Copyright © 2000 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

Montana's mild winter continues, giving reprieve to the Yellowstone buffalo and the Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) volunteers committed to their protection. As of this writing, there is still only one buffalo--a bull--out of the park, on the Gallatin National Forest. This bull has been grazing in a meadow on the Madison River since mid-January. The Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) tried hazing him five times, but were unsuccessful each time. Facing a barrage of criticism for their needless harassment of the bull in the local and national media, the DOL has left him alone since 2/10.

Stories of the bull have been very prominent in the press. Newspapers in Bozeman, Great Falls, Helena, and Missoula have been running articles on the bull, and the major networks have devoted entire news shows to the plight of the Yellowstone herd. In February, both ABC's Nightline and A&E's Investigative Reports told the story of the current slaughter--and our work to prevent it--to international audiences. Both shows relied heavily upon video recorded by our volunteers.

It is our belief that by making our footage available to the widest audience possible--and exposing the bison slaughter to the American public--we can generate the popular opposition necessary to stop the buffalo killing. While we do provide the networks with our footage, we have no control over storyline or editorial decisions. We have received criticism from some of our supporters for the way the shows presented the issues. Such criticisms should be directed to A&E and ABC, not BFC.

Despite the warm weather, hundreds of buffalo are within a few miles of the park boundary right now, moving toward Montana. When they come out of the park they will fall victim to the state's management policy of haze, capture, and shoot. The Forest Service has given the DOL approval to reconstruct and operate a bison capture facility at Horse Butte, near West Yellowstone.

On April 14, 1999 the DOL captured 69 buffalo in its Horse Butte trap. We are hosting a week of actions, from April 22 to the 30th, to honor the buffalo slaughtered in recent years and to shut down the DOL this year. If you have been wanting to help defend the Yellowstone buffalo, this is an excellent opportunity. We are hoping to draw more than a hundred volunteers for the action week and will need to feed and equip them for the field.

Donations of food, winter gear, and financial support will go a long way to protect the buffalo. All contributions are tax deductible. Please contact us for more specific information. If you can't make it during this week, you are welcome anytime.

During the summer months we maintain a table inside the park to raise awareness of the issue among park visitors. We have openings for a summer Campaign Coordinator and outreach volunteers. If you are interested in either position or would like more information, please contact us at the address below. Attn: volunteer coordinator.

We are grateful to Bob Clark from the Alliance for the Wild Rockies (AWR) for his informative and entertaining presentation on February 26. AWR's work is instrumental in gaining long-term protection for the Northern Rockies Ecosystem. NREPA is a critical bill for this ecosystem and letters are needed regarding this issue. If you have a minute or two, please see the bill.

KGLT in Bozeman donated studio and air time for our public service announcement on the Yellowstone bison. Thank you Andy and Kate for being so kind.

A big thanks to the many folks whose continued support makes our work possible. We couldn't do it without you.