Buffalo Field Campaign Special Update from the Field 3/18/08

Dear Buffalo Friends,

We have entered the largest scale wild buffalo slaughter since the 19th century. Now is the time to contact Congress and urge them to take proactive measures to stop the slaughter and protect America's last wild bison population and its habitat.

CONTACT CONGRESS NOW!
Write your Senators: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Write your House Rep: https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml

The U.S. Government Accountability Office has completed its report on the Interagency Bison Management Plan and an associated $13,000,000 land deal near Yellowstone National Park requested by Rep. Nick J. Rahall II and Rep. Maurice Hinchey in response to public outcry over the ongoing slaughter of Yellowstone's wild bison, and the failure of the land deal to provide habitat for wild migrating bison. We encourage you to contact their offices directly on the report's availability and what Congress intends to do next.

Since its inception, this multimillion dollar taxpayer funded plan has eliminated 3,079 wild buffalo from the Yellowstone ecosystem, mainly on public lands in America's flagship Yellowstone National Park and the Gallatin National Forest.

This season's death toll, which so far numbers 1,160 wild bison, surpasses that of 1996-1997 when 1,084 bison were killed and constitutes the largest wild bison slaughter since the 19th century.

Read BFC's press release from March 17, 2008: http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/media/press0708/pressreleases0708/031708.html.

As of March 18, 2008, Al Nash from Public Affairs Yellowstone National Park reports another approximately 45 wild bison trapped at Stephens Creek inside the Park awaiting shipment to slaughterhouses.

In the face of this wanton slaughter of America's natural heritage of wild bison in their native habitat local Montanans are taking action to give bison more room to roam.

Recently, 69 residents of Horse Butte, Hebgen Lake, and West Yellowstone, Montana sent a letter to the people in charge of bison management requesting that wild bison be allowed to range on Horse Butte without being harassed, trapped, and slaughtered by government agents. This letter is available online: http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/legal/horsebutte.html
Local Montanans support having wild bison in their neighborhood on Horse Butte, a wildlife-rich peninsula extending over 24,000 acres from the border of Yellowstone National Park to Hebgen Lake, just north of West Yellowstone, Montana.

Montanans have been joined by over 20,000 people who have contacted Montana's State Veterinarian Marty Zaluski, Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Suzanne Lewis, Gallatin National Forest Supervisor Mary Erickson, and Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks Director Jeff Hagener, requesting that they adapt to changed circumstances and allow wild bison some room to roam on their native range in Montana.

The Galanis family recently purchased the lone cattle operation on Horse Butte and has ceased grazing cattle and declared their land a Yellowstone Ranch Preserve, a sanctuary for wild bison migrating from Yellowstone National Park. The lone public grazing allotment on Horse Butte was vacated by court order in 2002.

There is no longer even a hint of justification for persisting with invasive government actions to harass, trap, and kill wild bison where cattle do not graze, and no more justification for spending taxpayer funds to haze, trap and slaughter bison on Horse Butte.

Local, neighborhood support for letting bison roam in the Gardiner Basin and upper Madison Valley is strong, and Americans are looking to our representatives and supporters in Congress to find ways to secure a future for wild bison in Yellowstone.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION TO STOP THE WILD BUFFALO SLAUGHTER NOW!
Write your Senators: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Write your House Rep: https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml

Sign on to the Horse Butte letter: http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/legal/horsebutte.html

Thank you for taking action to protect America's last wild bison population.

For more information please contact Darrell Geist, BFC's Habitat Coordinator at z@wildrockies.org.

ROAM FREE!
~ Buffalo Field Campaign