Special Alert! Help Quarantined Yellowstone Bison!

** SPECIAL ALERT! **
Buffalo Field Campaign


Dear Friends of the Buffalo,

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) has released a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) on the translocation of quarantined Yellowstone bison and is seeking your input through January 12, 2010.

FWP's preferred alternative outlines the agency's intention to hand over 74 Yellowstone bison to billionaire Ted Turner, setting the dangerous precedent of commercializing public bison. BFC has strongly opposed quarantine, alternatively advocating for wild bison to be naturally restored on their historic range via protected habitat and migration corridors. That said, it is important that bison advocates try to help these quarantined Yellowstone buffalo get out of captivity and be released onto public and/or tribal lands, as was the stated goal of the Quarantine Feasibility Study.

Learn more and TAKE ACTION NOW!
Comments are due January 12, 2010.

Alternatively, you may mail your comments to:
Bison Translocation
Wildlife Division
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
P.O. Box 200701
Helena, MT 59620-0701
Email: QFBison@mt.gov


Thank you so much for being a voice for America's last wild population of buffalo!
Roam Free,

Media & Outreach
Buffalo Field Campaign
P.O. Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-0070
bfc-media@wildrockies.org

http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org


BFC is the only group working in the field every day
in defense of the last wild buffalo population in the U.S.

KEEP BFC ON THE FRONTLINES WITH A TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION TODAY

Ted Turner gets OK for Yellowstone bison on ranch

BILLINGS, Mont. — Seventy-four bison from Yellowstone National Park would go to billionaire Ted Turner's private ranch under a plan given preliminary approval Wednesday by the head of Montana's wildlife agency.

The bison have been held in federal quarantine for the past several years to make sure they don't have the animal disease brucellosis.

Turner offered to hold them for five years — the duration of the quarantine program — in exchange for keeping 90 percent of their offspring. That could amount to about 190 animals to offset his costs.

Officials hope to eventually use the bison to establish new herds on public lands. But conservationists see the move as privatizing Montana wildlife

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs the quarantine in Corwin Springs, Mont., also opposes the move.

Bison, or buffalo, once numbered in the millions across North America but were driven to near extinction.

Turner Enterprises general manager Russell Miller said Ted Turner stepped in after Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer asked if he would consider submitting a proposal for the animals.
Full article:http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hIanYFbx1XqnoT-IzyVWnmzEi6GgD9CBHAN01

Help Save 150 American Buffalo!

We’ve only got weeks to go, but we’ve done it before, and with your help,
we will do it again!

In 2003, In Defense of Animals (IDA) was contacted by Catalina Island citizens, concerned that 105 buffalo were being sent to auction. You responded to our appeal and, together, we saved and successfully relocated all 105 auction-bound buffalo from Catalina Island, off the coast of California, to protected Native American land in South Dakota. The dramatic rescue on barges across 23 miles of ocean, then 1,800 miles by highway to South Dakota garnered international media. You can view video of that rescue here.

That buffalo relocation was simply amazing. IDA members and staff who participated cried with joy and astonishment at the beauty and magnitude of what we accomplished. If you missed out on the opportunity to be a part of that effort, you now have another chance.

IDA now has the opportunity to rescue and relocate 150 more buffalo. We want these magnificent creatures to join their cousins living safely on land controlled by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in South Dakota!

But we need your help!
We need to raise $35,000 to get the job done. I am writing today to ask that you help make our dream a reality. Click here to donate.

Around the world, buffalo are considered the symbol of the American pioneering spirit. Our traditional songs glorify them and our folklore reveals their importance to the fabric of our nation. Can you imagine any telling of the American story not including buffalo?

But what are buffalo doing on a Pacific Ocean island anyway?

Fourteen buffalo were brought to Santa Catalina Island for a 1925 silent film, “The Vanishing American.” The buffalo population soon grew, and visitors to the island have been enchanted by their magnificence ever since.

