| BFC Buffalo Field Campaign
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| Voices
from the Community |
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Buffalo
Afield, by Carol Hoffmann, West Yellowstone News, 04/06/07
Several groups of eighteen to twenty-five bison were spotted
Tuesday afternoon, grazing and meandering along the side of
Highway 191 near the Rainbow Point road, which must mean that
the spring migration of the animals out of Yellowstone to their
traditional calving grounds has begun.
The flashing sign at the north end of town on Highway 191 that
proclaims, "Animals on road next 10 miles" is for
real now. For most of the winter no "animals" were
seen on the highway, due to the mild, low-snow season which
encouraged them to stay put in the park.
Members of the Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC), with their bright
fuschia diamond-shaped signs reading "Buffalo Ahead",
stationed themselves on the road cautioning drivers to slow
down as they approached.
Leaving the park in waves, the bison were headed to Horse Butte
for the early grass green-up on the south-facing slopes as their
ancestors have done for generations. Bison calves are usually
born from mid-April to mid-May.
As of Wednesday afternoon there were around one hundred and
fifty of the animals on Horse Butte, according to a BFC spokesperson,
who said, "This was supposed to be the year of increased
tolerance for bison on public land." Department of Livestock
(DOL) agents were also reported to be in the area.
"DOL agents usually recon the buffalo for a few days before
starting any hazing operations," explained the BFC's Dan
Brister. |
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