalo remained in Montana. BFC Board Member Ken Cole had this to say about the Stockgrower’s law suit: “Here is the biggest most hypocritical thing about this: On the web site of the Montana Stockgrower’s Association this morning - the organization who is filing the lawsuit - there is a big press release about how the “radical environmental and animal rights groups” are suing over the wolf de-listing and then go on to say that “Ranchers should be allowed to protect their property.” Well what about the private property rights of other people? I guess that cattle do have more rights than people. This has been shown over and over again. What about open range laws where you have to pay for the cow that you hit standing in the middle of the highway at night? The cops beat up and arrest people who are there to document their crimes, while the Montana Department of Livestock lies to and intimidates landowners while the ranchers kill everything in sight.

Word has it that tomorrow the agents, including DOL and Yellowstone National Park, will push the buffalo that are inside park boundaries deeper into the Park. The buffalo, especially the little calves and nursing mamas, are sure to suffer complete exhaustion from these harmful and unnecessary actions.

One day, not too long from now, wild buffalo will be free to roam Horse Butte and surrounding public lands without fear of harassment or death. We will push for this until it is a reality; a first step in a larger vision were wild bison once again outnumber cattle and reclaim their stolen lands. The time of the cattleman is slowly coming to a close, they know this and they will stop at nothing to hang on to what they feel is their god-give right to have. The arrogance and total disrespect that the Department of Livestock displayed today (as on all days they are afoot) is a foretelling of the end of an era. It may take a few more generations, but with your help, we will be here keeping the wheels in motion for wild buffalo roaming free all over this land!

Keep the pressure on Montana and the U.S. Government to set the buffalo free!
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/actnow/politicians.html

Roam Free!
~Stephany

P.S. We are sad to report that one of the wolves patrols had been seeing around the Horse Butte area has been shot by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. The wolf was reportedly displaying aggressive behavior towards people and dogs, but patrols only noticed that it was not afraid of people, as wolves rightly tend to be. Our thoughts were that the wolf may have had some sickness from eating lead-poisoned waterfowl, or that it was a domesticated wolf turned loose. FWP officials intend to do a necropsy to determine if the wolf was sick, and they are looking to find signs of domestication, such as tattoos or other markings. A couple weeks before the wolf was shot, Mike and Justine were lucky to witness a wildlife situation between the wolf and a mixed group of buffalo and you can view footage of this at http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org.

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* Buffalo in the News

5/28/08 - Ranchers sue over bison management
Bozeman Daily Chronicle
http://bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2008/05/29/news/000bison.txt

5/28/08 - Bison to be hazed into Yellowstone as ranchers go to court
San Diego Union Tribune
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20080528-1251-wst-yellowstonebison.html

5/28/08 - An unfortunate opportunity: BFC sees inside a bison trap
Earth First! Journal Online
http://www.earthfirstjournal.org/article.php?id=366

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* BFC Needs Summer Educators & Maintenance Volunteers

Buffalo Field Campaign is in need of hard-working, self-motivated volunteers starting this June to help conduct buffalo outreach efforts inside Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and/or to help with maintenance projects at our headquarters on Hebgen Lake.

Do You Have:
* An outgoing personality and knowledge of the issue with a willingness to communicate to Yellowstone visitors?

* Construction, carpentry, plumbing, cleaning, or automotive maintenance skills?

If you have any of the skills listed above, or are willing to learn, then you should plan on joining us this summer. All volunteers will be provided with food and lodging at our main cabin outside of West Yellowstone in one of the most beautiful areas of the country. If you have just a few weeks or the whole summer, Buffalo Field Campaign could use your help.

If you are interested in helping with summer outreach projects inside of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks please contact Iwi at: summer@buffalofieldcampaign.org
If you are interested in assisting with cabin maintenance projects this summer please contact BFC at: (406) 646-0070

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* Upcoming Event: Tatanka Music Festival 2008!

Join wild buffalo advocates at a benefit for Buffalo Field Campaign! Tatanka 2008 will take place in Victor, Idaho June 20-21. Events will be MC’d by BFC’s co-founder Mike Mease! Musical acts include B-Side Players, Army, MooGot2, Anthony Smith’s Trunk Fulla Funk, Chanman’s Roots Band, Teton Honkeytonk, All-Stars, Big Fatty, Ten Cent Lure, CB Radio, and DJ MAM! Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 the day of the show. Contact The Knotty Pine at 208-787-2866 or Big Hole Music at 208-354-3659 for ticket information. Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more information.