The Catalina Island Conservancy was formed in 1975 to preserve the land, its native animals and plants. Because the buffalo are non-native to the island they have periodically been sent to auction on the mainland. But, thanks to caring members like you, IDA is changing that!

In 2003, when we successfully relocated 105 at-risk bison, that whole paradigm changed. Now that we’ve shown how they can be saved, they must be saved.

The buffalo we rescued in 2003 are doing amazingly well. They gain 150 pounds during the winter months and grow even thicker coats. They no longer climb mountains to graze for grass. Many great-great grandchildren have been born. Thanks to you, these very special animals have a safe home today.

We are gearing up for our next amazing rescue a much larger group of buffalo this time. Will you be a part of it?

If you can help us fund the relocation of the buffalo from Catalina Island once again - on barges across 23 miles of ocean and then 1,800 by highway to South Dakota - IDA has a guarantee that the buffalo will be allowed to roam free and not be hunted or harmed in any way!

So please be as generous as you can, as quickly as you can. Then, when you see the heartwarming transport unfolding on television, you can say “I helped make that happen!”
http://ida.convio.net/site/PageServer

Protect Yellowstone's Newborn Buffalo-Action alert!

Ask the Obama administration to protect buffalo that roam outside Yellowstone National Park into Montana.

July 5, 2009

Secretary Tom Vilsack

Subject:


Dear Secretary Vilsack,

(Edit Letter Below)

I am dismayed by the recent hazing of bison -- better known as buffalo -- off U.S. Forest Service land on the west side of Yellowstone National Park in Montana on the Horse Butte peninsula. I'm calling on you to prevent these forced removals in the future. Because Horse Butte is cattle-free year-round, there is simply no basis to haze -- and likely kill -- buffalo on Horse Butte.

While millions of wild buffalo once roamed North America, the Yellowstone herd is comprised of about 3,000 buffalo -- the only continuously wild, free-roaming herd in America. In the spring, some of these buffalo leave snow-covered Yellowstone in search of fresh forage at lower elevations in Montana.

Many buffalo also travel to these grass-rich areas to give birth. Unfortunately for the buffalo on Horse Butte in Montana, however, the government agencies in charge, including the U.S. Forest Service, do not allow them to stay there after May 15. As one of the five agencies that manage Yellowstone's buffalo population under the Interagency Bison Management Plan, the Forest Service -- which is under your jurisdiction -- has the power to effect positive change for Yellowstone's buffalo.

The justification for this deadline -- as well as last year's slaughter of more than 1,600 buffalo -- is concern that wild buffalo may spread brucellosis to domestic cattle in Montana. But there has never been a documented case of transmission of brucellosis from buffalo to cattle in the wild.

Furthermore, there are no cattle on Horse Butte, and there is significant support among the Horse Butte landowners for allowing buffalo there year-round. As a result, there is absolutely no reason to haze buffalo back into Yellowstone and needlessly endanger the park's iconic buffalo population.

Please act immediately to allow buffalo to roam free year-round on Horse Butte in Montana.
Sincerely,

[Your name]
[Your address]

Sincerely,

Your signature will be added from the information you provide.

BUFFALO FIELD CAMPAIGN!ACTION ALERT AND UPDATE!

