buffalo field campaign yellowstone bison slaughter Buffalo Field Campaign
West Yellowstone, Montana
Working in the field every day to stop the
slaughter of Yellowstone's wild free roaming buffalo

Total Yellowstone
Buffalo Killed
Since 1985
9,167
(past counts)

Yellowstone Bison Slaughter
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Tribal Briefing
Tribal Briefing Papers 2011
Historical overview of the wild buffalo and their status today in Yellowstone (Word Doc, 3782kb)
Historical Overview Sources (Opens in pop-up window.)
People in Charge 2012 (Word Doc, 52kb)
Tribal Briefing Papers 2010
Buffalo Field Campaign is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1997 to stop the slaughter of Yellowstone’s wild buffalo herd, protect the natural habitat of wild free-roaming buffalo and native wildlife, and to work with people of all Nations to honor the sacredness of the wild buffalo. For further information or updates on the briefing papers provided here, contact Darrell Geist, habitat coordinator, Buffalo Field Campaign, z@wildrockies.org, (406) 646-0070.

People in Charge 2010 (Word Document, 60kb)

Briefing Paper_IBMP Update (Word Document, 4.1MB)
An overview of Interagency Bison Management Plan actions targeting Yellowstone's wild bison and a complaint filed November 2009 to stop the National Park Service from slaughtering bison and to compel the U.S. Forest Service to manage habitat on the Gallatin National Forest to provide for viable populations of wild bison.

Briefing Paper_GAO Report on Yellowstone bison (PDF, 2.6MB)
The U.S. Government Accountability Office's report on land deals in Yellowstone and the flaws, failures, and deficiencies of the agencies behind the Interagency Bison Management Plan.

Briefing Paper_Congressional Hearing (PDF, 164kb)
A March 2007 hearing was held by the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands on Yellowstone bison and the interagency bison plan.

Briefing Paper_RTR land deals (Word Document, 328kb)
An overview of multimillion dollar taxpayer funded lands deals on the Royal Teton Ranch in the Gardiner basin, Montana.

Briefing Paper_Petition to Stop Bison Slaughter (Word Document, 2.8MB)
A diverse coalition of tribal, conservation, hunting, animal welfare and wildlife groups, an outfitting business, and concerned citizens from Montana and South Dakota, filed an emergency rule making petition with the U.S. Department of the Interior seeking to stop the National Park Service from slaughtering wild bison inhabiting Yellowstone National Park and adjoining lands on the Gallatin National Forest in Montana. The petition was denied amidst the largest slaughter of bison since the 19th century.

Briefing Paper_Bison on the Gallatin National Forest (Word Document, 880kb)
A critique of Gallatin National Forest land management decisions affecting wild bison on the Forest.

Briefing Paper_Horse Butte bison habitat (PDF, 1.3MB)
Local citizens plea for protection of bison migrating to Horse Butte, a wildlife rich peninsula in the Hebgen Basin, Montana. The Montana Stockgrowers filed suit in 2008 to remove or kill all bison remaining in the basin after May 15. Earthjustice intervened on behalf of the locals and wild bison.

Briefing Paper_USFWS endangered species finding (Word Document, 1MB)
Buffalo Field Campaign’s rebuttal to the United States Fish & Wildlife Service's finding not to list Yellowstone Bison as an Endangered Species.

Briefing Paper_American bison heritage (PDF, 1.9MB)
Buffalo Field Campaign's appeal to the World Heritage Committee to consider that this last remnant population of wild bison to continuously occupy their native range in the United States is an indigenous wildlife species of "outstanding universal value" at risk or in danger of extinction, and under threat of genetic harm and loss of diversity.

Fallon_The ecological importance of bison (Word document, 3.7MB)
A scientific review of the keystone ecological role of wild bison in grassland ecosystems. Prepared by Dr. Sylvia Fallon, Staff Scientist Natural Resources Defense Council.
Tribal Meeting with National Park Service June 2008
1. Transcript of Proceedings.pdf
TRANSCRIPT OF THE PROCEEDINGS INTERGOVERNMENTAL-INTERTRIBAL INFORMATION EXCHANGE MEETING FOR YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK held at Mammoth Elementary School Yellowstone National Park, Mammoth, Wyoming June 5, 2008.

2. Draft Tribal Issues.doc
A Tribal delegate writes: "Several years of "tribal consultation" has been ineffective, and tribes have indicated frustration with the effectiveness of these yearly meetings. Recognizing that the National Park Service has the trust responsibility to the interested tribes who had ties to the Greater Yellowstone Area, the tribes provide the NPS" with the following draft comments.

3. Tribal Caucus Notes.doc
Flip chart notes from the Tribal Caucus.

4. NPS Management Policies.doc
The U.S. Department of Interior and National Park Service's management policies on Tribal consultation, government-to-government relationships, trust and ethnographic resources, access and use, and sacred sites.
Tribal Voices

1. To Save the Buffalo Nation.pdf
Statement of Chief Arvol Looking Horse, 19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe that Yellowstone, the "habitat of the last wild Buffalo Nation" is sacred ground. Arvol Looking Horse was called upon to perform the Spirit Releasing ceremony April 15, 2008, for "the thousands of buffalo that have lost their lives in the last decade, in the mountains of the Yellowstone River country."


