---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2000 16:45:59 -0700
From: Buffalo Folks <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Stop the Slaughter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Buffalo News...
* Update from the Field
* Government's Bison Management Plan for the State of Montana and
Yellowstone National Park Wastes Taxpayer Dollars and Threatens Last
Wild Herd of Bison in the United States
* Thanks!
_______________
* From the Field
Greetings!
Department of Livestock (DOL) agents left West Yellowstone last
Thursday and we haven't seen them since. Their absence has given us
much needed rest as we brace for a difficult winter. A new bison
management plan has just been signed. Under this new agreement, the
needless hazing, trapping, and shooting of the Yellowstone Buffalo
will continue. (For specifics details of the new agreement, please
see the article and fact sheet below.)
In the absence of the DOL, our patrols have been truly wonderful. One
volunteer had the experience of a lifetime, standing in a grove of
lodgepole pines as four wolves passed just fifteen feet before him.
Four year old Japhy Sanchez stood with the buffalo for the first time
at Horse Butte and later joined us on our Madison River patrol. When
we reached the river a group of bulls came down from the opposite
bluff and stood on the flats directly across from our youngest
volunteer.
The Madison wouldn't have been safe for Japhy last Wednesday, as DOL
agents hazed those same buffalo along the river, firing explosive
cracker rounds over the heads of volunteers who were there to
document the operation.
On Thursday Rob Tierney, head of the DOL's field operations, phoned
our cabin to say Merry Christmas just two hours after verbally
accosting two of our volunteers and threatening to arrest them for
"standing too close" to his truck.
We are grateful for the gifts of encouraging words, warm clothes,
care packages, and donations you have been sending. Without your
help we couldn't maintain our constant presence in the field.
If anyone has a lead on some warm winter boots (men's 10 and larger),
wool mittens, or waterproof mitten shells, these are items we could
use. We also need backcountry food, first aid supplies, and
batteries AA and AAA high capacity nicad rechargables are best.
Thank you for your continued support of the Yellowstone buffalo and
our efforts to protect them. We will keep you informed of the plight
of the herd as events unfold this winter along the border of our
nation's oldest national park.
For the Buffalo,
BFC volunteers
_______________
* Government's Bison Management Plan for the State of Montana and
Yellowstone National Park Wastes Taxpayer Dollars and Threatens Last
Wild Herd of Bison in the United States
Dear bison supporters,
On December 20th, public agencies dealt a cruel blow to the
Yellowstone bison and their supporters when it released its Record of
Decision (ROD) on the recently completed Final Environmental Impact
Statement (FEIS) on Bison Management in Montana and Yellowstone. This
"Joint Management Plan" will guide: bison management in Yellowstone;
management on public land surrounding Yellowstone to the north and
west (predominantly the Gallatin National Forest); and on private
lands north and west of Yellowstone.
Unfortunately, the Clinton Administration took the unusual step of
having the Secretaries of the Interior (Bruce Babbitt) and
Agriculture (Dan Glickman) sign and authorize the immediate
implementation of the Joint Management Plan. The ROD comes with its
own shield from administrative appeal:
"Administrative Review:
There is no administrative appeal from decisions of the Secretary of
the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture." -- ROD, page 61
This end-run around the National Environmental Policy Act effectively
closes the door to any possible appeal of the Joint Management Plan.
The Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior are the final arbiters of
any appeal of an agency decision, like the ROD, that could have been
raised. This leaves us with no other avenues other than taking the
Departments of Interior and Agriculture to court and suing them over
the FEIS and its ROD. Unfortunately, this will be a time consuming
and costly proposition, as the Joint Management Plan is a very long
and complex document, and hashing out all the details in court will
be laborious and unpredictable.
On the other hand, bison supporters were handed a bone with their
lump of coal, as the ROD also mentions that the permit for grazing
cattle on the Horse Butte Grazing Allotment expires on December 31,
2000. Recognizing the public controversy over this allotment, as
expressed in a citizen's campaign to raise awareness of the grazing
issue as a driving factor behind the Joint Management Plan, the ROD
included the following decision:
"The livestock permit on the Horse Butte allotment is due for
consideration and probably reissuance in 2001. The Gallatin National
Forest will complete a NEPA process tiered to the bison management EIS
before it issues a permit." -- ROD, Page 61.