Buffalo Field CampaignYellowstone BisonUpdate from the Fielld

In this issue:* Update from the Field - Four Bulls Killed by Agents* Our Friend Frog: BFC Celebrates His Life, Mourns His Passing* Last Words* Kill Tally------------ --------- ---------* Update from the Field Bull bison rubs on a tree. BFC file photo.We lost four brother buffalo yesterday to the ignorance and greed of Montana's livestock industry.We are sad to report that the Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) sent three bull buffalo to slaughter yesterday after capturing them on private land at Duck Creek, in a trap just 200 yards from the boundary of Yellowstone National Park.Read the full press release here.In addition, agents shot another bull buffalo on Gallatin National Forest land yesterday. Both DOL and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) participated in the killing and processing of this beautiful emblem of the wild. In a disgraceful act, the FWP agent, game warden Jim Smolzynski, even brought his young daughter along to help participate in the violent act. Just three weeks ago, she participated in the prayer ceremony with Chief Arvol Looking Horse. The FWP agent's dog was also present at the kill site, and was allowed to sample the buffalo carcass, which will likely be processed and given to a food bank or a Native American charity organization.This bull bison was on Gallatin National Forest land, where, according to the Adaptive Management Plan, bulls are supposed to be allowed year-round. However, a local hobby rancher insists that the bull co-mingled with cattle, which in Montana is an immediate death sentence for buffalo under the ill-intentioned Interagency Bison Management Plan.The bulls captured at Duck Creek were also set up to fail. The Adaptive Management Plan put forth by the Interagency Bison Management Plan participants states that bull buffalo will be allowed in certain areas outside of Yellowstone year round. However, the agents made sure to make it as difficult as possible for buffalo to live through these changes as they exclude bison from areas north of Duck Creek, the favored migration corridor for bull bison along Yellowstone' s western boundary lands.You can view footage of both incidents here but please be warned that some of the images are very graphic and disturbing. It is important to remember that federal tax dollars are being used to carry these atrocious activities out.The Adaptive Management changes have been used by the agencies in an attempt to tranquilize the public and make us believe that things are actually getting better for the buffalo. It is a lie, these incidents - like last month's intensive hazing - clearly demonstrate that little, if anything, has actually changed on the ground.Bull bison cannot transmit brucellosis to cattle. The disease, which no wild bison has ever transmitted to cattle, is the excuse Montana uses to justify the harassment and slaughter of wild bison. A closer look at the issue, underscored by the death of bulls, reveals that it's really about grass, and the cattle industry would rather kill bison than share the grass with them.Make your voice heard for these buffalo so that their lives are not lost in vain:1. Contact Montana Department of Livestock State Veterinarian Marty Zaluski and let him know how you feel about these tragic and senseless incidents: http://us.mc337.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=mzaluski@mt.gov / 406-444-07822. Then, please contact President Barack Obama, even if you have done so before, and keep pressure on until he takes positive action to help the buffalo and stops the slaughter once and for all! BFC file photo.

BUFFALO FIELD CAMPAIGN,UPDATE FROM THE FIELD 5/21/09-ACTION NEEDED!

