Dear Buffalo Supporters- Well, it is probably not a coincidence that the Department of Livestock chose today, the day when a bill was introduced into the state Legislature to remove the DOL from bison management, to raid our nearly two-month long blockade that had effectively stopped them from constructing a new capture facility on Horse Butte. The same incompetent management tactics that put them into the hot seat in Helena surface again! So in a show of bravado,they removed the tripods with a plow, excavator, cherry picker, and bulldozer, in order to take two non-violent buffalo defenders off to jail in the paddy wagon. Then later, four volunteers who were walking with four buffalo were falsely arrested by the Department of Livestock. We can't stand by and let free speech be trampled, buffalo captured and killed, and public outrage be ignored... please take a moment for a few phone calls to let these public officials know that they are responsible to more than just the livestock industry. Call the DOL at (406) 444-2023 and ask them why they continue to kill bull buffalo who have no way of transmitting brucellosis and why they continue to waste your tax money. Call USDA Secretary Daniel Glickman, (Telephone: 202-720-3631; Fax: 202-720-2166) and tell him to let buffalo be protected like all other wildlife on public lands. Call USDA, APHIS Administrator Dr. Craig Reed (Telephone: 202-720-3668; Fax: 202-720-3054) and tell them not to fund DOL projects that trap and kill buffalo outside of Yellowstone. Let Governor Racicot know that you hold him responsible for every buffalo killed in Montana, and that he should have the courage to stop the killing. (Phone (406) 444-3111. Thank you for your support, and please keep the pressure on these officials and decision makers. We are the only voices that the buffalo have right now! By the way... any contribution you make to the campaign for feild work is tax deductible. Those made to the Legal defense fund are not. All help is appreciated! **************************************** Department of Livestock Raids Tripod Blockade 2 volunteers arrested. DOL and Forest Service sign permit for new buffalo capture facility on Horse Butte. Two More Bull Buffalo Shipped to Slaughter Yesterday. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 18, 1999 Media Contacts: Sue Nackoney, Mike Mease (406) 646-0070 WEST YELLOWSTONE, MT- This morning, over 20 officials including Department of Livestock agents in cooperation with Gallatin County Sheriff, Highway Patrol, and Forest Service law enforcement closed the area around the base of the tripod structures on the Gallatin National Forest, outside of West Yellowstone, MT. The blockade has been occupied by Buffalo Field Camp volunteers since January 25, 1999. One volunteer, Donald Fontenot, age 35 of Portland, Oregon, was arrested at the base of the tripods around 10:00 this morning when he tried to climb into one of the platforms. Summer Nelson, 22, of Missoula, was arrested at 3:00 p.m. after she was removed by a cherrypicker from a platform suspended from the back end of the 150 foot long blockade of 5 interlocking tripods. She was locked to the structure from her platform 30 feet in the air in order to prevent the removal of the blockade until her arms were removed from the locking device and she was taken into custody by Gallatin County Sheriffs. She is being charged with maintaining an unauthorized structure and resisting arrest. On March 16, the Department of Livestock signed their permit to construct a new bison trap on the Gallatin National Forest on Horse Butte, which they had delayed signing for a month and a half because they did not want to assume legal liability for removal of the tripod blockade. Plowing of the road has begun. Construction of the facility has not begun yet. Tripod sitter Summer Nelson stated, "I have been in West Yellowstone for the past several winters, and am appalled at the buffalo slaughter. I am here to speak for the buffalo until they are safe outside of Yellowstone. This has been a hard winter, as snow is deep in the park and the buffalo are hungry. Horse Butte has the earliest available forage, it is critical winter habitat for these buffalo. It is time that the state recognized that trapping and killing buffalo is unnecessary and ludicrous, and stand up for a change." Recently the Gallatin National Forest amended their grazing permits for all ranchers with allotments surrounding Yellowstone. All ranchers have agreed to comply with the new terms, which will prohibit the return of cattle until 30 to 60 days after buffalo return to the park, and no earlier than June 15. The summer grazing on Horse Butte amounts to 172 cow/calf pairs. This grazing allotment brings in less than $800 to the U.S. Treasury. "There is no reason for the DOL to pursue such an aggressive course of action towards the buffalo on Horse Butte, in light of the recent grazing modifications and the growing public opinion supporting the buffalo. The DOL is just flexing their political muscles in a war that defies all logic where the buffalo are the