Buffalo Field Campaign

Buffalo Field Campaign
Yellowstone Bison
Update from the Field
October 22, 2009

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In this issue:
* Update from the Field – TAKE ACTION!
* Help Buffalo Field Campaign Help Buffalo
* Last Words
* Kill Tally
* Important Links

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* Update from the Field – TAKE ACTION!

While there is currently little activity in the field, volunteers are beginning to return to BFC headquarters, preparing for this coming years’ bison migration.  Meanwhile, the government is considering a new Bovine Brucellosis Program that continues to cater to livestock interests and again fails wild bison and elk.  One of the Interagency Bison Management Plan partners, USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has put forth a concept paper, which they intend to turn into a regulatory program.

YOUR COMMENTS ARE NEEDED to help wild bison and elk in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.  APHIS is accepting comments through December 4, 2009, but please be sure to send yours as soon as possible and encourage your friends to join us in this effort.

HERE’S THE SCOOP: The US Dept. of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), one of the agencies behind the slaughter of more than 3,600 wild bison in the past 10 years, is planning to create a new set of rules for brucellosis, the cattle disease upon which the bison slaughter is blamed.  APHIS is accepting public comments until December 4th, 2009.

A Concept Paper for a New Direction for the Bovine Brucellosis Program outlines the thinking of the ranching industry and animal health bureaucracy on eradicating brucella abortus from native bison and elk populations in the Greater Yellowstone area (GYA).  APHIS also aims to update its brucellosis rules for cattle ranchers within a yet to be drawn “designated surveillance area” in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Surveillance boundaries will be set by each state and part of its purpose is “surveillance, prevention, and disease management in elk and bison.”

As APHIS lacks legal authority over wildlife it seeks to “partner” with states and federal land management agencies like the U.S. Department of Interior to potentially vaccinate and deliver contraceptives to reduce the “prevalence” of brucellosis in elk and bison.

APHIS states:   “Eradication depends on finding the last remaining brucellosis-reactor animal, the last remaining brucellosis-affected herd, and eliminating the disease from wildlife reservoirs. All potential risks for exposure and transmission of brucellosis from infected wildlife populations must be mitigated and eliminated as well. Currently, the last known reservoir of disease is the wildlife populations in the GYA.”

There is currently no way to eradicate brucellosis without killing tens of thousands of elk and America’s last wild bison that inhabit millions of acres in the ecosystem. And there is no future guarantee that cattle or another source could re-infect native wildlife again.

Entirely missing from the livestock industry’s narrative is the fact that brucellosis originated in European and African livestock imported into the United States that eventually spread to and infected native elk and America’s last remaining wild bison.

BFC reviewed APHIS’ concept paper and we have put together suggested talking points to your government.  You should be sure to personalize and elaborate to make them your own:

*  Remaining wild elk and and native bison populations in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem are irreplaceable.  These native wildlife species belong to the American people and are part of our cultural heritage.  The public trust responsibility for protecting native wildlife must *not* be compromised for the sake of disease eradication programs that are costly, intrusive and likely to fail.

*  Protecting native wildlife species as wild, native species needs to come first. Vaccination, capture, blood testing, and slaughter are techniques developed in and for the livestock industry and are *not* acceptable management practices for native wildlife.

*  Natural resistance to brucellosis in native bison and elk is poorly understood by scientists.  Nutrition is key to wildlife’s natural resistance to disease infection. A high priority for funding should be placed on habitat conservation and acquisition to meet the foraging needs of native wildlife including protection of migration corridors permitting free dispersal of migratory species across the landscape.

*  The U.S. government must impose a ban on the artificial or supplemental feeding of native elk and bison by state wildlife agencies and stop its complicity in permitting these activities on National Forest and Bureau of Land Management lands.   These taxpayer funded practices unnaturally congregate wildlife and are widely viewed by scientists as vectors for disease including Chronic Wasting Disease for elk and deer.

*  Given the profound ecological damages caused by grazing livestock on public lands, the U.S. government should phase-out and retire cattle grazing allotments in known elk and bison ranges to provide habitat for native wildlife and reduce co-mingling with cattle that harbor diseases dangerous to native wildlife.

*  Current vaccines including RB 51 were designed for domesticated cattle and *not* for native wildlife species. Hence, current vaccination programs of elk and bison is ineffective at conveying immunity.  Furthermore, no effective field delivery system exists resulting in native wildlife being captured for vaccination and subject to stress, injury, and death.