In this issue:*

Update from the Field*

Complain to FAA About the DOL's Helicopter Use*

Traditional Prayer Ceremony on Horse Butte May 31*

Join BFC on the Front Lines*

Thank You! BFC's Media Crew Receives Laptops*

Last Words*

Kill Tally

Update from the Field

The Montana Department of Livestock and Yellowstone National Park continue to aggressively haze any wild bison in Montana. The sounds of the rotating blades of the Department of Livestock's helicopter can be heard outside the media cabin this morning as I write. Just a few miles from here, on cattle-free Horse Butte and other areas of Gallatin National Forest, the buffalo are currently under attack by livestock interests. BFC patrols are with the buffalo, documenting all actions made against them. The scenes we've been witnessing are the stuff of nightmares. (Newborn bison calf. Photo courtesy of Lyle and Sue Wood)Within a single week, at least four newborn buffalo have suffered broken legs or debilitating leg injuries as a result of government hazing activities. All injuries have been documented by Buffalo Field Campaign. You can view footage of last week's injured calf. Be advised that these images are difficult to watch, but take inspiration from the mother bison defending her calf. We don't know the fate of this calf, though the calf that was separated from it's mother during last week's hazing operations was reunited with her the following day. Unfortunately, during today's hazing operation, another mother and calf were separated, and patrols are currently monitoring the mother as she searches for her lost baby. (Bull buffalo near Duck Creek. Photo courtesy of Lance Koudele)On Friday the DOL chased all of the bull bison that had been grazing in the Duck Creek area, deep into Yellowstone National Park. By Monday, eleven bulls had returned to their chosen ground, and the DOL resumed their harassment operations forcing them into Yellowstone, through the Park's grizzly bear closure area. Patrols documented bulls being shot with paint balls by the agents. This is a way the DOL marks the buffalo, so if they return again the agents can deem them "unhazable" and send them to slaughter if they feel like it. It is critical to note that, while the risk of brucellosis transmission from wild bison to cattle is only theoretical at best (it has never happened), bull bison pose no risk of transmitting the livestock disease to cattle, a fact echoed even by the livestock industry. What's more, there are no cattle currently in the area. Furthermore, the Adaptive Management Plan states that bull bison are allowed to be within zone 2 lands year round, an area approximately five miles west of Yellowstone' s boundary. These bulls were in their favorite Duck Creek migration corridor, which, while still within the so-called tolerance zone, the agencies Adaptive Plan deems off limits to them, wantonly setting the buffalo up to fail.On Tuesday DOL, NPS, and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) horsemen began the day by chasing two moms and two babies off of Gallatin National Forest for a few miles through the thick woods, then they picked up another 30 buffalo, including more newborns, and proceeded to chase them out of this area, and into Yellowstone. On Wednesday, agents returned again to this cattle-free, public lands buffalo habitat to haze yet another group of mixed buffalo, including three newborns. BFC patrols documented another calf injured by the agents' activities. After reviewing our footage, we could see that the calf had a deep cut on its right hind leg, disabling the calf and preventing it from using the leg. Yet the agents were unrelenting and pressed them hastily forward, "yipping" and "hooting" as if on a cattle drive. During yesterday's haze, another two moms and two babies eluded the DOL for the remainder of the day, though the agents tried numerous times to find and harass them.Today, the agents are back harassing buffalo within Gallatin National Forest on Horse Butte and the south side of the Madison River. A group of approximately forty buffalo, including newborn calves, returned to their sanctuary on the Galanis property at Horse Butte. We expected another showdown by livestock inspectors, who force their zero-tolerance of wild bison on private land where buffalo are welcome. Last week, the Galanis' son was threatened with arrest on his own land by DOL agent Shane Grube. The Galanis family was prepared to defend the buffalo and their property rights against the DOL's helicopter again today, but by morning, the buffalo had moved to adjacent National Forest land, and the agents swept them up with the helicopter and horsemen, who are now pushing the buffalo along the northwest bluffs of the Madison River towards Yellowstone National Park. The hazing will not stop at Yellowstone' s border, but will continue deep into the Park. Patrols have called in two more reports of calves who's legs have been injured by hazing activities. That's four calves in one week, and these are just the ones we know of. Likely there have been many more injuries to newborns, yearlings and adults. Further, agents are running the buffalo for miles, without allowing them to stop for water, nor allowing calves to stop for nursing. By the end of the day, these buffalo will have been chased nearly 20 miles. There will never be cattle in this area, yet livestock interests continue to deny the buffalo access to their native habitat - America's public lands - and the private lands where buffalo are welcome.The buffalo will never surrender their ancient migratory instincts to arbitrary human boundaries, fences, or time lines. "We the People" must continue to stand with the buffalo and force the agencies to abandon their arrogant and senseless actions against wild bison. Cattle aren't present on public lands in this region, yet millions of federal tax dollars continue to be squandered to placate the livestock industry's economic interests. History is doomed to repeat itself if we don't act. Please continue to write President Barack Obama and your Members of Congress and the decision-makers involved in this absurd management scheme. We must keep pressure applied for as long as it takes to set the buffalo free.ROAM FREE!