And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: 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] February 18, 1999 In this update: 1. A notice to all of our supporters 2. Tripod Sitters occupy blockade to prevent new buffalo trap for over a month! 3. A sacred walk for the buffalo 4. You can help the buffalo! New legislation in the state of Montana to protect buffalo... ************************************************************************* 1. Dear Buffalo Supporter, Over the past year our group here in West Yellowstone has undergone some remarkable changes. We have grown from our start in 1997 as a few volunteers living in a small office in Gardiner to today's busy cabin in West Yellowstone filled with volunteers from around the world. We tabled in Yellowstone park last summer and traveled throughout the Northwest this fall with slideshows and video presentations. Our work has established itself in the public eye through direct action, outreach, and media coverage. We continue our commitment to maintaining our front lines presence, everyday, to stop the indiscriminate slaughter of the Yellowstone buffalo and to gain protection for these buffalo on their critical winter habitat. This year over 150 volunteers have come to defend the buffalo, and the winter is barely halfway over. Through our daily patrols and video documentation of every move made against the buffalo we have established hard-won credibility in our local community. In keeping with important growth in our group, we have decided that our field camp in West Yellowstone will be known as the Buffalo Field Campaign rather than Buffalo Nations. The new name reflects our work in the field that is at the core of our organization. The Buffalo Field Campaign will work under the fiscal sponsorship of Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers, a non-profit environmental and human rights group. You will notice that not much has changed here in regards to our work- we still will continue our front lines presence and will use the same mailing address, e-mail address, website, and office. We hope that our work in the field will speak for itself. Thank you for your continuing support for the Yellowstone buffalo, and for our work to protect them. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or for information. ***************************** 2. Tripod Sitters occupy blockade to prevent new buffalo trap for over a month! As dawn broke over snow-covered trees and distant mountains on January 25, two tripods blockaded a Forest Service road accessing the site of a new buffalo trap at Horse Butte, near West Yellowstone Montana. For more than a month, sitters have occupied two platforms suspended from the structures, weathering blizzards, gale-force winds, and temperatures dipping below negative 30 degrees. In the past few weeks, three additional tripods, interlocked with cross-beams, have appeared. There are now a total of 15 poles in the tripods, one for each buffalo killed this winter by the Montana Department of Livestock (DOL). In statements to the press, DOL executive officer Marc Bridges said the trap, which would capture buffalo on their prime winter range, would be operational by February 1. Thanks to the blockade and sitters, who vow to stay up until plans for the pens are scrapped, the livestock agency hasn't been able to access the building site or transport the trap. According to Kelly Needs, who has occupied one of the platforms since the action began, "We are here because the killing is not acceptable and I want people to be aware of what is going on out here. I am willing to offer my voice as the voice of the buffalo and my body as a protest to their continued slaughter.". In addition to buffalo, Horse Butte provides habitat for bald eagles, grizzly bears, lynx, black-backed woodpeckers, boreal owls, trumpeter swans, wolverines, elk, moose, red fox, goshawk, peregrine falcon, large-leafed balsamroot and white paintbrush. The Chief Joseph wolf pack has been spotted on the Butte. The DOL has asked the US Department of Agriculture to fund the costs of installing and operating the buffalo trap with taxpayers footing the bill of $500,000 a year for the next 10 years. All of this is justified in order to protect 170 cow-calf pairs that graze on 3 public allotments on Horse Butte and generate a mere $765 a year in grazing fees. The facility will capture and test buffalo migrating to the peninsula for the disease brucellosis. All pregnant females, regardless of whether they test positive for brucellosis, will be slaughtered. All other buffalo testing positive will be slaughtered as well, including bulls and yearling calves, which pose virtually no risk of brucellosis transmission. Of the 15 buffalo slaughtered this winter, 13 have been bulls. Livestock interests irrationally fear that buffalo will spread the disease to cattle despite the fact that there has never been a documented case of transmission from wild buffalo to livestock. The agencies claim that the operation of the capture facility will help with the "urgent need" to reduce bison mortality. However, in the winter of 1996-1997, the use of these facilities sent hundreds of buffalo to slaughter. The field test that the DOL uses to determine the fate of its captive bison is highly unreliable. Of the first 8 buffalo sent to slaughter this year-- all of which field-tested positive for brucellosis--only 2 showed positive to the more accurate tissue test conducted at the slaughterhouse. The Forest Service has signed a special-use permit, granting