*   Brucellosis in cattle is a localized issue.  Properly fencing and vaccinating cattle is a prudent step for ranchers to implement in known elk and bison ranges. Depopulating entire cattle herds is an inappropriate APHIS requirement when individual cattle are found to be infected with the disease.

Read a list of citations BFC used for supporting information.

You can read the document online here.  Please feel free to email us with any questions, comments, or suggestions you have.

TAKE ACTION: APHIS will accept public comments online here.

-OR-

You can mail your comments through the postal service.  APHIS requests that you send two copies.  If you choose this route, please mail your comments to:
Docket No. APHIS-2009-0006
Regulatory Analysis and Development
PPD, APHIS
Station 3A-03.8
4700 River Road Unit 118
Riverdale, MD 20737-1238.
*Please state that your comment refers to Docket No. APHIS-2009-0006.

Unfortunately, APHIS is not providing an email address to send comments to, nor even a contact person.  It would be a good idea to mention your frustration with this, and you might want to mention to APHIS that they need to inform the public of the designated personnel in charge of the comment process, which they have failed to do

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Lee Ann Thomas, Director, Ruminant Health Programs, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 43, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; (301) 734-6954.

Thank you so much for taking the time to make your voice heard for our last wild buffalo herds!

Roam Free!

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∗ Help Buffalo Field Campaign Help the Buffalo

Thanks to each of you who took the time to cast your vote for BFC in the Christies Cookies Charity contest.  While we didn’t finish in the top 12, and therefore didn’t win one of the cash prizes, we received thousands of votes and finished 23rd.  Considering how late we learned about and registered for the contest, we did extremely well.  But we really could definitely have used the funding for our bison protection programs.

With the migration likely to begin in just a few weeks, we are busy making preparations to defend the bison in the field and in the legal and policy arenas.  We need your help to successfully protect the bison.  Below are a few ways you can help.

Donate to Buffalo Field Campaign. Donations are tax deductible and are the most effective way for you to help BFC protect the bison.

Purchase a BFC water bottle or tee shirt.  BFC’s newest and most popular merchandise item is our stainless steel Klean Kanteen water bottle.  These bottles are available for $25 including shipping and handling.

Donate an item on the BFC Wish List or earmark a monetary donation to help us purchase some of these much-needed items.

If you’d rather contribute with a check, please mail to: BFC, PO Box 957, West Yellowstone, MT 59758

THANK YOU!

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* Last Words

“Elimination of brucellosis in wildlife should not be the burden of livestock stakeholders; it should be the responsibility of wildlife agencies.”
~ Anonymous livestock stakeholder

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.
2008-2009 Total: 22

2008-2009 Slaughter: 3
2008-2009 Hunt: 1
2008-2009 Quarantine: 0
2008-2009 Shot by Agents: 2
2008-2009 Highway Mortality:  16

2007-2008 Total: 1,631

Total Since 2000: 3,702*
*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
October 10, 2009

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In this issue:
* Update from the Field–U.S. Department of Agriculture Proposes “New Direction” in Brucellosis Managment
* BFC Urgently Needs Your Vote in Charity Contest
* West Coast Roadshow Underway
* Last Words
* Kill Tally
* Important Links

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* Update from the Field

U.S. Department of Agriculture Proposes “New Direction” in Brucellosis Managment

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), one of the agencies behind the slaughter of more than 3,600 wild bison in the past 10 years, published a paper on Monday announcing its intention to create a new set of rules regulating the management of brucellosis, the cattle disease upon which the bison slaughter is blamed.

“A Concept Paper for a New Direction for the Bovine Brucellosis Program” outlines several potential changes to the way the government deals with the livestock disease. APHIS is accepting comments on the paper until December 4th. BFC is currently reviewing the paper and we will provide more detailed information and suggested talking points for public comments in our next Update from the Field. In the meantime, if you would like to read the document for yourself, you can find it here or by pasting the link at the end of this paragraph into your browser. Please feel free to email us with any questions, comments, or suggestions. http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#documentDetail?R=0900006480a26

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* BFC Urgently Needs Your Vote in Charity Contest

Currently in 26th place with 1,318 votes, BFC needs a big rally from our supporters if we are to take home a prize in the Christie Cookies $25,000 Charity Contest, which ends next Thursday, October 15 at 11:59 p.m. Central Time.

