Buffalo Field Campaign’s 24th season of standing with the buffalo comes to a close at the end of the month, and we celebrate another year as one of the oldest frontline, grassroots groups in the country. The longstanding and dedicated support of BFC’s members has brought many victories: closure of the wild buffalo traps on the Central Herd’s western migration route, designation of permanent year-round buffalo habitat on Horse Butte peninsula, a reduction of cruel hazing tactics by the Montana Department of Livestock, recognition of the buffalo as our national mammal, and making the plight of the Yellowstone Herds an internationally recognized tragedy. These accomplishments are truly remarkable, but there is much work to do to ensure these sacred beings can once again roam free across the American continent.

We are so grateful for all who stand in solidarity with the buffalo, but we must keep up the pressure and continue to speak out against the State of Montana and Yellowstone National Park policies treating the last wild buffalo like livestock, managing for extinction, and not conservation.

This week we celebrated Endangered Species Day with a call to action for listing American Bison under the Endangered Species Act. You can contribute by signing our change.org petition urging Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to support Endangered Species Act protection for Yellowstone’s wild American Bison herds. You can also share the petition with your social media networks and with your friends, family and community.

Endangered species protection would prioritize National Forests around Yellowstone as buffalo habitat rather than cattle range, and end Yellowstone National Park’s capture for slaughter program. Endangered species protection is the most effective and powerful action we can take to protect the last wild bison of Yellowstone.

The beginning of June is when the Central Herd begins to leave their National Forest habitat for summer rutting territories in Yellowstone. The buffalo trace well-worn paths back to the valleys of Yellowstone, carrying with them the wild spirit of their ancestors and hope for a better future.