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*
Update from the Field
The road through Yellowstone is now open to cars. In
years past, during this season, on a drive through the
park you would be hard pressed not to see several hundred
buffalo and many newborn calves. This season, people
who have taken this drive have felt as if they were
in a ghost town. As barb, BFC's office coordinator,
reports: "Darrell and i spent many hours [last
Friday] in Yellowstone driving from the west gate to
Old Faithful, counting buffalo. The news is not good.
In that 30 mile stretch we saw fewer than 200 buffalo
total! In 14 years of living in Montana and spending
lots of time at this time of the year in the park, I've
never seen less than several hundred buffs in the meadows
at Mary Mountain trail head; [Friday] we counted 41
with only 4 calves ... and that was the largest herd
we saw all day."
On April 11, the Park Service estimated that there were
fewer than 2,145 bison left. This figure does not account
for winterkill, which is ongoing and will continue through
most of May. Just yesterday we learned that Yellowstone
captured once again. Another seventeen bull buffalo
are in the Stephens Creek trap. Under the Interagency
Bison Management Plan, when the bison population reaches
2,300 animals, they "may" slaughter, but when
it reaches 2,100 animals they "shall" cease
to slaughter. Given the April estimate and winterkill
underway, it is critical to ask the Park what population
threshold they are operating under. We can save the
lives of these bulls. Please call the Park and ask them
to do so: 307-344-2013.
Yellowstone officials are currently touting the fact
that seventy-five calves have been born in the Stephens
Creek trap in Yellowstone. These babies have been born
in captivity, and the family members they are with are
being treated like livestock, being fed hay and having
to wait to eat fresh green grass until the humans in
charge deem it ready. In the reports we get from the
Park there is almost a celebratory tone when announcing
the births of these captured babies. To date, 328 wild
buffalo are still being held in the trap.
In West Yellowstone, migration is afoot! Cattle-free
Horse Butte hosts numerous buffalo who have been left
alone by agents for the past few weeks. Baby buffalo
born on the Butte are enjoying peace and quiet with
their moms and families now. However, the Horse Butte
trap is still up. The trap has a temporary permit, and
is supposed to be down by the end of April. While it
hasn't been used in a few weeks, it still remains. Patrols
did observe two DOL agents taking down the police tape
from around the trap, but it is unclear when they will
take down the trap itself. Just today patrols reported
a DOL agent on an ATV reconning the Butte. We expect
agency actions to wreak havoc on the landscape next
week.
Also in West, buffalo are on the roads. While warmer
temperatures are finally melting the snow, some of the
most available grass is right along the roadside. BFC
patrols have been busy on the roadside all day and long
into the night, placing our "Buffalo Ahead"
and "Buffalo Crossing" signs up for various
groups of buffalo. These signs are amazing! We cannot
thank you enough for helping us purchase these. Though
we did lose two buffalo to vehicle collisions this week,
in the middle of the night, there is no doubt that numerous
lives--both human and buffalo--have been saved thanks
to the vigilance of our volunteers and these extremely
visible signs.
We have been with two moms and two babies along one
stretch of highway for over a week now; one baby we
had been very concerned about. The little one is really
small, taking frequent naps, not nursing much and many
times being left behind or on the opposite side of the
road from its mother. Likely, its mom has been doing
the best she can to simply survive the winter. We were
thinking the worst might come, but thankfully, yesterday
patrols said that the baby was nursing and doing much
better.
Spring
has finally, really and truly, come to Yellowstone!
There is still a lot of snow in various locations, but
the grass is revealing itself, and many beautiful creatures
are appearing. The mornings are full of amazing birdsong
and the nights are mild. Volunteers are experiencing
the wonders of this magical ecosystem and the changing
season fills us with inspiration. Just yesterday, one
patrol had the good fortune of seeing a wolf! Later
they watched an osprey (sea hawk) catch a fish and then
get chased by two bald eagles! The wonders of nature
are discovered here on a daily basis on the front lines
in the land of the last wild buffalo.
Roam Free,
~Stephany
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* Buffalo Field Campaign Needs Summer Volunteers
Buffalo Field Campaign is in need of hard-working, self-motivated
volunteers starting this June to help conduct buffalo
outreach efforts inside Yellowstone and Grand Teton
National Parks and/or to help with maintenance projects
at our headquarters on Hebgen Lake.
Do You Have:
* An outgoing personality and knowledge of the issue
with a willingness to communicate to Yellowstone visitors?
* Construction, carpentry, plumbing, cleaning, or automotive
maintenance skills?
If you have any of the skills listed above, or are willing
to learn, then you should plan on joining us this summer.
All volunteers will be provided with food and lodging
at our main cabin outside of West Yellowstone in one
of the most beautiful areas of the country. If you have
just a few weeks or the whole summer, Buffalo Field
Campaign could use your help.