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* Photo Journal of the Week

This week, we thought it would be good to show you a series of photos, a sort of photo journal of the week. These are all very telling pictures from today’s hazing operation off of Horse Butte. Each photo has a small caption explaining the event taking place at that moment. Click on each photo for a larger image. Photos by Darrell Geist and SteveScott.

Posted: Bison Safe Zone! Agents not welcome! (D.Geist photo)

A peaceful morning on Horse Butte, before the DOL arrives. (D.Geist photo)

Horse Butte resident Ann Stovall reminds DOL agents they may not tresspass. While the horsemen stayed put, the DOL helicopter ignores private property rights and soon swoops in.

DOL helicopter clearly violates wishes of private property owners. (D.Geist photo)

Buffalo Safe Zone: the Galanis property, to the left of the sign

The helicopter bears down on the buffalo. Moms, calves, and other family members soon run for their lives. (D.Geist photo)

The DOL’s metal bird is a terror to the buffalo. Some have been harassed by this monster before, others - especially the little calves - have no concept of what this could be, but they know it means danger. (D.Geist photo)

DOL helicopter violates airspace, flying low over Galanis property, terrorizing buffalo families, including newborn calves.

The DOL uses the helicopter to haze the buffalo where the horsemen have been forbidden by property owners to venture. The DOL stops at nothing to get their way.

The DOL helicopter pushes the buffalo out of the Safe Zone, and onto our public land where the DOL horsemen await to push them further towards Yellowstone.

The horsemen chase the buffalo around Horse Butte, right by the trap, and on down the Madison river corridor.

Millions of federal tax dollars are wasted each year to chase wild bison off of our public lands. Local, state and federal law enforcement assist with the livestock industry’s attempts to keep cattle king. (D.Geist photo)

The DOL’s hazing operation, with helicopter flying low, chases buffalo past an area that is closed to all human activity in order to protect nesting bald eagles. The closure sign is off to the left. (D.Geist photo)

The DOL helicopter is relentless in their haste to rid Montana of wild buffalo. Here, the chopper chases the buffalo up the steep, sandy bluffs of the Madison River, hard on adults and very hard on the little calves.

http://gallery.buffalofieldcampaign.org/v/photo_of_the_week/5-29-08/?g2_page=1
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* Last Words

~ SAVE TATANKA ~

Long before the people came from across the big waters
the Buffalo were free as was also the Native Indian.
The Buffalo numbered in the millions
and were the life of the Indian People.
They supplied food,shelter, tools,clothing
and even the chips were used for heat in the cold winters.
I do not see the Buffalo as a simple animal
but as a Brother and Partner in life.
The flesh from this most Sacred Animal kept
the people healthy and strong.
It does not contain the garbage
and cholesterol that beef does
In the old days the Indian People were strong
and long living and healthy.
Today because of the White Mans food
the Indian is fighting for their lives.
Diabetes and obesity from this garbage
the White Man calls food is destroying
not only the Indian but all races in America.
The Buffalo gave freely of himself for the People.
They are to be honored and respected.
Now I cant think of a more beautiful sight
than Free Ranging Buffalo
grazing on the Grasslands of the West.
You ask why did people start killing the Buffalo.
This is very simple.
The People from across the Big Waters
came with greed and murder in their hearts.
The only way they could grab everything
was to starve out the Native Indian.
They called the Indian Savages, Heathens and Worthless,
so it was ok to murder them at will.
Go to the truthful history books
and look at the massacres of Indian Men, Woman and Children.
The Rocky Mountain States and the Prairie States
are soaked with the Indian’s and Buffalo’s Blood.
Then the Slab Sided Locusts (cattle ) came to the Grasslands.
Then came the drunken blood thirsty cowboys.
Now look at the land where once the Indian and Buffalo
roamed free and what do you see.
Fences, destruction and pollution of the forest,
rivers and all of the Great Spirits Creation. You ask why?
Greed, greed and more greed.
These cattle ranchers want every last blade of grass.
They will not share anything with the Buffalo.
If the Buffalo was so sickly and the cause of this disease
why did they number in the many millions?
It is the cattle that bring the Disease
and the cattle rancher that is the problem.
Did you know the cattle are fed the dead flesh
of others of their kind causing Mad Cow Disease?
Read about the shear joy in the hearts of these cattle men
and cowboys when they go out to kill the bear, coyote, wolf,
prairie dogs, and anything else that breathes.
As a boy I lived in cattle country and I saw the mean spirit
in the Cattle Ranchers and Cowboys.
They would shoot the Hawks and Eagles
and hang them on their fences
They were so proud of their manly skills
they wanted the world to see.
Today the Buffalo suffers much because of the Cattle men.
They have money to buy Government officials and Police.
I just read of the police brutality towards the peaceful people
trying to save what is left of the wild free roaming Buffalo
from Yellowstone. These cops take an oath to protect
but sell themselves to the cattle industry.
It is no wonder there is so much hatred towards cops today.
For these cops to gang up on some peaceful young man
just trying to do good
and smashing his face into the gravel makes me sick.
To me these cops are nothing
but bully gang members with badges.
Anyhow, this is how I feel and I hope it gives you an idea
of why the Buffalo is being murdered .
It is called CATTLE RANCHER GREED.
You ask why is it important that we have free ranging Buffalo.
Well, the Buffalo is the Symbol of Free America.
When the Buffalo loses their freedom so will the People of America.
We are close to this now as I am sure you can see in everyday life.

