| BFC Buffalo Field Campaign
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| Letter
to Governor Schweitzer by Vicky Millspaugh
4/27/05
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April
27, 2005
To Whom It May Concern:
Once again, I feel the need to write about issues that are terribly
disturbing to me and to a great number of other people. These
issues surround the hazing and slaughter of wild buffalo. On
my way to town again today, several state and federal agencies
once again had the traffic tied up along highway 191 on the
Western border of Yellowstone National Park while they abuse
the areas wildlife. This time, they were also using a helicopter.
That can’t be cheap! A lot of officials were sitting in
their vehicles, collecting a nice wage to abuse ALL of the wildlife
in the area and the folks in the line of traffic were not happy
either. This is a totally avoidable situation and a gross waste
and misuse of taxpayers money. It is senseless to keep herding
these animals back and forth across a busy highway and creating
a safety hazard. But, as always, it pays well.
After finishing my business in West Yellowstone, I was again
witness to the same activities along highway 191. After turning
off the highway, I witnessed a large herd of elk being run by
the helicopter over head. They were scared into a frenzy and
running across the roads. Who ever had the bright idea that
ONLY the buffalo would be hazed and abused ?
We have several species of wildlife here and all of them are
being stressed unnecessarily. This is near calving time for
elk and buffalo and these animals do not need to be run and
scared to death. Some calves have been run down and run to death.
I doubt the bears in the area appreciate it either. Nor do the
bald and golden eagles here. This situation is so totally stupid.
All in the name of protecting cattle. And as has been pointed
out before, THERE ARE NO CATTLE ON HORSE BUTTE OR ANYWHERE
IN THE AREA !
The very few summer months that there are cattle here, they
are Idaho cattle and already vaccinated against the disease.
The public needs to be informed about the truth and they need
to make some noise on behalf of the wildlife.
These agencies, the Dept. of Livestock in particular, are ruining
the habitat for all the wild species of the area. Some of them
are, or at least used to be protected by the United States government.
I guess because there is money to pay for the abuse it makes
it OK. IT IS NOT OK.
The people here and the millions more that visit this area are
not going to take this well. Someone has got to stop this and
do it now. The damage being done could very well be permanent.
The same agencies that are being paid to abuse and slaughter
the wildlife here have admitted in a public meeting that the
brucellosis problem is not solvable in this manner. Not in their
lifetime and not in their grandkids lifetime. The only way to
protect against it is to vaccinate their cattle. They have admitted
this. Keeping this in mind, what is the sense of continuing
down a dead end road?
Could it be the money? Yes it is! A deep, black hole drain of
money. I believe the present rate is $2.4 million a year, and
increasing. I am reasonably sure that there are more productive
uses for millions of dollars; like, say, research into better
vaccines for cattle and perhaps wildlife. The WILDLIFE agencies
and we who pay them should be in charge of wildlife. Make the
cattlemen vaccinate their livestock. Leave the wildlife alone.
Mother Nature will take care of them. And once again, THERE
ARE NO CATTLE ON HORSE BUTTE ANYWAY.
Please do not brush this off as an issue that will go away.
It will not; only the wildlife and the tourism dollars will
go away.
Please tell the people here in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming and
the people who spend millions of dollars to come here and enjoy
the wildlife what is happening on their watch.
This entire brucellosis driven scam and the seemingly illegal
activities associated with it, should be put on hold until a
better and more sensible plan can be presented AND LISTENED
TO. The present plan, and the one which will soon include slaughtering
the elk too, is utter nonsense. How do you hunters feel about
that ?
It will never work but as long as someone is being well paid
to do wrong, they will continue to do wrong.
Think about the fact that there are only about 3000 Yellowstone
buffalo left, not the thousands that many people think. These
are a unique strain of buffalo. These strong, proud survivors
of human aggression are once again fighting for their lives.
Please let your Senators, Governors, newspapers, TV stations
and Federal agencies know of your concerns. Do not let the extinction
of the wildlife of the West become a reality. Do not make the
generations to come go to a game park or zoo to see these animals.
Do not be part of the problem.
Thank you,
Vicky Millspaugh |
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