We need to finish in the top 12 to win one of the grants, which at this point would require an additional 2,140 votes. With nearly 8,000 bison advocates on our email list, you would think we could do it, but so far most of you haven’t taken the time to cast a vote for BFC, the only grassroots group working to defend America’s wild bison.

Even if you have voted, PLEASE take a moment and copy this portion of the Update to your friends, family members, co-workers, and acquaintances. Tell them why Yellowstone, the bison, and BFC are important to you, and ask them to take a moment to cast a vote for Buffalo Field Campaign today.

If you haven’t yet done so, VOTE NOW and ensure that we have the resources necessary to protect the bison this winter.

The process takes less than two minutes and has the potential to make a big difference for the bison.

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* West Coast Roadshow Underway : Sacramento, Berkeley, San Jose, and Pasadena Remain

BFC’s annual West Coast Roadshow has been running strong since the beginning of October. BFC co-founder Mike Mease and an evolving crew of musicians, writers, and storytellers have been entertaining, informing, and activating audiences from Briceland to Chico since the beginning of the month. After a show tonight in Sacramento, the tour will head to the Bay area before wrapping things up in southern California next week.

If you live in California or know someone who does, please view the full schedule HERE
and pass the info along to your friends.

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* Last Words

“Eradicating brucellosis in the GYA remains the long-term goal…”
–from USDA APHIS’ paper “A Concept Paper for a New Direction for the Bovine Brucellosis Program” released 10/5/2009

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.
2008-2009 Total: 22

2008-2009 Slaughter: 3
2008-2009 Hunt: 1
2008-2009 Quarantine: 0
2008-2009 Shot by Agents: 2
2008-2009 Highway Mortality: 16

2007-2008 Total: 1,631

Total Since 2000: 3,702*
*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!

ROAM FREE!!

Buffalo Field Campaign
Yellowstone Bison
Update from the Field
September 24, 2009

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In this issue:
* Update from the Field
* Cast a Vote for BFC and Help us Win $10,000 Prize
* Woodcut Thanks
* West Coast Roadshow Announced
* Last Words
* Kill Tally
* Important Links

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* Update from the Field

Yellowstone National Park recently released its estimate on the current bison population size. According to the estimate, which is based on flyovers conducted this summer, there are currently approximately 3,300 wild bison in Yellowstone. The number, thanks to the slaughter of thousands of bison by the National Park Service and Montana Departmet of Livestock, is down sharply from 2005 when the population was estimated to be close to 5,000. According to provisions in the Interagency Bison Management Plan, more than 1,000 bison could be killed this winter if they attempt to migrate from Yellowstone, the world’s first national park.

Here in West Yellowstone, Buffalo Field Campaign has been preparing for the coming winter, making plans, setting strategies, raising much-needed funds, and even collecting firewood to keep our volunteers warm in one on America’s most frigid climates. Please read on for more information on how you can help us prepare to protect the bison this winter, including a quick and easy way you can help us raise $10,000!

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* Cast a Vote for BFC and Help us Win $10,000 in Charity Contest

The Christie Cookie Company is holding a contest for nonprofits and we need your help to win the prize! The nonprofit receiving the most votes will win a check for $10,000. The runner-up wins $5,000, and the next ten will receive $1,000 each. It takes less than two minutes to vote.

Please take a moment to vote today by clicking on the link below and help BFC raise much-needed funds to protect the bison. If you can’t find us in the pull-down list just type in Buffalo Field Campaign from West Yellowstone, Montana to help us win.

Please forward this email and tell everyone you know to vote for Buffalo Field Campaign in West Yellowstone, Montana!

While the contest has been going on for months, we were just entered yesterday. This means we are counting on you, our supporters, to cast a vote today and help us spread the word. Votes must be cast by October 15, 2009.

Only one vote can be cast per email address.

VOTE HERE to help BFC raise $10,000!

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* Woodcut Thanks

One of the most rewarding aspects of our work is the constant contact with people who are willing to put their lives on hold and give their all for nothing more than room and board, a pat on the back, and the knowledge that they are helping protect America’s only continuously wild buffalo. Every fall, volunteers suffer nonstop sweat and sore muscles to make sure we have enough wood to heat our seven cabins, tipis, and yurt through the long and bitter Montana winter.

