What Are the BFC Road Shows?

The Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) is a non-profit organization focused on protecting America's last wild, free ranging, genetically pure buffalo located in and around Yellowstone National Park. Although there are over 300,000 bison in the US only 15,000 are genetically pure. The rest have cattle genes. Of these 15,000 pure buffalo the Yellowstone bison are unique in that they have continually occupied their native range since the days when North America was inhabited by more than 30 million buffalo.

Montana has a "zero tolerance" policy for buffalo entering the state and has killed nearly 4,000 since 1985. The state blames the slaughter on brucellosis, although there has never been a documented transmission from wild bison to livestock. Ironically, the cows gave the disease to many species of wildlife and now only the buffalo are slaughtered. Elk have transmitted brucellosis disease to cattle yet elk are not even mentioned in the management plan as a problem.

With our country's infamous history of mass buffalo slaughter it is a bitter irony that 130 years later we are allowing history to repeat itself. Native American tribes have pleaded to take live YNP buffalo back to their reservations. The request has fallen on deaf ears. In a single week in March of 2003 the National Park Service slaughtered 231 buffalo from within Yellowstone National Park. In the year 2004 the Park Service killed 267 inside Yellowstone.

The Buffalo Field Campaign is working to gain protection under the Endangered Species Act for the herd. These buffalo are an American treasure and need all of our help to ensure their survival. The Yellowstone Buffalo Preservation Act (HR 2428) is currently gaining support in the US House of Representatives. We're traveling to gain support for these and other efforts to protect the herd.

Mike Mease, BFC’s co-founder & Campaign Coordinator and Josh Osher, BFC’s Research & Policy Coordinator will travel the West Coast from mid-August until mid-September, visiting farmer's markets and giving presentations in communities from Los Angeles to Eugene. We've got great events scheduled, including benefits in the Bay Area with Native American musician and activist John Trudell and activist and speaker Julia Butterfly Hill. West Coast dates have all been scheduled. Click here to view the final schedule of BFC's 2006 West Coast Roadshow.

Dan Brister, BFC's Project Director and Stephany Seay, BFC's Media Coordinator will take to the road in October, travelling from North Carolina to Vermont, visiting colleges, cafes, and community centers to share our video footage, stories, and inspiring message of buffalo protection. We still have open dates for the East coast roadshow so contact us if you're interested in helping to organize a presentation in your community. Click here to view a tentative schedule of BFC's 2006 East Coast Roadshow.

For more information on the West and East Coast tours, click the link below, email bfc-media@wildrockies.org or call (406) 646-0070.

SPREAD THE WORD, SAVE THE HERD -- Download Printable Road Show Posters