Copyright © 2002 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

WEST YELLOWSTONE, MT - Thick snow has been falling the past few days, which has been a winter welcome for most of us out here. However, it has also brought more buffalo out of the park. For several days early this week we had around 25 buffalo grazing along the Madison River. For many of us itching for more time in the field it was a return to Madison River patrols. Pushing through the snow on the bluffs along the Madison, you can see all sorts of wild critters. Two days ago, I watched moose and trumpeter swans, as well as that slow moving herd of buffalo dodging in and out of willows and trees, practicing the magic disappearing act of the wise buffalo. Those are the kind of days that inspire us.

Yesterday, Wednesday, December 11, 2002, however, was an entirely different experience. As early morning darkness gave way to light, our visibility was still obscured by the thick falling snow. Of course, it was hard to miss the motorcade of government rigs gathering in the area--DOL (Livestock), NPS (Park Service), USFS (Forest Service), FWP (Fish, Wildlife & Park), local law enforcement. Six men on horseback eventually rode into the woods along the Madison to flush the buffalo out. The buffalo must've still had a few tricks left since the haze ended up moving south of the river, leaving many of us and the government cheerleaders watching and waiting along the Madison. As it turns out, only about 15 were hazed just over the park boundary in a rather sloppy haze. And for now, all of the buffalo have hidden themselves again.

For many of us, this simple, if sloppy, haze is an ill boding for the season. There has been much news lately, in the Missoulian, Helena IR, Bozeman Chronicle, Billings Gazette, Great Falls Tribune, even the Rocky Mountain News in Denver. Many editorials have been written about the threat of brucellosis, the "record high" number of bison in the park, and new efforts to work together to eradicate disease. So a nice snowy morning horseride haze has the lingering feeling of a public relations show, perhaps a nice guy precursor to more extreme measures being discussed in newspapers and meetings. They have already killed four bison this season, an early start to the slaughter, so we remain skeptical and vigilant as the buffalo begin their yearly challenge to survive a winter of harsh cold, from both the elements and the government.

With the buffalo,

Ted Fellman, BFC Media Coordinator