For the past month we have been hard at work, cutting, hauling, chopping, and stacking wood from nearby private and public lands and I would like to thank everyone who has been helping with this monumental endeavor. Noah, Jumbo, Chip, Lobo, and I pulled in the majority of the wood to begin the process. On the side of a mountain a quarter mile up stood 30 beetle-killed Douglas Fir trees. After dropping these giants with respect, reverence, and honor we de-limbed, bucked to long lengths and rolled them down the mountain.

Once down to the road we loaded the heavy logs onto our truck and trailer and brought them home. Adam came all the way from Omaha, Nebraska, Lorin and Matt shared part of their honeymoon having traveled from Southern California, Kingman and Jackie joined us from Berkeley, California, long-time family member Rachel, our BAB buddy Jim Macdonald, and Andrew all joined us from Montana and Laura and Benjamin joined us in the end to help complete the task. Three great men from the Yaak–Mike, Dave, and Paul–showed up and demonstrated how to use a chainsaw to maximum effect.

Thanks also to all of the local help: Barb helped feed us from her great garden and Joe, Aaron, Butch, Jillian and Amy all provided much-needed assistance. Thanks to Uncle Darrell who took on driving all of the loads, loading and unloading. barb who less than a week before had surgery helped make sure we were all fed and taken care for the week. The memories, bumps, bruises, and friendships will be in my heart every time I put a log on the fire this winter. All of the best to everyone who made this happen. Please know that without your help we could not have gotten it done.

For the Buffalo,

Mike Mease

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* West Coast Roadshow Announced

BFC co-founder and Campaign Coordinator Mike Mease will be on the road on the West Coast in October to share the buffalo’s story. Joining Mike will be special guests, including Good Shield, Phoenex and After Buffalo, Sampson Wolfe, and the Galanis Band. Award winning author Derrick Jensen will join us for a special night in Arcata. If you live near any of the following California towns or know people who do, here is the schedule:

Briceland
Saturday 10/3
8:00 PM
with Good Shield & Phoenix and After Buffalo
Beginnings
5 Cemetary Road
Contact: Phoenix 510-910-8877

Eureka
Monday 10/5
11:30 AM to 1:30 PM
with Good Shield
College of the Redwoods Quad

Eureka
Monday 10/5
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
with Good Shield
College of the Redwoods
7351 Tompkins Hill Road
Contact: Nikiya 707-476-4581

Arcata
Tuesday 10/6
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
with Good Shield
Humboldt State University Quad

Arcata
Tuesday 10/6
6:00 PM
with Derrick Jensen & Good Shield
Old Arcata Creamery Building
1251 9th Street

Chico
Wednesday 10/7
7:00 PM
with Good Shield
Chico State University
Contact: Susanna 845-750-3300

Sacramento
Thursday 10/8
5:00 PM to 6:00 PM
with Good Shield
Sacramento City Collage Quad
3835 Freeport Blvd.

Berkeley
Friday 10/9
7:00 PM
with Good Shield, Luke Thomas Trio (LT3), and Phoenix and After Buffalo featuring Uriah Duffy
Ashkenaz
1317 San Pablo Ave.
Contact: Phoenix 510-910-8877

Oakland
Saturday 10/10
7:00 PM
with Good Shield, Sampson Wolfe & Phoenix and After Buffalo
Inter Tribal Friendship House
523 International Blvd
Contact: Sampson 408-590-1347

Pasadena
Wednesday 10/14
7:00 PM
with Galanis Band
Jameson Brown Coffee
260 N Allen Ave
Contact: Zachary 801-599-6178

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* Last Words

“The thing that bothers me the most is the recklessness and greed of the local ranchers, who run too many cattle back here, choking with waste the creek that runs through my property. …. Them #$%&*@s piss me off. if you gotta mess up the ecology of the world in order to raise a bunch of cows, well eat somethin else. I’m not a fan of the cowboys.”

- Merle Haggard, Rolling Stone, 10/1/09

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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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!

ROAM FREE!!

Buffalo Field Campaign
Yellowstone Bison
Update from the Field
September 10, 2009

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In this issue:
* Update from the Field
* It’s Time! Wood Cut Week, Sept. 14-20
* BonTaj Roulet Rocks!
* Last Words
* Kill Tally
* Important Links

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* Update from the Field

Buffalo cow wallowing. BFC file photo.