2. ITBC Position Statement.doc
Jim Stone, Executive Director of the InterTribal Bison Cooperative a nonprofit with members from 57 Tribes, writes about Tribal connections with buffalo and Yellowstone's last wild herd.


3. Jay Harris, article on the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty and U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Minnesota v. Milles Lacs Band of Chippewa

4. King_CO-MANAGEMENT OR CONTRACTING? AGREEMENTS BETWEEN NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES AND THE U.S. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE PURSUANT TO THE 1994 TRIBAL SELF-GOVERNANCE ACT.pdf
Harvard Environmental Law Review article by Mary Ann King on the 1994 Tribal Self-Governance Act and how this law "links tribal self-determination policy and federal land management, and has the potential to alter federal tribal relationships and transform institutions for natural resource and public land management."

TRIBAL CONTACTS
Tatanka Oyate:
Tatanka Oyate is an affiliate project of the Seventh Generation Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and maintaining the uniqueness of Indigenous peoples throughout the Americas. Tatanka Oyate works cooperatively with Buffalo Field Campaign to protect the last wild buffalo herd in Yellowstone and is initiating a global campaign to protect species that are sacred to indigenous peoples.

Contact:
Rosalie Little Thunder
P.O. Box 3912
Rapid City, SD 57709
(605) 209-2159
wakinyela@yahoo.com
www.7genfund.org

InterTribal Buffalo Council:
InterTribal Buffalo Council (ITBC) was formed in 1990 to coordinate and assist tribes in returning the buffalo to Indian country. ITBC is a Section 17 federally-chartered Tribal entity representing 57 Tribes and is committed to reestablishing buffalo herds on Indian lands in a manner that promotes cultural enhancement, spiritual revitalization, ecological restoration, and economic development.

Contact:
Jim Stone
InterTribal Buffalo Council
2497 West Chicago Street
Rapid City, SD 57702
(605) 394-9730
Fax: (605) 394-7742
jstone@itbcbison.com
www.itbcbison.com

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK CONSULTATION MEETING TRIBAL PRE-MEETING
DATE: JUNE 4, 2008
PLACE: Holiday Inn (5 E. Baxter Lane, off N. 7th Avenue), Bozeman, Montana
TIME: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Opening Prayer: Arvol Looking Horse

AGENDA:

Introductions
Historical, Cultural Responsibility to the Buffalo: Jim Stone, InterTribal Bison Cooperative; Richard Milda-Crow, Lakota perspective; Rosalie Little Thunder, Seventh Generation Fund

Update on Current Situation in Yellowstone:
* Biological Status and Ecological Importance of Buffalo: Florence Gardipee, Ph.D. Student, Wildlife Biology, University of Montana
* Political Climate: TBA     
* Buffalo Legislation and Litigation, Previous & Current: TBA
GAO Report on Yellowstone buffalo: Darrell Geist, Buffalo Field Campaign
Tribal Focus: Open discussion.  
A comprehensive database of Indian Laws and Treaties is online: http://digital.library.okstate.edu/KAPPLER/index.htm

Tribal Briefing Yellowstone Bison Update.doc

Tribal Briefing_Contents.doc: Contents page for the the tribal briefing documents herein.

Tribal Briefing_Yellowstone bison.doc: Current challenges to the policy and legal framework governing Yellowstone bison and their native habitat. Includes an overview of 2007/2008 season impact on wild bison, efforts to protect bison and their habitat, a GAO report on Yellowstone bison, the Royal Teton Ranch land deal, a finding by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on a citizen petition to list bison, and bison as world heritage.

Tribal Briefing_BFC People.doc: Buffalo Field Campaign vision, mission, core values, and the Buffalo Bill of Rights. Contact and volunteer information for Seventh Generation Fund's Tatanka Oyate Project and the people involved in Buffalo Field Campaign.

Tribal Briefing_People in Charge.doc: Contact information for Congress, and the people in charge of bison including U.S. National Park Service, State of Montana, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture-APHIS, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Tribal Briefing_Resources Online.doc: Online resources on Yellowstone bison including video, photos and papers, Yellowstone bison habitat and wildlife database maps.

Tribal Briefing_World Heritage Contacts.doc: Yellowstone National Park is a World Heritage Site. Contact information for the IUCN The World Conservation Union, UNESCO, and the World Heritage Committee.

Yellowstone Bison Litigation Memo: Review of court decisions on Yellowstone buffalo litigation by Ted Fellman.

Yellowstone Bison Cases Table: Table summary of court decisions on Yellowstone buffalo litigation by Ted Fellman.

Keystone role of bison ecology paper by Dr. Sylvia Fallon, Natural Resources Defense Council.

Yellowstone Bison Talking Points, Florence Gardipee, Ph.D. Student, Wildlife Biology, University of Montana

A key for understanding conservation genetics, Florence Gardipee, Ph.D. Student, Wildlife Biology, University of Montana


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