a categorical exclusion for a nearby bald-eagle nest, giving the Department of Livestock authorization to construct and operate the capture facility. The DOL, however, has not signed the permit, fearing language it contains placing liability for events "outside the scope of constructing and operating the facility,"--like having to arrest activists and take down the tripods--on the shoulders of the DOL. In a blaring conflict of interest, DOL agents, trained to inspect cattle, have been conducting the required bald-eagle surveys. Livestock agents are monitoring the nesting patterns of eagles whose presence might prohibit construction of the facility. This is the same twist of logic that allows the DOL to control wildlife through the existing bison management policy. One of the DOL surveyors, observing an eagle, was overheardheard saying, "I think that's a male. I heard males are smaller than females." On the first day of the action a pregnant buffalo walked up and stood within ten feet of the blockade, as if to give thanks for the action. The Forest Service law enforcement officers (LEOs) who showed up the next day weren't as thankful. They videotaped the tripods and told ground supporters that the area is day use only and that overnight camping is prohibited. The activists pointed out that because they weren't sleeping at the blockade, they weren't violating day-use regulations. LEOs from the DOL, Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the county sheriff, and the Forest Service have repeatedly visited the blockade, documenting the structures with still and video cameras and asking questions. To date, no attempt has been made to remove the structures. "We 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. ************************** 4. On the legislative front.... Greetings! Fellow Montanans and Tribal Friends who have traditional rights in Yellowstone, Good news today! Our bill on buffalo management was introduced into the Montana State House. It was referred to the Agriculture committee. We don't have a date on the hearing yet, but I suspect that it might be next week. I'll let everyone know as soon as possible. You can view the bill, house Bill 643 at http://161.7.127.14/bills/billhtml/HB0643.htm <FYI... All the Montana legislative info is at www.mt.gov> If you could please take a moment to look over the Legislation regarding the buffalo and make your opinions heard, it would be most appreciated. The bill has four main points: 1) Transfer primary management of buffalo from the Montana Deparment of Livestock to the Montana Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks; (putting biologists not cattle folks in charge of wildlife) 2) Mandate that Montana follow APHIS' definition of low-risk buffalo, and honor the 30-60 grace period on public lands; (Federal regulations have deemed it unnecessary to kill bulls, claves and non-pregnant females who cannot even transmit the disease) 3) Prevent the state from selling, and/or profiting from, the sale of live or slaughtered buffalo; (In 1997, the slaughter of almost 1200 buffalo brought the State of Montana's Dept of Livestock coffers a profit of almost 200 grand!) 4) Directs the MT FWP to conduct a study of the carrying capacity for buffalo on public lands surrounding the Park, and to develop a management plan--in conjunction with tribal interests--to manage the herd for that population. (transferring buffalo to tribal interests makes alot more sense than wanton slaughter) While there may have been more that we could do, we attempted to keep the bill as simple and straightforward as possible, in order to improve our chances of getting the bill through committee and onto the floor of the House. Please contact the members of the House Agriculture committee to urge their support of HB 643 and establish some sound buffalo management guidelines. (Every fax, letter, call or email can help make a difference!) Members of the House Ag Committee: Joe Barnett; Chair; Belgrade, (R) John L Holden; Vice Chair; Valier; (R) Paul Clark; Member; Trout Creek; (D) Rick Dale; Member; WhiteHall; (R) Bill Eggers; Member; Crow Agency; (D) Kathleen Galvin-Halcro; Member; Great Falls (D) Mary Anne Guggenheim; Member; Helena; (D) Donald L Hedges; Member; Antelope; (R) Verdell Jackson; Member; Kalispell; (R) Rick Jore; Member; Ronan; (R) Monica Lindeen; Member; Huntley; (D) Gay Ann Masolo; Member; Townsend; (R) Sam Rose; Member; Choteau; (R) Brennan Ryan; Member; Stockett; (D) Frank Smith; Member; Poplar; (D) Bob Story; Member; Park City; (R) Bill Thomas; Member; Hobson; (R) Ralph Lenhart; Vice Chair; Glendive; (D) Cliff Trexler; Member; Hamilton; (R) Darrel Adams; Member; Columbia Falls; (R) Joyce Bankhead; Secretary Todd Everts; Legislative Branch Staffer To CONTACT: By phone: Call 406-444-4800 and you can leave a message for up to two legislators. Be sure to keep your message concise and refer specifically to HB 643. Fax: 1-900-225-1600; Address it to the Representative By e-mail: E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], be sure to put the Senator's name in the subject line. By mail: Send letters of support to Representative ________, Capitol Station, Helena, MT 59620. ********************************************* 3. Group marches to protect America's bison Wednesday, February 17, 1999 By Indian Country Today, Rapid City, S.D. Copyright 1999, Indian Country Today, Rapid City, S.D. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, All Rights Reserved Elders, men, women and children braved the elements as they began a 507-mile trek from Rapid City, S.D., to Yellowstone National Park in Montana. They hope to end senseless slaughter of the last wild buffalo herd. A ceremonial bundle and several traditional staffs adorned with bear hide, leather and eagle feathers, were carried at the front of a line of walkers and riders who began a three-week journey to the last largest wildlife refuge in the world. People from across the country and Canada joined the spiritual walk, "Tatanka Oyate Mani -- They walk for the Buffalo People" Feb. 7 to seek protection for the buffalo herd and to educate those who are ignorant about buffalo. Five Hunkpapa from the Standing Rock reservation, four students with their supervisor, Faith Taken Alive, participated in the walk. One student, Tonie Eagle Shield, 17, from Bear Soldier District, said thought it would be a good experience. "The buffalo, to me, is really sacred, they're sacred to our people." Eagle Shield plans to use the knowledge she gains from the walk and to teach it to her children and grandchildren. Joseph Chasing Horse, Sicangu Lakota, said the purpose of the walk is to create utmost awareness of the last "free" roaming buffalo through traditional and spiritual teachings combined with star knowledge and earth science. He said the walk also represents the Lakota ancestors. "This is nothing new. Our ancestors have done this for thousands of years. "We're reawakening that spirit for our young people to remember by. We're creating something in our time that our children and grandchildren can remember and be linked to our culture and the way it once was. This spiritual walk, which will begin a year of ceremonies of the Redman's atonement -- to enter into the next millennium -- atonement for jealousy, alcohol, drugs and all of those things that have led us away from the ways of our ancestors. "Our ancestors migrated with the great buffalo herd. Together, they circled the Black Hills, going to each sacred site. "Knowledge will be passed on through traditional oral instruction regarding ceremonies, stories, singing, dancing and walking through these ancient culturally related geographical areas of which we are so much a part through our culture and the migratory journeys of the buffalo people. "According to the 1851 treaty, Yellowstone is the western boundary of our hunting ceremonial grounds. Today there are less than a thousand buffalo left at Yellowstone." Nearly 1,069 buffalo were slaughtered in 1996 because it was thought they were carriers of brucellosis, a disease that can cause cows to abort. Shooting the animals was authorized by the Montana Department of Livestock. To date, brucellosis has not been scientifically proven to be transmitted to cattle by buffalo, according to Rosalie Little Thunder, Sicangu Lakota. Little Thunder was one of many arrested in 1996 for protesting the slaughter. She said she watched, with tears in her eyes and a prayer on her lips, as men with high-powered rifles shot the buffalo. For her, this walk represents the importance of ending the senseless killings and educating young and old of the buffalo nation's significance in the world. Chasing Horse also expressed grave concerns, saying the slaughter depletes the herd and one day it could result in extinction. "The buffalo helped us once -- that's why the Indian people are still here. They say long ago we almost starved, but the buffalo came and gave of himself so our people lived. "Now we have to do the same for him, the buffalo, because now his future and his life is at stake. We're only returning a favor that the buffalo people gave to us back in the beginning of time. "The buffalo are not only important to the Indigenous cultures. Scientifically, if you look at it, we have all the evidence that the buffalo are important to the natural eco-system. They play an important role in the natural cycle of the world. Without them, the whole world is going to be unbalanced. "Maybe we won't see that for a course of several generations, but surely our children are going to pay the consequences for that. " "It's historical fact, evidence of the past, that the U.S. government slaughtered millions of buffalo to subjugate Indian people. Ours is not to dwell on injustices of the past, but to build a future for our people and our children. That's our focus." Twenty-two riders from Montana joined the group at the South Dakota-Montana state line. Others will join the walk as it proceeds to its destination. "There will be many of us when we get to Yellowstone. People from Walla Walla, Wash., have started and will meet us there. People from the Nez Perce in Idaho are also walking and riding. They too, will join us," Chasing Horse said. "People from all across the country will be joining the walk. This is good." The entourage will complete the walk Feb. 27 at Yellowstone National Park. Gary Silk, Hunkpapa Lakota, the outfield cultural coordinator, is scheduling a cross-cultural workshop with park service employees. 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 full of great info; please share the URL with friends and others who care.... http://www.wildrockies.org/buffalo we have posted a video clip of last years haze and the DOL's violation of Bald Eagle habitat at our web site. Please stop by and see it! If this has been 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)! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ eGroup home: http://www.eGroups.com/list/buffalo-rescue Free Web-based e-mail groups by eGroups.com &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&