The photo of this buffalo mama enjoying her wallowing time shares a little bit of the vision of how it can be; buffalo simply being buffalo, living their lives without threat of man-made borders, government policy or cattle politics. Buffalo living without the menace of barbed wire fences or threat of boundary hunters; buffalo living outside the dangers of hazing, capture, quarantine or slaughter. Free to raise their young in the buffalo way, returning to their natal grounds to bring forth the next generation. Free to face the natural challenges of weather and predator and time, moving with their families as the cycles of the seasons instruct them to do, not at the behest of management plans or economic interests. This buffalo gives us a tiny glimpse of a buffalo’s moment of uninterrupted bliss.

Right now, the buffalo inhabiting Yellowstone are enjoying such times, but summer wanes and the long, cold season will soon approach. And as they have done for millennia, buffalo will follow their ancient migratory instincts and leave the snowy high-country for lower elevation habitat. But, instead of finding the life-sustaining grasses they need to survive the hardships of winter, they will cross the imaginary line out of Yellowstone and enter the man-made conflict zone awaiting them in Montana. First, they will have to dodge the bullets of “hunters” along Yellowstone’s north and west boundary, those who survive will then have to dodge government agents. If the government and cattle industry have their way, hazing efforts could be much more aggressive this year.

With your help, BFC will be ready to stand in defense of the buffalo, document all actions made against them, and help tell the world their story in our collective effort to bring about positive change.

Thank you for being with us for the buffalo!
~ Buffalo Field Campaign

P.S. If you live on the West Coast we will soon announce the dates and locations of BFC’s upcoming 2009 West Coast Road Show and we hope to see you at one of the venues!

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* It’s Time! Wood Cut Week, Sept. 14-20

Beginning this Saturday, join Buffalo Field Campaign in beautiful West Yellowstone the week of September 14-20, and help gather, stack and cut the wood that will keep volunteers warm and alive this coming field season. Room and board will be provided. Please contact Mike at mease@wildrockies.org or 406-646-0070 if you are interested. Please let your friends know – the more the merrier! Chain saws are welcome!

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* BonTaj Roulet Rocks!

A special thank you and shout out to BonTaj Roulet and our wonderful friends at The Guacamole Fund who generously provided Buffalo Field Campaign access to this awesome tour in Salt Lake City UT and Boise ID. It was a wonderful show with Bonnie Raitt and her band hooking up with Taj Mahal and the phantom blues band to sing them blues all night long. The tour winds up September 25 so check their web site to see if BonTaj Roulet is coming to your town.

A whole lot of buffalove for Bonnie, Taj, the BonTaj Collective Action Fund, and to all of our furry friends at The Guacamole Fund who work tirelessly to help grassroots groups like Buffalo Field Campaign with benefit concerts, fundraising ticket sales, and who make those special connections to help America’s last wild buffalo. Thank You!!

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* Last Words

“Ancient prairie king,
Your strong bison spirit roams.
How long to be free?”

~ Haiku written and submitted by BFC supporter Lisa M. Banik. Thank you Lisa!

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.
2008-2009 Total: 22

2008-2009 Slaughter: 3
2008-2009 Hunt: 1
2008-2009 Quarantine: 0
2008-2009 Shot by Agents: 2
2008-2009 Highway Mortality: 16

2007-2008 Total: 1,631

Total Since 2000: 3,702*
*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!

ROAM FREE!!

Buffalo Field Campaign
Yellowstone Bison
Update from the Field
August 13, 2009

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In this issue:
* Update from the Field
* Obama Sign-On Letter
* Update: Stockgrowers Lawsuit Against Wild Bison
* Quarantined Buffalo: Tribe, Zoo, Group May Want Them
* Join BFC for Wood Cut Week Sept. 14-20
* BFC Needs Two On-Demand Hot Water Heaters
* Last Words
* Kill Tally
* Important Links

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* Update from the Field

On August 5 a bull buffalo was shot and killed after migrating from Yellowstone’s interior through a corner of southwest Montana and into Idaho. You can read BFC’s press release here. This marks another natural effort by buffalo to restore themselves in their historic native range of Idaho, only to be abruptly halted by government bullets.

This time it was not Idaho Fish & Game who killed the buffalo, but USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) officials. APHIS is a participant in the Interagency Bison Management Plan, and also one of the agencies spearheading the bison quarantine feasibility study (see below for an update). Apparently APHIS was in the area inspecting captive elk at a facility that operates canned elk hunting. The APHIS official fired three shots from a 30.06 rifle to kill the buffalo. BFC was there to witness and document the incident, and to our knowledge, the bull never mingled with cattle.