To date, over 90,000 petition signatures have been delivered to the
Departments of Interior and Agriculture and the Forest Service
demanding that public lands outside of Yellowstone--particularly
Horse Butte-- be reserved for wildlife habitat and bison. A lot of
pressure was placed on the Departments and Forest Service from the
top down to eliminate the Horse Butte Grazing Allotment. This effort
manifested itself in the above ROD reference to move up the NEPA
process to 2001 (from its originally scheduled 2004 date) to analyze
the allotment and reissue or cancel the permit.
Unfortunately, the Gallatin National Forest violated it's own Chief's
ROD by extending the grazing permit for a 10 year period without NEPA
review. The reissuance of the grazing permit before it expired on
December 31st, however, is a direct (and illegal) slap in the face to
the public that overwhelmingly supported ending cattle grazing at
Horse Butte. This leaves us with an agency decision (to renew the
lease) that puts the ROD in direct conflict with the reissued permit.
Unfortunately, once again we will have to drag this into court for
clarification. Unfortunately, Dave Garber, the Gallatin Forest
Supervisor has just effectively burned up a whole lot of tax payers
monies again, because he chose to act politically instead of
practically. Where has common sense gone?
So, while it is a sad day for the bison, I hope that in coming year
we can all find a way to help out with the Yellowstone bison. It will
be a tough year, and judging by the weather, and the prescriptions of
the Joint Management Plan, we can expect the Montana State Department
of Livestock to roll out its bison slaughtering machine in the near
future. For a summary of some of the details surrounding the Joint
Management Plan, please read on.
for the buffalo,
Jim Coefield
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
***********************
Facts re: The Government's Management Plan
* Taxpayers will foot the bill to the tune of $2.6 to $2.9 million a
year for the next 15 years - $39 million to $43.5 million dollars or
more over the life of the plan.
* 67,520 people who commented on the bison management plan
overwhelmingly favored natural management of the bison herd,
restriction of cattle rather than bison, and acquisition of
additional winter range and use of public lands for wild and free
roaming bison.
* Yellowstone's wild bison herd are the only population that have
continuously occupied their native range in the United States.
* The plan is designed to protect approximately 2,019 cow/calf pairs
that graze on buffalo range on public and private lands within 10
miles of Yellowstone National Park - less than 4% of the cattle
population of Gallatin and Park counties. These cattle are present
only when conditions permit, i.e. only for a few months out of the
year because of Yellowstone's severe winters.
* The plan does not reach solutions, but only manages the 'problem'.
* The plan will likely remove bison that carry a natural genetic
trait that resists brucellosis infection. The gene is called NRAMP1
(natural resistance associated macrophage protein1). The government
admits not knowing how this genetic trait is expressed in the
Yellowstone bison herd or how their management plan will affect
bison's resistance to brucellosis infection.
* The National Park Service will attempt to prevent and disrupt bison
migration to winter range by 'hazing' bison inside Yellowstone Park,
and operating a bison capture facility at Stephens Creek on the
northern boundary.
* Operation of the Stephens Creek bison capture facility is one
factor that could lead to the likely extinction of Yellowstone's
pronghorn antelope population.
* Pregnant female bison will be hazed, captured and tested for
brucellosis. Females that will be released are invasively affixed
with vaginal and radio telemetry devices to track bison births or
abortions.
* Intensive management activities such as hazing, capturing,
slaughtering and quarantining bison disrupts wildlife and wildlife
habitat in the Yellowstone ecosystem. Elk, moose, antelope, bald
eagles, Grey wolves, grizzly bears, trumpeter swans, pronghorn
antelope and other native wildlife will experience stress, dispersal
and dislocation under the government's plan.
* 5,174 bison will be 'removed' to slaughter or sent to quarantine
over the next 15 years. Bison are a key preferred food source for
threatened grizzly bears in Yellowstone. The continuing decline of
whitebark pine nuts, army cutworm moths and fewer bison available
under this plan casts doubt on the recovery of Yellowstone's
threatened grizzly bears.
* Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers and Buffalo Field Campaign have
documented illegal impacts by the Montana Department of Livestock to
threatened bald eagle nests on Horse Butte Peninsula, on the Gallatin
National Forest. The Gallatin National Forest issued a 10-year permit
allowing the Montana Department of Livestock to operate a bison
capture facility on Horse Butte. Horse Butte Peninsula, the Madison
Arm and Hebgen Lake provides critical habitat for threatened bald
eagles in Yellowstone's ecosystem. Three bald eagle nests are located
within 1 1/2 miles of the bison capture facility. The groups have
videotape of incidents involving violations of permit conditions and
a bald eagle closure order by the Montana Department of Livestock
during bison 'hazing and capture' operations.
* Prevention of bison migration to their native range through
ill-defined and arbitrary zone management areas, enforcement of
so-called 'tolerance limits' for bison outside Yellowstone Park,
operation of four bison capture facilities, repeated hazing of bison
within and outside the Park, shipping bison to slaughter or holding
them in quarantine for years - negates the wild, free ranging nature
that makes Yellowstone's bison herd unique.
Sources:
1. Bison Management Plan for the State of Montana and Yellowstone
National Park, Final Environmental Impact Statement, August 18, 2000,
Volume I at pages v, xxxiii, 15-41, 195, 287-288, 304-308, 309-316,
394, 456, 471, 531-532, 534.
2. Record of Decision for Final Environmental Impact Statement and
Bison Management Plan for the State of Montana and Yellowstone
National Park, December 20, 2000, at page 21.
3. Biological Assessment for the Interagency Bison Management Plan
for the State of Montana and Yellowstone National Park, March 15,
2000, at page 46.
4. Biological Opinion on the proposed Horse Butte Bison Capture
Facility, December 18, 1998, at pages 14-16.
5. Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers; The Ecology Center; and Buffalo Field
Campaign, vs. U.S. Forest Service; U.S. Park Service; and Montana
Department of Livestock, May 9, 2000.
Prepared by:
Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers
PO Box 7941 Missoula MT 59807
406-728-0867 phone
406-327-1209 fax
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.wildrockies.org/cmcr
A press story: Yellowstone Bison Benefit Little from New Management
Plan by the Environmental News Service, 12-21-00
http://www.ens-news.com/ens/dec2000/2000L-12-21-06.html
The Record of Decision on Bison Management for Yellowstone National
Park and the State of Montana is available at:
http://www.nps.gov/planning
___________
* Thanks!
Our tummies and spirits thank:
Environmental Studies students at the University of Montana for
collecting holiday treats! And our fav buffalo Baker, Jim, at
Downtown Bakery (Missoula) for his generous donation of baked goods!
and.... that warm coffee sure taste good on cold days as does that
wonderful Traditional Medicines tea!! You know who you are that make
this possible! ~grin~ Thanks to all for the gifts through the
holiday. The buckeyes from Karen were delicious. ("Made me feel like
I was home for the holidays." - VC, volunteer.)
A huge thanks to "On the Rise" and "Great Harvest" for their
continuous support. ("Love their bread.")
We are thankful to Honor the Earth for the support from the "Get Out
the Indian Vote - Save the Yellowstone Buffalo" tour that came to
Montana in October! Thank you!
Many Thanks to the Wiancko Family Donor Advised Fund of the
Community Foundation of Jackson Hole and the PNC Corp.
A hearty round of applause for the Guac Fund, again and the Crosby
Foundation!!!
Tom, Carol & Debbie: "What can we say? - you're great!!"
Thanks also for the warm hats and gloves (JM)!
We have ordered 2 new radios thanks to your generosity in responding
to the email earlier this month! This will help us out in the field!
Thanks also for the Burford Book "Chorus of Buffalo" sales.
A special thanks to Butch, Sylvia, Joann, Jesse, Larry and BJ for all
they do for the buffalo. We all love you guys very much.
And as always- your prayers, thoughts, letters, calls and support
make it possible for us to be on the front lines with the buffalo
defending their sacred right to be in their habitat! To everyone for
the support and love. Thank you.... You make the cold warmer, the
tears better, the buffalo stronger, the fight easier, the future
brighter...
With humble respect - we thank you.
_____________
___________________________________________________________
BFC is the only group working 365 days a year in Yellowstone with the buffalo.
Under IRS determination - donations to 501(c)(3) non-profit
organizations are tax deductible. Contributions to BFC are
tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law and support our
aggressive, front line volunteer campaigns.
Info re: the buffalo at
http://www.wildrockies.org/Buffalo
___________________________________________________________
"Stop-the-slaughter" buffalo updates are mailed about 3-4
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