victims. Why does the DOL insist upon using $500,000 of our tax dollars for killing more of Yellowstone's buffalo, all in the name of cattle who return less than $800 to the U.S. Treasury?" stated Sue Nackoney, Buffalo Field Campaign spokesperson. Yesterday, March 17, the DOL sent 2 bull bison to slaughter from their Duck Creek capture facility. One bull and two calves were released onto Horse Butte. Buffalo Field Camp volunteers stand by their commitment to protect buffalo from the traps and guns of the DOL. "The recent actions of the DOL are just one more nail in the coffin of an agency that should have no authority to manage bison. A bill is being introduced today in the Montana Legislature that will remove the DOL from bison management. Let's look at some sane approaches to solving this problem, not these reactionary and illogical decisions of the DOL that only waste taxpayer money and the public's good faith," said Mike Mease, Buffalo Field Campaign spokesperson. "Buffalo Field Campaign volunteers will be here to stand with these buffalo until they are free to live on their winter habitat without being chased, captured, or killed. Until this happens, many of us feel in our hearts that non-violent direct action is the only way to stop this senseless tragedy," said Michael Bowersox, Buffalo Field Campaign spokesperson. Video Footage Available upon Request. Scanned still photos available from our website, www.wildrockies.org/buffalo Buffalo Field Campaign formerly Buffalo Nations P.O. Box 957 West Yellowstone, MT 59758 Phone (406) 646-0070 Fax (406) 646-0071 E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] ________________________________ Department of Livestock Falsely Arrests Four Buffalo Field Campaign Volunteers FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 18, 1999 Media Contact: Sue Nackoney, (406) 646-0070 WEST YELLOWSTONE- This evening at 6:30 p.m. as four Buffalo Field Campaign volunteers walked alongside four buffalo in the Horse Butte area of the Gallatin National Forest, they were arrested by Department of Livestock agents. One volunteer, Pete Leusch, age 32, of Driggs, Idaho, was tackled and forced to the ground by a DOL agent although he did nothing to resist arrest. Daniel Brister, age 29, a graduate student at the University of Montana in Missoula, was arrested after he videotaped the arrests of the other volunteers and attempted to leave with permission of the law enforcement. Jesse Haag, 17, and Michael Mease, 36, were also arrested after Pete Leusch was tackled. Jesse Haag was cited and released in West Yellowstone. He is charged with obstructing a peace officer. The other three were arrested and taken to Gallatin County Jail in Bozeman. Their charges have not yet been released. They are being held in jail overnight. The four bull buffalo had walked for over 10 miles from inside Yellowstone Park at Duck Creek during the day. Volunteers had monitored their movements and walked with them during their entire journey to Horse Butte. "This afternoon I was with those same buffalo for a few hours, on the same National Forest. When I was at the arrest, I told the police that I had been shepherding those buffalo earlier and had not been arrested, so why were they arresting these people for doing the same thing?" stated Marcus Baker, Buffalo Field Campaign volunteer. "It's bad enough that the DOL is spending half a million dollars on their new capture facility, but now they have to waste more tax dollars arresting people for doing nothing more than taking a walk in their National Forest? The policies of bison management are becoming more ludicrous all the time," stated Sue Nackoney, Buffalo Field Campaign spokesperson. Earlier today, Department of Livestock, Gallatin County, Highway Patrol, Fish Wildlife and Parks, and US Forest Service officials arrested two volunteers for occupying a tripod blockade on Forest Service road 610 in order to stop the construction of a new capture facility. The blockade has been entirely removed, and plowing of the road 610 is almost complete. Construction of the facility has not begun yet. Video Footage Available upon Request. Scanned still photos available from our website, www.wildrockies.org/buffalo -31- Buffalo Field Campaign (formerly Buffalo Nations) PO Box 957 West Yellowstone, MT 59758 406-646-0070 phone 406-646-0071 fax [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.wildrockies.org/buffalo ******************************************************************** ___________________________________________________________ Our web pages are updated and full of great info; please share this URL http://www.wildrockies.org/buffalo we have posted new video clips for an "in the field" look at the situation Please stop by and see it! _________________________________________ If this was passed on to you via a friend or a list, please subscribe to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] to receive the most current news from the field as well as other pertinent Yellowstone buffalo info (3-4 updates per month)! 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