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* Update from the Field
Dear Buffalo Friends,
When government puts livestock inspectors in charge
of managing wildlife - as is the case with Yellowstone
buffalo - very bad things are bound to happen.
This week was no exception. One of the most ancient,
sacred, beautiful beings on this planet continues to
be tormented to appease the selfish interests of cattle
producers. Despite the absence of cattle around West
Yellowstone, the fact that wild buffalo have never transmitted
brucellosis to cattle, and the fact that wild bison
are native while cattle are invasive and imported, the
centuries-old war set to destroy these magnificent,
iconic animals carries on.
Last week DOL bullies hazed approximately 400 wild buffalo
off of National Forest land, despite a November 2006
agreement signed by all five Interagency Bison Management
Plan agency heads, which was supposed to allow for "greater
tolerance" of wild bison on public lands through
May 15.
You can read the agreement here: http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/legal/adaptivemanagement.html.
After the senseless harassment was over, the agents
split town as they always do, knowing full well that
the buffalo would resume their migration back to Horse
Butte, and that the animals would again have to cross
US Highway 191. None of the agents who cause this
trouble bother to warn motorists of the dangerous situations
they create. The DOL's actions pose a serious threat
to motorists and every living creature. Thankfully,
BFC is here to help buffalo and travellers avoid dangerous
collisions, but it is a responsibility of the State
to ensure highway safety. From Thursday on, BFC
has been on the sides of the roads constantly with our
"Buffalo Ahead" signs, and helping prevent
bison/vehicle collisions.
See BFC's press release from April 13:
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/media/press0607/pressreleases0607/041307.html
This week, the DOL - with the help of FWP game warden
Jim Smolczynski - returned to cause more trouble in
the ecosystem and along the highways. The agents
returned to haze buffalo from fields and forests, ignoring
the dangers they have created along the road.
On Tuesday, DOL agent Cody Peters hazed three separate
groups of wild bison from his ATV, yelling at them and
firing cracker rounds (high-powered explosives) to scare
the buffalo into Yellowstone.
Yesterday, Peters, with the help of Smolczynski and
DOL agent Tyler Bond harassed a group of 17 buffalo,
running them hard out of Stinnet's Field, just west
of Yellowstone's boundary. Smolczynski managed
to separate one very pregnant cow bison from her family
group. She ran for her life! He hounded her to
no end, and she evaded his pursuit to the best of her
abilities.
None of us had ever seen a buffalo run so fast.
She was huge with calf and with Smolczynski's ATV hot
on her heels, we could hear her heavy, grunting pant
from across the field. As she came closer, we
could see her tongue hanging out and that she was foaming
at the mouth. The agent gave up the chase, and
the buffalo remained separated from her group, walking
a wicked eight-strand high-tension wire fence line trying
to find her way back to them. This scene brought
us to tears. How can people be so cruel?
But the agents weren't done there. After that
haze, they headed to Horse Butte to harass more wild
buffalo off of the Munns' Ranch. A few baby buffalo
have been spotted, so birthing time is here. It's
a time we should be celebrating, yet we cringe with
fear for what these buffalo, many of them taking their
first steps, will have to endure. Three agents on ATVs
hazed approximately 180 wild buffalo, but they didn't
even move them off the property, they just harassed
the heck out of them, chasing them from the east end
of the ranch to the west end. Pointless.
It's unthinkable that Montana livestock inspectors would
be allowed to have any role in dictating how America's
last wild bison live and die. Yet, as I type,
I can hear our field patrols communicating over the
radio that DOL agents are back at it again, yippin'
it up, bullying buffalo, tearing up the sensitive spring
landscape with the wheels of their machines and horses
shod hooves, and having a grand ole time at it. There
are no cattle here, and even if there were, wildlife
must take precedence over invasive livestock and the
diseases they bring. The Yellowstone bison are
the last continuously wild buffalo left in the U.S.
They are behaviorally and genetically unique.
They have walked this Earth for over 10,000 years.
They are deserving of our respect, honor and protection
and they need our strong voices to speak up for them
now. The DOL is an out-of-control rogue agency
and they will not stop until we stop them.
Now is the time.
Please contact:
- DOL/Montana State Vet Jeanne Rankin: jrankin@mt.gov
/ 800-523-3162, ext. 3
- Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer: brianschweitzer@mt.gov
/ 406-444-3111
- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks: pflowers@mt.gov
/ 406-994-4050
- Your House and Senate members: http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/actnow/politicians.html
/ (capitol switchboard) 202-224-3121
Roam Free,
~Stephany
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* Hazing Impacts Grizzly Bears and Bald Eagles
The western boundary of Yellowstone National Park, from
Fir Ridge to Cougar Creek, is currently closed to all
human activity to protect waking grizzly bears.
The DOL, however, acts as if they are above the law.
During hazing operations DOL agents yell loudly, fire
off high-powered explosives (cracker rounds) right at
the Park border, and even ride their horses and fly
helicopters into this protected area of the Park.
Recent grizzly bear sightings have been reported, and
the DOL's actions are adversely impacting them.
Two years ago, just hours after a DOL helicopter hazed
buffalo inside this area of Yellowstone during the grizzly
closure, a twelve-year-old boar grizzly was hit and
killed on the highway after leaving the Park.
The Horse Butte Peninsula of Gallatin National Forest
is home to three active bald eagle nests. A portion
of the Butte is closed to all human activity from December
through August to protect the magnificent birds.
In the past, the DOL was allowed to harass wild bison
in this region only between the hours of 10:00 am and
3:00 pm, to allow for the eagle's foraging time to be
unmolested by agent activity, especially during the
winter when open water is hard to find. It's not
as if eagles don't forage between 10 and 3, as we've
seen them flying and hunting during these hours.
