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Buffalo Allies of Bozeman (BAB) will be hosting a two-part workshop at the 2008 Northern Rockies Bioneers Conference on October 16-19. The workshops, entitled "Plight of the Yellowstone Buffalo" will include talks from Mike Mease of the Buffalo Field Campaign, Kristine Reed from the InterTribal Bison Cooperative (ITBC) Jason Baldes from Montana State University, and BAB members Jim Macdonald and Chris Klatt.

The first workshop session will take place on Saturday, October 18th from 4:45 to 6pm in the Down to Earth Yoga Studio at the Emerson Cultural Center. This session will focus on the "Past, Present, and Future" of Yellowstone's bison herd and how the history of these animals is inexorably linked to the history of people that have depended on them for their cultural survival. Jim Macdonald and Mike Mease will also discuss the current obstacles that face the Yellowstone buffalo herds today, especially in light of last winter's government-sponsored slaughter of more than 1600 buffalo, which is the largest slaughter since the 19th century.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

(Bozeman, Mont.) – State and Federal government agencies partnered in the Interagency Bison Management Plan (IBMP) met last week in response to federal mandates from the Government Accountability Office calling for the partners "to enhance the agencies’ collaboration and accountability to the public." The meeting, which took place August 6th and 7th at the Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Regional Headquarters, fell short of these goals as individuals from the public were not allowed to ask questions of the agencies.

editors's note: Darrell Geist of Buffalo Field Campaign took extensive notes from the meeting of the partners of the Interagency Bison Management Plan (IBMP) in Bozeman on August 6 and 7, 2008. He has given us permission to publish the notes here.

August 6, 2008

For what they are worth, sending these notes along to you all.

I used my 3 minutes to formally request that a management alternative that designates Horse Butte as wild buffalo habitat be placed on the agenda at one of their planned Interagency Bison Management Plan meetings for public deliberation and decision making. The clearly definable objective: allow wild buffalo to roam and occupy Horse Butte without government harassment and harm. My two cents in three minutes time.

The partners in the Interagency Bison Management Plan (IBMP) are meeting in Bozeman Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 6 and 7 at the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks offices at 1400 S. 19th Ave. from 2 to 5 PM on Aug. 6 and 8:30 AM to 2 PM on Aug. 7. There are public comment periods at the end of each day - each person gets 2 minutes each.

FWP has posted a tentative agenda online at http://fwp.mt.gov/content/getItem.aspx?id=34611 (pdf). The main point of the meeting is to discuss the U.S. Government Accountability Office report and recommendations (which were extremely critical of the IBMP), consider the last season under the plan (where more wild buffalo were killed than at any time since the 19th century), and consider short-term and long-term adjustments to the plan.

Buffalo Allies of Bozeman has called for partners in the IBMP to pull out of the plan and end the hazing and slaughter of wild buffalo while simultaneously increasing habitat for buffalo into Montana. For our complete mission, please see http://buffaloallies.org/node/22.

The protest scheduled for Saturday, July 26 in Mammoth Hot Springs is being postponed by the organizers. One of the organizers is ill and unable to travel; another had something else come up. They intend to do this, but they are unable to do so on the July 26 date.

One of the organizers wanted to make sure we knew how disappointed they were and how intent they are to do something for the buffalo.