Walk in Harmony on the Sacred Mother Earth
~ Richard Red Hawk ~

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* Kill Tally

AMERICAN BISON ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S.
2007-2008 Total: 1,613
2007-2008 Slaughter: 1,447
2007-2008 Hunt: 166
2007-2008 Quarantine: 112
Total Since 2000: 3,678*
*includes lethal government action, quarantine, hunts

——————————

–
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.

Stay informed! Get our weekly email Updates from the Field:
Send your email address to bfc-media@wildrockies.org

* View BFC Video Footage:
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org

* NEW VIDEO! To Protect the Wild Bison
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/aboutus/documentaries.html

* Why are they killing the last wild buffalo?
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/issueinbrief.html

* NEW! Buffalo Field Campaign Blog
http://www.blog.buffalofieldcampaign.org

* Protect Horse Butte for Wild Buffalo!
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/legal/horsebutte.html

* BOYCOTT BEEF! It’s what’s killing wild buffalo
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/actnow/boycott.html

* Speak Out! Contact politicians and involved agencies today:
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/actnow/politicians.html

* Write a Letter to the Editor of key newspapers:
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/actnow/lte.html

* Help the buffalo by recycling your used cell phones & printer cartridges:
It’s free and easy. http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/support/recycleprint.html.

*  NEWS RELEASE *

PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS VIOLATED BY LIVESTOCK AGENTS HAZING WILD BISON
Property Owners Welcome Bison, Not DOL, on Cattle-Free Horse Butte

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 29, 2008
Press Contacts:
Janae & Rob Galanis, 406-646-4848
Ed & Vicky Millspaugh, Hebgen Lake Estates, 406-646-9176, (cell) 406-580-0321
Stephany Seay, Buffalo Field Campaign, 406-646-0070

WEST YELLOWSTONE, MT - With horses, a helicopter, state and federal law enforcement, and U.S tax dollars to spend, Montana Department of Livestock agents have descended upon the cattle-free Horse Butte Peninsula, violating private property rights and upsetting human and wildlife residents in an attempt to chase wild American bison out of Montana and into Yellowstone National Park.

“These actions underscore the arrogance of the Department of Livestock, cattle industry, and agencies carrying out the Interagency Bison Management Plan,” said Mike Mease, co-founder of Buffalo Field Campaign.  “There are no cattle out here and the landowners want the buffalo around, yet the government-funded cowboys act like the only private property rights that matter are those pertaining to cattle.”

The Horse Butte peninsula is a 26,000-acre landscape encompassing both public (Gallatin National Forest) and private property.  It is 100% cattle-free at all times of the year.  Horse Butte provides critical winter range and calving grounds for American bison.  The majority of Horse Butte residents welcome bison, but do not welcome the presence of the Montana Department of Livestock.  Homeowners have expressed their wishes that the DOL refrain from chasing bison off of their land, but these wishes continue to be ignored.

“I am a fully disabled veteran.  I went to war–nearly getting killed several times–for their rights and my rights and now they’re taking it away from me by violating my private property rights,” said Ed Millspaugh, Horse Butte property owner and president of Hebgen Lake Estates. “Is this the way Montana wants to treat its vets?”

Buffalo Field Campaign documented Department of Livestock agents harassing wild bison, including newborn calves, chasing them off of the Galanis property using a helicopter, which they flew at about 20 feet above the ground, violating airspace.  Fence lines were damaged in the opereation.

The Galanis family, shaken and distraught over today’s actions by the DOL, refrained from immediate comment until they are able to assess the damage caused by the operation.  As soon as the Galanis family took ownership of the former Munns’ Ranch, they immediately placed signs around their 700+-acre property defining it as a “Buffalo Safe Zone,” the largest in Montana.

“The Galanis family removed the problem by removing the cattle on Horse Butte,” said Stephany Seay, a spokeswoman for Buffalo Field Campaign.  “Now we need to remove the Department of Livestock.”