------------ --------- ---------* Complain to FAA About DOL's Helicopter UseYou can make your voice heard to the Federal Aviation Administration and file a complaint about how an FAA-registered helicopter is being used by the Montana Department of Livestock to harass and harm members of America's last wild population of bison. The helicopter disrupts the entire ecosystem and all its inhabitants, including wild bison, grizzly bears, wolves, nesting birds such as Sand Hill cranes, bald and golden eagles, and white pelicans. Human residents on the western edge of Yellowstone National Park are also disturbed by the use of the helicopter, which flies extremely low through neighborhoods to scare up bison, hazing them towards Yellowstone. Yellowstone National Park has shamefully allowed the DOL's helicopter to intrude within the boundaries of the world's first national park. Please contact the FAA to complain about the use of the DOL's helicopter (registered N1095T) during bison hazing operations. If enough complaints are received, we may be able to stop the helicopter from being used, or at least make it very difficult for the DOL to find a helicopter that is willing to participate in such aggressive tactics.Thank you!------------ --------- ---------* Traditional Prayer Ceremony on Horse Butte May 31
We are honored to announce that on Sunday, May 31, beginning at 11 am, Chief Arvol Looking Horse, 19th generation keeper of the White Buffalo Calf Pipe, along with Lakota elder and BFC co-founder Rosalie Little Thunder, will come to Montana to hold a traditional ceremony on Horse Butte in honor of the buffalo. The event is co-sponsored by Buffalo Field Campaign, Horse Butte Neighbors of Buffalo, and Seventh Generation Fund's Tatanka Oyate Project.All are welcome. Following the ceremony there will be a pot luck community meal in the town of West Yellowstone. Please RSVP with Stephany.For more information, including directions and media protocall, please see our press release about this special ceremony. ------------ --------- ---------* BFC Needs You on the Front Lines!BFC is looking for summer volunteers to help with outreach in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Talking to park visitors who are in the company of the buffalo we are trying to protect is a great way to raise awareness and make more friends for the buffalo. If you would like to spend some or all of your summer with BFC, please contact Chris at http://us.mc337.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=volunteer@buffalofeildcampaign.org or call 406-646-0070.See you in West Yellowstone in the land of the last wild buffalo!
------------ --------- ---------* Thank You! BFC's Media Crew Receives LaptopsBuffalo Field Campaign would like to send out many heartfelt thanks to those who answered our calls for laptops. The generosity of BFC supporters Chris & Bob Anderlik, their daughter Kerry Masters, and rock-and-roll' s living legends Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne have enabled our media crew to grow technologically, and expand our capabilities of sharing the buffalo's story with the world. We are so grateful to you for your extreme generosity in helping us acquire two high-quality laptops. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you! We are always in need of upgrading our computers, cameras, FM radios and still cameras to keep up with the changing times, so if you can help, please contact us at 406-646-0070 or email Stephany or Mike. BFC's Media Crew------------ --------- ---------* Last Words"Almost anywhere and everywhere you go in the American West you find hordes of [cows].... They are a pest and a plague. They pollute our springs and streams and rivers. They infest our canyons, valleys, meadows, and forests. They graze off the native bluestems and grama and bunch grasses, leaving behind jungles of prickly pear. They trample down the native forbs and shrubs and cacti. They spread the exotic cheatgrass, the Russian thistle, and the crested wheat grass. Weeds. Even when the cattle are not physically present, you see the dung and the flies and the mud and the dust and the general destruction. If you don't see it, you'll smell it. The whole American West stinks of cattle."~ The late Edward Abbey, conservationist and author, in a speech at the University of Montana in 1985------------ --------- ---------* Kill TallyAMERICAN BISON ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S.2008-2009 Total: 172008-2009 Slaughter: 02008-2009 Hunt: 12008-2009 Quarantine: 02008-2009 Shot by Agents: 12008-2009 Highway Mortality: 162007-2008 Total: 1,631Total Since 2000: 3,698**includes lethal government action, quarantine, hunts, highway mortalities------------ --------- -------------Media & OutreachBuffalo Field CampaignP.O. Box 957West Yellowstone, MT 59758406-646-0070

