“Every wild Buffalo calf born in the Yellowstone Ecosystem is a victory for the Campaign.”

These words, spoken by James Holt Sr. of the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) are now more pertinent than ever, as they now include the birth of the white Buffalo calf, Wakan Gli. The historic arrival of the calf, whose name means “Returns Sacred” and “Comes Holy,” is a blessing and warning. It is an urgent reminder of the work to be done toward restoring the earth we share with all our relatives, human and nonhuman.

Today, BFC is heeding that message by recognizing that, sometimes, progress requires change.

Since 1990, when BFC was first established as Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers and then co-founded by Mike Mease and Lakota elder, Rosalie Little Thunder in 1997, the organization has worked tirelessly to stop the harassment and slaughter of Yellowstone’s buffalo herds. Indigenous leadership is, and has been, central to that cause.

For the past 5 years, that critical leadership has come, in part, in the form of the Executive Director role filled by James Holt, Sr. Now, he transitions from this service back to the BFC Board. We are thankful for the continuance of Holt’s guidance and vision that steers BFC toward authentic tribal connections and co-development of holistic solutions for the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

As we look forward, BFC sets our sights on a future where Buffalo roam free and the government slaughter of these relatives ends permanently. Toward this goal, we are bolstering our commitment to a few key actions:

• A Place to Gather: Improved internal structure for maximum impact for Buffalo protections
• Co-Stewardship & Traditional Ecological Knowledge: Continued engagement with Tribal partners within and near YNP
• Research & Education: Strengthened, empowering and educational communications to and with our supporters

We stand on decades of fervent support from the BFC community and look forward to a future of collective action for the Buffalo. Through your invaluable contributions and actions, you continue to ensure BFC persists in honoring our organization’s history, the land, and our four-legged relatives, including Wakan Gli.

"My sincere hope is that the world can begin to understand the hardships wild Buffalo overcome to merely exist in the human infrastructure now dominating the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The fulfillment of prophecy by Wakan Gli should be an eye-opener to how humans are failing the natural world by destroying more and more habitat to accommodate themselves. We are not a dying species, but so many wildlife are. Wild buffalo, a keystone species, are being suppressed to make way for domesticated animals on federal lands. This misguided priority has realized the extinction of numerous species with many others on the brink of annihilation. Things must change."
~James Holt, On the Buffalo Trail, July 2024

For the Buffalo,
Buffalo Field Campaign Board of Directors