Buffalo Field Campaign spent last week at the Summer Outdoor Retailer's Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was the third Outdoor Retailer's (OR) Conference we've attendend and, thanks to the generosity of Patagonia, Klean Kanteen, and Osprey Backpacks, by far the most successful to date. Patagonia provided us with passes for the event and a table at their booth where we shared the bison's plight with hundreds of conference attendees and collected nearly a thousand postcards asking President Obama to protect wild bison on their year-round habitat, earned nearly $4,000 through a special fundraiser made possible by the generosity of Klean Kanteen, and hosted a spectacular event where we raffled high-quality gear from Osprey, Patagonia, and Klean Kanteen.

We are deeply grateful for the generosity of these three companies and their commitment to protecting the natural world. Klean Kanteen donated hundreds of limited edition "Let Buffalo Roam" stainless steel water bottles for the event and, they, Osprey and Patagonia made the bottles available at their booths in exchange for donations to BFC for the duration of the event.


BFC is selling the remainder of these eco-friendly water bottles on our web site.

For more information and to get one of these limited edition bottles while they last,
please visit this link.

We are deeply grateful to those of you who have sent donations in response to our announcement of the Earth Friends Challenge grant, but we have a long way to go if we are to meet the Earth Friends Challenge to raise $75,000 by year's end. With the number and amount of donations down in recent months, and with foundation grants on a sharp decline, the Earth Friends Challenge couldn't come at a better time. Many nonprofits have been forced to close their doors and countless others have had to scale back on their programs. Buffalo Field Campaign, accustomed to accomplishing a great deal on a shoestring budget and poised to achieve many of our goals for the bison, cannot afford to scale back now.

Please DONATE TODAY and help BFC meet the Challenge offered by the Earth Friends Wildlife Foundation.

For the Buffalo,
Dan Brister
Executive Director
Buffalo Field Campaign
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* Invitation: Workshop with BFC & Western Watersheds Project
Western Watersheds Project (WWP) and Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) are arranging a workshop for people who want to implement lasting, on-the-ground changes for buffalo. The intention of these efforts is to make the US Forest Service recognize bison as a wildlife species that they must maintain viability for under the requirements of the National Forest Management Act of 1976. By law the Forest Service is required to manage their lands for the viability of bison but they have not. The BLM and Fish and Wildlife Service manage lands that are within the habitat that should be available to bison as well. We intend to seek the same recognition from these agencies for bison.

Brian Ertz and Ken Cole will present a 2-day workshop where people will be taken to nearby grazing allotments and shown the very simple process of documenting damage inflicted on the allotment by livestock grazing. Once documented this information would be transmitted to the agency managing the land and WWP to gain legal standing on the allotment so that grazing decisions can be appealed then ultimately litigated.

WHEN: August 11 & 12, 10am
WHERE: BFC Headquarters, 14365 Hebgen Lake Road, West Yellowstone, Montana

We will meet at 10:00 am for an introduction and overview then head to a nearby grazing allotment.

If you are interested in attending this workshop please contact Ken Cole at ken@westernwatersheds.org. Spread the word!
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* Mark Your Calendars: Wood Cut Week, Sept. 14-20
Join Buffalo Field Campaign in beautiful West Yellowstone the week of September 14-20, and help gather, stack and cut the wood that will keep volunteers warm and alive this coming field season. Room and board will be provided. Please contact Mike at mease@wildrockies.org
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* BFC Volunteer Cabin Needs Two On-Demand Hot Water Heaters
The BFC main cabin, which houses our volunteers, could use two on-demand hot water heaters in order to save energy and space. These energy efficient water heaters could shave 25% off our gas bill each month. Also they will allow us room to make another bathroom, so our volunteers don't have to form a waiting line to use our current one bathroom.

If you can help, please make a secure online donation and specify that it is for the water heaters, or send a check or money order (no cash please) to BFC-Maintenance, P.O. Box 957, West Yellowstone, MT 59758.

If you have questions or would like more detail, please contact BFC Maintenance Coordinator Chip at 406-646-0070 or by email at maintenance@buffalofieldcampaign.org. Thank you!!
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* Last Words
"Without habitat, there is no wildlife. It's that simple."
~ Wildlife Habitat Canada.
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* Kill Tally
AMERICAN BISON ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S.
2008-2009 Total: 22
2008-2009 Slaughter: 3
2008-2009 Hunt: 1
2008-2009 Quarantine: 0
2008-2009 Shot by Agents: 2
2008-2009 Highway Mortality: 16
2007-2008 Total: 1,631
Total Since 2000: 3,702*
*includes lethal government action, quarantine, hunts, highway mortalities