The theoretical threat of brucellosis transmission from wild bison to cattle is the continued excuse used by the government and cattle industry to prevent wild bison from gaining any ground outside of Yellowstone National Park’s boundaries even though there has never been a documented case of wild bison transmitting the disease to cattle. Furthermore, the National Academy of Science states that bull bison pose virtually no brucellosis risk to cattle. And if brucellosis is such a dreaded disease, why then does the government so willingly give the meat of the buffalo they kill to tribal charities and food banks, as they did with the remains of this bull? Brucellosis is not the threat, but the excuse used to maintain control; what the cattle industry really fears is wild bison restoring themselves to their native range and eating the grass the cattle industry feels is for their cattle only. Idaho already has laws in place that prevent the migration of wild bison into its borders, effectively staunching any natural restoration efforts before they begin. The land continues to suffer with the absence of buffalo, but not for lack of buffalo trying.

Meanwhile, the agencies implementing the Interagency Bison Management Plan met in Helena this week for another round of “public” meetings, where the public gets to sit in the audience while the talking heads shuffle paperwork and decide the fate of America’s last wild bison. The agencies are due to make a report to Congress in response to the scathing Government Accountability Office’s report that slammed the IBMP and called on the agencies to scrap it or make some real progress. So far, the agencies have held meeting after meeting with very little, if any, positive, on-the-ground change. Now the agencies are saying that to prevent future large-scale slaughtering of bison, they will haze bison more aggressively this coming season. Here’s a brief news story.

These government officials want to keep the focus off of the real solution: HABITAT. If left unchecked and unquestioned, they will repeat their rhetoric and mismanagement actions, wasting millions of U.S. tax dollars and harming wildlife and wild lands until America’s last wild bison have been hazed, captured, shot, quarantined and killed to the point of genetic dysfunction, behavioral manipulation, wild integrity compromised; buffalo families harassed and annihilated to the point of no return.

Only outside-the-box action will bring positive change for wild bison; outside the box that is Yellowstone: HABITAT. President Obama has the authority to move the agencies outside the confines of current thinking; he has the power to force the agencies to give the buffalo a fighting chance and he’s on his way to Yellowstone now and he needs to hear from you!

SEND AN EMAIL TO PRESIDENT OBAMA. It doesn’t matter if you’ve already done so (but, thank you!) because you can edit the letter to give it that critical, personal touch reflecting current news and information. Please spread the word to help defend the herds!

Roam Free!
~Stephany

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* Obama Sign-On Letter

In addition to the more than 3,235 emails that you have already sent to President Obama through BFC’s Take Action Center, we have been working with Native American tribes, businesses, and organizations on a sign-on letter we will send to the President in the fall.

We will begin circulating this letter early next week and, in order to make sure the effort is as successful as possible, will need your help. If you are part of a group, business, or tribe that might like to join us in asking President Obama to protect America’s only continuously wild population of bison, please contact BFC Executive Director Dan Brister at bfc@wildrockies.org. Dan will then contact you with a copy of the letter.

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* Update: Stockgrowers Lawsuit Against Wild Bison

On August 4 Montana District Court Judge John Brown presided over oral arguments in a state lawsuit on the fate of wild bison in Montana.

Attorney John Bloomquist representing Sitz Angus Ranch, Bill Myers and the Montana Stockgrowers Association filed suit against the Montana Department of Livestock claiming that the Interagency Bison Management Plan obligates all wild bison “be returned” to Yellowstone National Park “no later than May 15 of each year.”

The two ranchers who truck cattle in to graze seasonally on leased private pastures are seeking a court order compelling the slaughter or forced removal of wild bison in the entire Hebgen Basin, an area that encompasses tens of thousands of acres of bison habitat including Horse Butte Peninsula where cattle no longer graze.

Earthjustice attorney Tim Preso, representing local Horse Butte residents, argued there is no “legal duty” for the State of Montana to kill or remove bison by May 15 every year who have roamed to range outside Yellowstone National Park. To download legal filings click here.

Locals who intervened in the rancher’s suit want wild bison to roam on places like Horse Butte without government harassment. The locals rightfully claim that their private property interest in allowing wild bison to be in their neighborhood is not represented, and that Montana livestock agents trespass and intrude where they are not wanted.

