Dear Friends of the Buffalo,

I hope this edition of On the Buffalo Trail finds you well. You've probably heard about the birth of the white buffalo calf in Yellowstone by now. It is an amazing occurrence that has caught the attention of people around the world. The birth signified the fulfillment of a prophesy thousands of years old. I was so excited when we began planning for the event to honor this sacred birth. It became that much more powerful when Chief Arvol Looking Horse stated he would hold ceremony at our Campaign headquarters. With the many tribes, leaders, and over 500 guests who came, the event was a huge success.

Now that the ceremony is over and the media went about their business, we can get back to the pressing issues at hand. The reality is wild Yellowstone buffalo need to be treated as other wildlife. The recently issued Yellowstone Bison Environmental Impact Statement is fatally flawed, with the National Park Service refusing to produce an environmental alternative that cares for buffalo in an appropriate manner. None of the three alternatives in the Park’s plan get close. All the Yellowstone National Park is considering, are the heavy-handed actions that have produced the horrible conditions buffalo face today. Wild buffalo deserve better.

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 prophesy 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.

Join Buffalo Field Campaign as we continue to demand sane management of wild Yellowstone buffalo. Collectively, we must be more aware of the impacts that federal managers have on America's wildlife and the natural world. Use your voice to call for change. Demand an environmentally preferable alternative in the Park’s forthcoming decision. The decision makers can be contacted on our web page: Yellowstone Bison Management Plan.

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and all wildlife in it, will be better prepared for an uncertain future with wild buffalo leading the way.

With you at our side, we'll continue the good fight stronger than ever. Buffalo deserve our best efforts.

For the Buffalo,
James L. Holt, Sr.
Executive Director
Buffalo Field Campaign

“The Earth and I are of One Mind.”- Chief Joseph, Nimiipuu (Nez Perce)