If you are interested in helping with summer outreach
projects inside of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National
Parks please contact Iwi at: summer@buffalofieldcampaign.org
If you are interested in assisting with cabin maintenance
projects this summer please contact BFC at: (406) 646-0070
------------------------------
* Upcoming Events: Celebrating Bison Calving
Season & A Rally in Helena
CELEBRATE WILD BISON CALVING SEASON!
Please join Buffalo Field Campaign mothers and kids
this Mother's Day, May 11, from 11am-3pm in West Yellowstone.
Come to the day-use-area at the junction of Rainbow
Point Road and Hwy 191 for free coffee & cookies
and good dialogue on how to free the buffalo! Bring
the whole family and celebrate part of what makes West
Yellowstone so special…wild bison calving on the
Horse Butte Peninsula! For more information call Justine
at 406.646.0070.
RALLY
FOR THE LAST WILD BUFFALO!
Join BFC and other wild bison advocates on Wednesday,
May 14, from 12pm-2pm in Helena, Montana at the State
Capitol, 1301 East Sixth Avenue. Come to the capitol
to hold Governor Schweitzer accountable for the largest
slaughter of wild buffalo since the 19th century. There
will be speakers, street theatre and fantastic food
by Seeds of Peace. Hold Governor Schweitzer accountable
for crimes against wild buffalo and help remind him
that extinction is forever! Please help spread the word
by downloading a poster and posting it in your community:
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/events/helenasm08.pdf.
------------------------------
* Montana Food Bank Network Speaks to Bison
Meat Acquisition
According to the Montana Food Bank Network, they did
not purchase any meat of slaughtered buffalo, as the
media reported last week. The buffalo meat was donated,
save for a 42 cent per pound processing fee. While the
meat isn't being purchased, processing fees are being
paid to someone, so someone is making a little money.
But the Montana Food Bank Network should be cleared
of all misconceptions regarding any purchase. This organization
provides much-needed food to families and individuals.
We wanted to share with you their story because we feel
it's important to set the record straight. While we
do disagree that the DOL is not making any money off
of the slaughter of the buffalo, we do agree that there
was unfair reporting that could have caused the Food
Banks to receive unnecessary negative publicity.
Read what the Montana Food Bank Network had to say:
http://blog.buffalofieldcampaign.org/2008/05/06/sloppy-reporting-from-the-billings-gazette/
------------------------------
* New Documentary: The Bison Haze: A Yellowstone
Controversy
Michael Van Laanen, of MVL Films, LCC, has released
a documentary he produced about the ongoing war against
the wild bison of the Yellowstone region. This three-part
film gives a brief yet thorough glimpse at the issue.
You'll hear from livestock producers, government agents,
wild bison advocates, and you'll meet some of the country's
last wild buffalo. Some footage is difficult to watch,
but important to see. Check out the film on http://www.lifeonterra.com/episode.php?id=152.
Michael has spent many hours in the field with BFC and
has attended numerous meetings and events to help tell
this story. He hopes that an edition of this film will
be picked up by Montana PBS later in the year. Many
thanks to Michael and his amazing film crew for helping
spread the word about these special herds.
------------------------------
* Special Thank You
Buffalo Field Campaign would like to extend a special
thank you to:
~ The Guacamole Fund and singer/songwriter Jackson Browne
for their generous donation of $5,000 for BFC's front
lines bison defense work. The Guacamole Fund helps coordinate
events for organizations working in the public interest,
and Jackson Browne - well, he's a living legend who's
music says it all! Learn more about Guacamole and Jackson
Browne at http://www.guacfund.org/.
~ Jane Goodall, renowned primatologist, for being such
an inspiration to people around the world, and for always
"looking a challenge straight between the eyes,"
reminding us to never give up even when it seems we
are working against all odds. Jane recently met with
BFC's Mike Mease to talk about the wild buffalo, and
a wonderful relationship has been formed. We look forward
to working together with this amazing woman. Thank you,
Jane, for all the work you do to protect the Chimpanzee,
and for believing in us and our vision of a future where
wild bison roam free once again. Many thanks to Robert
White Mountain for helping organize this meeting of
the minds. Learn more about Jane's incredible work at
http://www.janegoodall.org/
------------------------------
* Last Words
"I came upon the Plains so vast that I did not
reach their end, although I marched over them for more
than three-hundred leagues... on them I found so many
bison it would be impossible to estimate their numbers
for there was not a single day until my return that
I lost sight of them."
~ Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, 1541
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* AMERICAN BISON ELIMINATED from the last wild
population in the U.S.
2007-2008 Total: 1,607
2007-2008 Slaughter: 1,438
2007-2008 Hunt: 166
2007-2008 Quarantine: 112
Total Since 2000: 3,669*
*includes lethal government action, quarantine, hunts
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