“The majority of Horse Butte is public land. The National Forest Service has a responsibility to manage it for wildlife. We encourage them to do so,” says Horse Butte resident Karrie Taggart, who also heads up Horse Butte Neighbors of Buffalo. “Since cattle no longer graze there it stands to reason that bison should be allowed room to roam.”

The nonprofit lawyers argue the bison plan is adaptive and Montana law is permissive in how bison can be managed. They were joined by Assistant Attorney General Norman Peterson, representing the Board of Livestock, who asked the court to dismiss the suit as the ranchers lack standing to sue and are not a party to the bison plan.

It is unknown when Judge Brown will rule. But stay tuned as the fate of wild bison to occupy habitat year-round in Montana hangs in the balance of his decision.

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* Quarantined Buffalo: Tribe, Zoo, Group May Want Them

The unfortunate quarantined buffalo who were ultimately rejected by Northern Arapaho tribal officials may have found some folks who want them, though in some cases their existence will be behind bars. These buffalo, now numbering nearly 50 animals, have been confined to an ill-conceived Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service quarantine feasibility study since 2005. The buffalo were calves when they and their families were captured after migrating towards Yellowstone’s boundary. The adults went to slaughter, while the calves grew up in small fenced enclosures, being treated like livestock, in a government experiment to “create a disease-free herd” with a goal of providing “seed stock” for bison restoration efforts. But, the bull that was shot in Idaho last week (see above) and the hundreds of bison that attempt to migrate into Montana every year are enacting real buffalo restoration, yet the same agencies spend millions of U.S. tax dollars each year to prevent their success. Migration corridors to habitat, not quarantine, will be the real road to bison restoration. Read the news story about the latest on the quarantined buffalo.

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* Mark Your Calendars: Wood Cut Week, Sept. 14-20

Join Buffalo Field Campaign in beautiful West Yellowstone during the week of September 14-20, and help gather, stack, and cut the wood that will keep volunteers warm and alive this coming field season. Room and board will be provided. Please contact Mike at mease@wildrockies.org or 406-646-0070 if you are interested. Please let your friends know – the more the merrier!

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* BFC Volunteer Cabin Needs Two On-Demand Hot Water Heaters

The BFC main cabin, which houses our volunteers, is in need of two on-demand hot water heaters in order to save energy and space. These energy efficient water heaters could shave 25% off our gas bill each month and will free up much-needed space in our crowded cabin.

If you can help, please make a secure online donation and specify that it is for the water heaters, or send a check or money order (no cash please) to BFC-Maintenance, P.O. Box 957, West Yellowstone, MT 59758. If you have questions or would like more detail, please contact BFC Maintenance Coordinator Chip at 406-646-0070 or by email at maintenance@buffalofieldcampaign.org. Thank you!!

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* Last Words

To a Buffalo Skull

“On the sable wall your great skull gleams,
A regal ornament;
A relic of weathered bone and horn,
Once lord of a continent.

The war-lord, yea, of a countless host,
But gone is your kingly sway;
For never again will you head the herd
In the spring when the young calves play.

All bleached with the merciless sun and rain
Of many and many a day,
You’re all that is left to tell the tale
How the black lines passed this way.”

~ Robert V. Carr

Do you have something that we could use for Last Words? Something you’ve written, or a favorite piece by some other author, famous or as yet unknown? A quote, poem, song, story, a few lines, a paragraph, any words you feel are fitting to tell in these chapters of the buffalo’s story? If so, please send them to Stephany at bfc-media@wildrockies.org. Thanks!

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* Kill Tally

AMERICAN BISON ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S.
2008-2009 Total: 23

2008-2009 Slaughter: 3
2008-2009 Hunt: 1
2008-2009 Quarantine: 0
2008-2009 Shot by Agents: 3
2008-2009 Highway Mortality: 16

2007-2008 Total: 1,632

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!

ROAM FREE!!

Buffalo Field Campaign
Yellowstone Bison
Update from the Field
July 30, 2009

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In this issue:
* Update from the Field
* Invitation: Workshop with BFC & Western Watersheds Project
* Mark Your Calendars: Wood Cut Week 9/14-20/09
* BFC Needs Two On-Demand Hot Water Heaters
* Last Words
* Kill Tally
* Important Links

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* Update from the Field

Buffalo Field Campaign spent last week at the Summer Outdoor Retailer’s Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was the third Outdoor Retailer’s (OR) Conference we’ve attendend and, thanks to the generosity of Patagonia, Klean Kanteen, and Osprey Backpacks, by far the most successful to date. Patagonia provided us with passes for the event and a table at their booth where we shared the bison’s plight with hundreds of conference attendees and collected nearly a thousand postcards asking President Obama to protect wild bison on their year-round habitat, earned nearly $4,000 through a special fundraiser made possible by the generosity of Klean Kanteen, and hosted a spectacular event where we raffled high-quality gear from Osprey, Patagonia, and Klean Kanteen.

