Copyright © 2001 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

        It has been a busy week along the western boundary of Yellowstone. The Department of Livestock has hazed bison every day. Wednesday was the largest operation of the week as over 200 bison were hazed from Horse Butte, most of them pregnant females and newborn calves. At least one female gave birth during the operation and the calf was forced to immediately walk three miles to the park (see press release below). DoL, Forest Service, and Park Service agents showed their total disregard for the bison by continuing to haze, even as the bison were giving birth. They are out again today, the ninth in a row, hazing bison and newborns who escaped Wednesdays operation.

        The Horse Butte community showed their support for BFC and credited several volunteers with containing a fire that broke out during the operation. A burn pile got out of control and the volunteers were able to keep the fire from spreading onto two properties, literally saving those houses from the fire. The agencies involved in the hazing operation ignored the fire and actually slowed down our response to a request for help.

        It is extremely difficult to witness this kind of abuse. We have been in the field documenting the madness, and are sending the video footage to media outlets and groups like the Humane Society. BFC has decided not to disrupt these operations because it would only put more stress on the bison at an obviously critical time.

For the Buffalo,

Pete Leusch
Buffalo Field Campaign
Post Office Box 957, West Yellowstone, Montana 59807
Phone: 406-646-0070 ~ E-mail: buffalo@wildrockies.org

Quote form the Federal Environmental Impact Statement:
"Repeated hazing in early winter may produce weight loss and poor body condition, which decreases the animals ability to endure the remaining winter." (Volume I, page 762)

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Speak Out!
"Contact the Forest Service"

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Who's the new Forest Service Chief? None other than Dale Bosworth from here in Montana. Remember Dale - he's the guy who received our 90,000 petition signatures requesting that the Horse Butte grazing allotments be cancelled so that federal agencies could set a good example and prioritize wildlife use of public lands. Mr. Bosworth was responsible for receiving the signatures from Dave Garber; Gallatin National Forest and passing it up "the chain of command" to Mike Dombeck, then Forest Service Chief.

Well - that means that Dale oughta be pretty familiar with the issue. So now that he's in D.C. - why not ask him what's he gonna do?? Don't let him sweet talk you with bureaucratic babble. Speak strong and firm for the buffalo! He does have the power to remedy this with one signature. Science before politics!

Forest Service 36 CFR; Section 222.4
"The Chief, Forest Service, is authorized to cancel, modify or suspend grazing and livestock use permits in whole or in part"

It is time to quit the waste of tax payers dollars. Even The FEIS states:
"Accordingly, there are more cost-effective ways of achieving similar reductions in risk, such as modification of national forest grazing allotments." (Volume I, page 533).

In fiscal year 1999 the Montana Department of Livestock spent $329,952 on bison management activities primarily on lands that border the western boundary of Yellowstone National Park. $444,160 in Special Revenue funds paid by livestock producers but allocated by the State were provided to the Montana Department of Livestock for these activities (1999 Montana Central Services Division figures).

In June 1999, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (APHIS) provided $200,000 to the Montana Department of Livestock to construct and operate a bison capture facility on Horse Butte.

Approximately 357 cow/calf pairs graze on public allotments and private lands on the western boundary of Yellowstone National Park, primarily on Horse Butte. The Munns Brothers run 142 cow/calf pairs on the Horse Butte (Gallatin National Forest) grazing allotment and graze an additional 215 cow/calf pairs on private lands nearby. The Munns Bros. paid $750.60 to the US Treasury for the Horse Butte allotment (1997 Forest Service figures).

Please take the time to write or call:

Dale Bosworth, phone - 202 205 1661
4NW Yates Federal Building
201 14th Street SW at Independence Ave SW
Washington, D.C. 20250
E-mail: dbosworth@fs.fed.us

At the very least demand that NEPA analysis for those allotments be done this year! It is mandated that all grazing allotments within a 50 mile perimeter of Yellowstone National Park on the Gallatin National Forest, is required to do such analysis under Public Law 104-19, Section 504(b). The Horse Butte allotments have not even been started yet.