But, it at least afforded the great birds some break
from government activity.
Just yesterday, BFC learned that the US Forest Service
terminated those protections in January 2007.
Now, protections have been set aside by the Forest Service
with agreement from the US Fish & Wildlife Service.
DOL agents can go out to Horse Butte basically anytime
once the ice melts along certain portions of the Madison
River.
Buffalo, grizzly bears, wolves and bald eagles: these
are the unacceptable sacrifices being made so the cattle
industry can rule the land. Enough is enough!
Please Contact:
- Becky Heath, Supervisor, Gallatin National Forest:
406-587-6703
- Pat Flowers, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks:
pflowers@mt.gov
/ 406-994-4050
- Your House and Senate members: http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/actnow/politicians.html
/ (capitol switchboard) 202-224-3121
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* Earth Day, Bufflers, and Buffalo Field Campaign
Greetings from Hebgen Lake! When i moved to a cabin
owned by BFC in mid-November, I never anticipated how
much having my good friends of the BFC around me on
a daily basis would lift my spirits. As many of you
know, Phil and i have been strong active supporters
of BFC since co-founder Mike Mease arrived in West Yellowstone
in 1997, meeting with him in our home a week or two
after he came to video-document the terrible abuse of
the buffalo.
Now the green-up has begun, the birds are returning
and spring is really in the air earlier than usual,
after a very relatively snow-less winter ...
the other day as i was removing plastic from my west-facing
window, two sand hill cranes flew right by and then
down to and across the lake. Magical!
Green-up also means the annual migration of buffalo
from Yellowstone National Park to their traditional
calving grounds on Horse Butte. As hundreds of mainly
pregnant cow buffalo cross the highway, BFC patrols,
donning fluorescent vests and road signs, are out there
from pre-dawn to night patrols, warning motorists of
the buffalo's presence on the road. So far no buffalo
have been killed or injured by motorists, unlike last
year when 10 were hit and killed, mainly by semis.
But the life of the buffalo has not been safe this week
as agents of the Montana Department of Livestock, with
assistance from Fish, Wildlife & Parks game wardens,
National Park Rangers and the Highway Patrol began their
annual full force hazing operations using horses, ATVs
& pick-ups, driving hundreds of buffs back across
the highway into the park. Not a pretty sight.
You can read press releases and view short videos of
the hazing operations by going to http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org.
Two years ago on Memorial Day & Earth Day, which
is also Phil's birthday, BFC honored him:
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/aboutus/artthoughts/memorialphil.html
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/aboutus/artthoughts/philbarb.html
This year, for Earth Day and Phil's birthday I'm asking
those who can to make a donation to BFC. ALL the money
collected will be used to purchase new Motorola FM radios
which are absolutely vital for our volunteers in the
field to be able to communicate with each other and
with campaign headquarters, as well as walkie-talkies,
and video equipment/supplies which allow us to continue
to document the actions of federal and state agents
in their war against buffalo being allowed on our public
lands in Montana.
You can make your donation online at: https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?id=1807
... or you can send a check made out to BFC addressed
to: Office Coordinator (that's me:), Buffalo Field Campaign,
PO Box 957, West Yellowstone MT 59758-0957. Either
way, please indicate that the donation is in honor and
memory of Phil.
Celebrate the Earth, every day (including next Sunday,
April 22nd). And remember Phil on his birthday (next
Sunday, April 22nd) whose spirit inspires me every day
to continue to work to protect WILDlife, WILD lands
and WILD people! Join me in supporting the Buffalo Field
Campaign for ten years of perseverance and their extraordinary
work on behalf of WILD buffalo.
love, barb
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* Mother's Day is Fast Approaching - Order Buffalo
Cards Now!
Send a beautiful, hand-crafted card to the special mother(s)
in your life and benefit Buffalo Field Campaign in the
process.
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/aboutus/momcelebration2007.html
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* An Invitation to BFC's 10-Year Anniversary
& Family Reunion!
It is hard to fathom that for ten years now, since April
of 1997, the Buffalo family has shown the world the
tragically disgraceful Yellowstone buffalo story.
All of the over 3000+ field volunteers, 20,000+ active
supporters, prayers, songs, and stories of everyone
who has done anything to help these sacred beings, your
presence is requested. Buffalo Field Campaign
would like to invite you to West Yellowstone for our
ten-year Buffalo Family Reunion during the week of June
4th through the 9th. From June 4 through the 8th
we will be engaged in work projects around our property,
nightly campfires, reuniting, planning strategy, and
holding vision sessions.
Saturday June 9 we will celebrate with a party with
famed eco-rocker Danny Dolinger, gifted native musician
Good Shield, 7th Generation Rise, and BFC's own
volunteer band Prisoners of Time featuring Hays, Jesse,
and a rumored special appearance by the famed Wally
Festus Leusch. Beer will be served at the event.
Camping will be available at BFC headquraters.
It has been a long hard road for our friends and family
the buffalo and they still need all of our help.
Please come for the week, the weekend, in spirit or
in thought, but keep telling everyone you can of the
Yellowstone buffalo and their plight.
We will be holding a silent auction at the event and
are are looking for donated items. If you are
an artist, craftsperson or have any items or services
you would like to donate to the auction, please get
in touch!
If you are interested in staying in town, need other
special arrangements, or have any questions about the
gathering, please contact Mike Mease at mease@wildrockies.org.
For the Buffalo,
Mike Mease
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* Last Words
"Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the
living."
~ Mother Jones
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