We are deeply grateful for the generosity of these three companies and their commitment to protecting the natural world. Klean Kanteen donated hundreds of limited edition “Let Buffalo Roam” stainless steel water bottles for the event and, they, Osprey and Patagonia made the bottles available at their booths in exchange for donations to BFC for the duration of the event.

BFC is selling the remainder of these eco-friendly water bottles on our web site. For more information and to get one of these limited edition bottles while they last, please visit this link.

We are deeply grateful to those of you who have sent donations in response to our announcement of the Earth Friends Challenge grant, but we have a long way to go if we are to meet the Earth Friends Challenge to raise $75,000 by year’s end. With the number and amount of donations down in recent months, and with foundation grants on a sharp decline, the Earth Friends Challenge couldn’t come at a better time. Many nonprofits have been forced to close their doors and countless others have had to scale back on their programs. Buffalo Field Campaign, accustomed to accomplishing a great deal on a shoestring budget and poised to achieve many of our goals for the bison, cannot afford to scale back now.

Please DONATE TODAY and help BFC meet the Challenge offered by the Earth Friends Wildlife Foundation.

For the Buffalo,

Dan Brister
Executive Director
Buffalo Field Campaign

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* Invitation: Workshop with BFC & Western Watersheds Project

Western Watersheds Project (WWP) and Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) are arranging a workshop for people who want to implement lasting, on-the-ground changes for buffalo. The intention of these efforts is to make the US Forest Service recognize bison as a wildlife species that they must maintain viability for under the requirements of the National Forest Management Act of 1976. By law the Forest Service is required to manage their lands for the viability of bison but they have not. The BLM and Fish and Wildlife Service manage lands that are within the habitat that should be available to bison as well. We intend to seek the same recognition from these agencies for bison.

Brian Ertz and Ken Cole will present a 2-day workshop where people will be taken to nearby grazing allotments and shown the very simple process of documenting damage inflicted on the allotment by livestock grazing. Once documented this information would be transmitted to the agency managing the land and WWP to gain legal standing on the allotment so that grazing decisions can be appealed then ultimately litigated.

WHEN: August 11 & 12, 10am
WHERE: BFC Headquarters, 14365 Hebgen Lake Road, West Yellowstone, Montana

We will meet at 10:00 am for an introduction and overview then head to a nearby grazing allotment. If you are interested in attending this workshop please contact Ken Cole at ken@westernwatersheds.org. Spread the word!

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* Mark Your Calendars: Wood Cut Week, Sept. 14-20

Join Buffalo Field Campaign in beautiful West Yellowstone the week of September 14-20, and help gather, stack and cut the wood that will keep volunteers warm and alive this coming field season. Room and board will be provided. Please contact Mike at mease@wildrockies.org

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* BFC Volunteer Cabin Needs Two On-Demand Hot Water Heaters

The BFC main cabin, which houses our volunteers, could use two on-demand hot water heaters in order to save energy and space. These energy efficient water heaters could shave 25% off our gas bill each month. Also they will allow us room to make another bathroom, so our volunteers don’t have to form a waiting line to use our current one bathroom.

If you can help, please make a secure online donation and specify that it is for the water heaters, or send a check or money order (no cash please) to BFC-Maintenance, P.O. Box 957, West Yellowstone, MT 59758. If you have questions or would like more detail, please contact BFC Maintenance Coordinator Chip at 406-646-0070 or by email at maintenance@buffalofieldcampaign.org. Thank you!!

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* Last Words

“Without habitat, there is no wildlife. It’s that simple.”

~ Wildlife Habitat Canada.

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* Kill Tally

AMERICAN BISON ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S.
2008-2009 Total: 22

2008-2009 Slaughter: 3
2008-2009 Hunt: 1
2008-2009 Quarantine: 0
2008-2009 Shot by Agents: 2
2008-2009 Highway Mortality: 16

2007-2008 Total: 1,631

Total Since 2000: 3,702*
*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!

ROAM FREE!!