Buffalo Field Campaign also documented as DOL agent Shane Grube and another DOL agent, both on horseback, chased one wild bull bison off of other private properties within Yellowstone Village housing area.  Residents came from their homes to scorn the DOL’s actions and asked them to leave the premises.  The residents were ignored.

“The Interagency Bison Management Plan is supposed to be adaptive, so adapt!” said Mease.  “The fact that there are no cattle on Horse Butte is a significant change and it means the Department of Livestock has absolutely no reason to be there harassing bison!”

In March of 2008, Horse Butte homeowners, Buffalo Field Campaign, and Earthjustice called on state and federal officials to stop hazing, capturing, and killing bison that migrate onto Horse Butte.   View the letter and press release at http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/media/press0708/pressreleases0708/030408.html.

There are no cattle currently grazing in the Hebgen Lake region, and they may not be trucked into the region until early July.  There is no risk of brucellosis transmission at this time.  There has never been a documented case of wild bison transmitting brucellosis to cattle.

More than 1,700 wild American bison have been eliminated from the remaining wild population this winter under actions carried out under the Interagency Bison Management Plan (IBMP), as well as state and treaty hunts. Bison are a migratory species native to vast expanses of North America and are ecologically extinct everywhere in the United States outside of Yellowstone National Park.  Buffalo Field Campaign strongly opposes the Interagency Bison Management Plan and maintains that wild bison should be respected as a valued native wildlife species and allowed to naturally and fully recover themselves throughout their historic native range, especially on public lands.

Buffalo Field Campaign is the only group working in the field, every day, to stop the slaughter of the wild American buffalo.  Volunteers defend the buffalo and their habitat and advocate for their lasting protection. BFC has proposed real alternatives to the current mismanagement of American bison that can be viewed at http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/actnow/solutions.html. For more information, video clips and photos visit: http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org       

BUFFALO FIELD CAMPAIGN (BFC)
P.O. BOX 956
WEST YELLOWSTONE, MT  59758
406-646-0070
bfc-media@wildrockies.org
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org

Posted: Bison Safe Zone! Agents not welcome! (D.Geist photo)

A peaceful morning on Horse Butte, before the DOL arrives. (D.Geist photo)

Horse Butte resident Ann Stovall reminds DOL agents they may not tresspass. While the horsemen stayed put, the DOL helicopter ignores private property rights and soon swoops in.

DOL helicopter clearly violates wishes of private property owners. (D.Geist photo)

Buffalo Safe Zone: the Galanis property, to the left of the sign

The helicopter bears down on the buffalo. Moms, calves, and other family members soon run for their lives. (D.Geist photo)

The DOL’s metal bird is a terror to the buffalo. Some have been harassed by this monster before, others - especially the little calves - have no concept of what this could be, but they know it means danger. (D.Geist photo)

DOL helicopter violates airspace, flying low over Galanis property, terrorizing buffalo families, including newborn calves.

The DOL uses the helicopter to haze the buffalo where the horsemen have been forbidden by property owners to venture. The DOL stops at nothing to get their way.

The DOL helicopter pushes the buffalo out of the Safe Zone, and onto our public land where the DOL horsemen await to push them further towards Yellowstone.

The horsemen chase the buffalo around Horse Butte, right by the trap, and on down the Madison river corridor.

Millions of federal tax dollars are wasted each year to chase wild bison off of our public lands. Local, state and federal law enforcement assist with the livestock industry’s attempts to keep cattle king. (D.Geist photo)

The DOL’s hazing operation, with helicopter flying low, chases buffalo past an area that is closed to all human activity in order to protect nesting bald eagles. The closure sign is off to the left. (D.Geist photo)

The DOL helicopter is relentless in their haste to rid Montana of wild buffalo. Here, the chopper chases the buffalo up the steep, sandy bluffs of the Madison River, hard on adults and very hard on the little calves.

The Montana Department of Livestock intends to haze buffalo from private property tomorrow (May 29, 2008).

Bison to be hazed into Yellowstone as ranchers go to court. San Diego Union Tribune (AP)

Despite all the craziness of this year, we are sometimes blessed with moments of incredible beauty. On Horse Butte a group of 15 buffalo, including two newborn calves, were grazing in the housing area. One mom and baby drifted apart from the herd. A lone wolf saw the opportunity and advanced toward the calf. The rest of the buffalo saw what was going on and quickly headed towards the mom and baby. The buffalo then surrounded the calf while several other buffalo ran the wolf away.

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Update: this wolf was shot.

Wolf Shot Near West Yellowstone for Frequenting Campgrounds LocalNews8.com, ID (AP)