*Update From the Field

The wild bison of Yellowstone continue their rut and it is such an amazing event to watch. One can't help but notice the similarities between our culture and that of the buffalo. The whole herd is active and excited. The rut will bring new family members next Spring.

As folks who experience Spring with these buffalo, we at BFC have mixed emotions. Mostly joy and encouragement, for we know the buffalo are strong survivors. Yet we are saddened at the same time because we know many of the babies will not make it as the DOL will surely haze them to exhaustion and death or capture and slaughter the pregnant moms before they have a chance to be born.

I mention this only to strengthen our resolve: as an extension of the buffalo family, it is our duty to continue to apply pressure on the agencies and officials responsible for the brutality enacted against these last wild bison. We must keep ourselves informed and keep the pressure on, united. The buffalo WILL SURVIVE! Please contact us to find out how you can help.

This Monday Yellowstone National Park (YNP) celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Roosevelt Arch. Government officials will be in Gardiner, located at Yellowstone's North entrance, to mark the event. The Buffalo Field Campaign will also be there to show our support for the last wild bison and all the great mammals and animals that live in Yellowstone and the national forest lands surrounding it. Please join us at the Arch House, opposite the Roosevelt Arch, at 8 am on Monday, August 25, 2003 and let us celebrate the real reason Yellowsotne is such a special and majestic place...the bison, the grizzly, the wolf, the elk, the bald eagle, the sandhill crane, the red tailed hawk...the list goes on and on. Let us bring our voices together and let our officials hear our call of the wild!

For the Buffalo,

Justine Sanchez
Summer Campaign Coordinator
406.646.0070

Thanks to everyone who is helping to make our informational roadshows such a great success. Thanks to you we are able to connect with existing supporters and make new buffalo friends from coast to coast. The Colorado and Arizona leg of our tour wrapped up on Tuesday and we hit the coast last night with our first California show, in San Diego. We'll be tabling at farmers markets in Long Beach, Santa Barbara, and Santa Monica today, Saturday, and Sunday, and will be giving a show Monday at noon in the Patagonia store in Ventura. Please come out and show your support!

Our East Coast supporters have been helping to organize an exciting road show that will kick off at the Patagonia store in Georgetown on October 1 at 7pm. Thanks to everyone who has been calling and emailing to bring the buffalo's message to communities from West Virginia to Vermont. It is shaping up to be a very busy and exciting fall.

For a full schedule of West Coast shows and for a schedule-in-progress of our Eastern presentations, please reply to this email (bfc-media@wildrockies.org).

Thank you for so much support!

* Last Words

You stare at me.

It breaks my heart to see you suffer,

You don't just suffer your pain,

you suffer the pain of those who care.

I want to save you, I love you.

You are my inspiration, my whole life,

my number one animal.

My heart and soul will stay with you forever,

until you run free among us, among the world.

We feel your suffering,

your eyes tell stories of the ancestors

and how they ran free,

then experienced your suffering.

You make everything more beautiful.

You are unique,

your spirit makes everything grow,

every time you take a step.

All of Nature depends on you,

your spirit keeps it all alive,

then you stare into my eyes.

You make everything seem alright with your beauty.

The power in your spirit touches the world.

You are the last forever free-ranging bison in the world.

May my heart and soul stay with you.

Heather Bennett, Seattle Washington

Age 10, grade 4

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