http://us.mc337.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=bfc-media@wildrockies.orghttp://www.buffalof%20ieldcampaign.%20org/

BFC is the only group working in the field every dayin defense of the last wild buffalo population in the U.S.

KEEP BFC ON THE FRONTLINES WITH A TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION TODAYJoin Buffalo Field Campaign -- It's Free!

Tell-a-Friend

Take Action!

BUFFALO FIELD CAMPAIGN

LIVESTOCK INTERESTS HARASS WILD BISON IN AND AROUND YELLOWSTONE
Exclusive Video Footage Available
May 11, 2009
MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contacts:
Stephany Seay, BFC, 406-646-0070 / bfc-media@wildrockies.org
Mike Mease, BFC, 406-646-0070 / mease@wildrockies.org

WEST YELLOWSTONE, MONTANA: For the past two weeks government officials have been engaged in large-scale hazing operations, forcing wild bison off of their spring calving grounds on Gallatin National Forest, deep into Yellowstone National Park. Agents from the MT Department of Livestock, Yellowstone National Park and other agencies use horses, snowmobiles, ATVs, and helicopters to target America's only continuously wild bison.

Bison are often injured during such operations. Calves are separated from their mothers or chased to exhaustion. Pregnant bison, fleeing the agents, sometimes miscarry. Hazing operations disrupt the all of the area's native wildlife. At least two grizzly bears have been caught up in the agency's recent hazing operations. Wolves, moose, elk, Sand Hill cranes, bald and golden eagles and numerous other resident and migratory species are disturbed during hazing operations. The DOL helicopter flies above local housing areas, disturbing and upsetting residents.

Under the new Adaptive Management Changes to the Interagency Bison Management Plan, more tolerance was to be provided to bison along the Park's western boundary. However, the adaptations set human-crafted rules that trigger management actions before May 15 as evidenced by the hazing operations on Gallatin National Forest along the south side of the Madison River beginning in late-April.
"The Adaptive Management changes were designed to set the buffalo up to fail, with bison numbers, land-use timelines, and manmade boundaries that even the IBMP partners know are meaningless to buffalo, their group dynamics, and migratory instincts and behavior," said Stephany Seay, Media Coordinator with Buffalo Field Campaign.

Buffalo Field Campaign patrols have so far witnessed more than two hundred bison, including dozens of newborn calves and many pregnant buffalo, being chased for miles through pockets of deep snow, barbed wire fences, thick forests laden with dead-fall, fast moving river currents, mucky wetlands, and steep, sandy bluffs.

Today, hazing is expected to resume, lasting through the week and likely into June. The agencies' goal is to rid Montana of wild bison family groups by May 15th. Bison will even be forced off of the Horse Butte Peninsula where they should have year-round access, since there are never any cattle on the landscape.

"Buffalo are a keystone species that are needed on Horse Butte to help restore grasslands harmed by grazing cattle," said Darrell Geist, habitat coordinator for Buffalo Field Campaign. "By forcibly removing buffalo from the land, every plant and native species benefiting from their presence suffers."

Fewer than 3,000 wild bison exist in the United States, all inhabiting areas in and around Yellowstone National Park. Since 2000, under the Interagency Bison Management Plan, thousands of wild American buffalo have been harassed and killed, with millions of federal tax dollars wasted each year to carry out these abusive, superfluous operations. The purported excuse for the activities is to prevent the transmission of brucellosis, a European cattle disease, from wild bison to livestock. There are no cattle present in the area and there has never been a documented case of wild bison transmitting the livestock-disease brucellosis to cattle.

Buffalo Field Campaign is the only group working in the field, every day, to stop the slaughter of the wild American buffalo. Volunteers defend the buffalo and their habitat and advocate for their lasting protection. For more information, video clips and photos visit Buffalo Field Campaign.