Buffalo

Field Campaign
PO Box 957, West Yellowstone, MT 59758. 406-646-0070; fax: 406-646-0071; buffalo@wildrockies.org; http://www.wildrockies.org/buffalo/

Winter 2000

Solo bull along the Madison River, just outside of Yellowstone NP, winter 2000. Horse Butte, a traditional
calving ground for the buffalo, lies four miles away in the background. ©Tiffany Brown 2000/BFC

Buffalo Field Campaign is the Spending so much time with

only group working in the field them, we learn tremendous
every day to stop the slaughter lessons from the buffalo. If you
want a sense of community, sit
of Yellowstone’s wild buffalo. and watch a herd for half a day.
Last winter, an old bull, injured
during a Montana Dept. of
Buffalo Field Campaign Livestock hazing operation,
volunteers defend the buffalo on ducked off the trail and
their traditional winter habitat collapsed. Before the agents
could get to him, six more
and advocate for their bulls, burrowing their noses
protection. Our daily patrols under his body, had lifted him
to his feet and led him safely to
stand with the herd and the some nearby willows where the
ground they choose to be on, DOL’s snowmobiles couldn’t
penetrate. —Dan Brister
BFC Photo

and document every move

made against the buffalo.

Cold Mountain, Cold

Rivers is the fiscal sponsor Buffalo Field Campaign Nonprofit org.
for Buffalo Field Campaign.
PO Box 957 US Postage Paid
CMCR is a 501(c)(3) West Yellowstone, MT 59758 Missoula, MT
Permit no. 514
nonprofit organization.

CMCR
Box 7941 Address correction requested
DOL hazing buffaloat gunpoint. Greg Raisman photo. Missoula, MT 59807
 The Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) is the only group working in the field, everyday, to
stop the slaughter and harassment of Yellowstone’s wild buffalo. Volunteers from around
the world defend buffalo on their traditional habitat and advocate for their protection. Our
daily patrols stand with the buffalo on the ground they choose to be on, and document
every move made against them.
Buffalo in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are not protected on their year-round
habitat. Yellowstone Park does not provide sufficient range for the resident herds of wildlife.
Animals are forced to leave the park in order to find adequate forage for survival. Thus,
when the buffalo follow their instincts and migrate to lower elevations, they enter a conflict
zone where the politics of Montana directly clash with their survival needs.
During the winter of 1996-97, nearly 1,100 Yellowstone buffalo were slaughtered by
the Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) when they crossed arbitrary park boundaries
into the state. These killings, combined with deaths from the unusually severe winter,
resulted in a loss of nearly two-thirds of Yellowstone’s buffalo herd.
Buffalo Nations (later the Buffalo Field Campaign) formed in 1997 to prevent another
mass slaughter. Eleven buffalo were killed during our first winter in the field, compared
with 1,083 the year before. Our continuing presence in the field and effective public
outreach holds the State of Montana accountable.
Volunteers spend all day, from sunrise to sunset, watching and documenting buffalo
outside the park and protecting them from hazing, capturing, and killing operations run by
the Montana DOL. We patrol in cars, on skis and with snowshoes every day while buffalo Matt McGovern-Rowan Photo
migrate to public lands outside the park.
During the winter of 1998-99, BFC volunteers organized a nonviolent direct-action
campaign to delay construction of the Horse Butte capture facility. Protesters erected and
Program Development Update “At a cost of over
by Cris Mulvey, BFC Program Director $1.7 million a year,
occupied a blockade which prevented the DOL from trapping buffalo on Horse Butte for
nearly two months. Twenty-two activists were arrested for interfering with DOL operations. the [current manage-
Every day at the Buffalo Field Campaign we are
This year, our efforts to protect the Yellowstone buffalo have been very successful. ment] plan treats
encouraged and inspired by letters of support and generous
The vigilance of our daily patrols and the barrage of public outcry generated by local and
national media coverage have made it increasingly difficult for the state to kill buffalo. In
donations from people around the U.S. and the world. It’s Yellowstone’s wild
simple: People love the buffalo and want to be a part of the bison like zoo ani-
February, A&E’s Investigative Reports, and ABC’s Nightline devoted entire episodes to the
work protecting them. Letters and donations, large and
Yellowstone buffalo controversy, drawing extensively on video footage shot by BFC volun- mals and give cattle
small, enable us to continue our work and maintain our
teers. Intense scrutiny, combined with a mild winter, made this the first season in 16 years preference on public
presence here in West Yellowstone as the eyes and ears of
when no buffalo were shot, captured or slaughtered by Montana officials.
the American people. Your prayers, long and short, help lands near the park.
BFC enjoys incredible support locally and regionally. Residents surrounding the
keep watch over our work. This is one of the
western boundary of Yellowstone Park allow us to post signs on their property designating
Our campaign has now come to the end of its third most absurd public
them “Buffalo Safe Zones.” We offer a fence repair service to mitigate damage caused by
year in the field, a year that was our most successful yet!
wildlife. Locals join us on our daily patrols, and provide us with encouragement, hot drinks
Not one buffalo was killed this winter, and we are celebrat-
policies ever
and food! crafted.” — Mark
ing! Thanks to each and every one of you who have been a
We also have an incredible public support network linking folks around the globe.
People from all walks of life show up to volunteer, write a letter, make a phone call or
part of making this happy outcome possible. Without you, Peterson, National
this work quite simply could not be done. Parks and Conserva-
contribute in some way. Together we are all raising our voices for the buffalo!
Each of our three years has seen us grow and expand,
both in terms of the numbers of volunteers who join us and
tion Association
in the programs and activities we are developing. Our daily
patrols that work from sun up to sun down (and when
necessary around the clock), remain the core of our work.
Special Thanks to
Every day, in some of the harshest conditions in the lower these Foundations
48 states, we stay with the buffalo that leave the safety of and Individuals:
Yellowstone National Park and document every move made
against them. We send this footage to local and national
media and post regular updates on the Internet, making Acorn Foundation
sure that the American people know what is happening and Anderlik Compassion for
are empowered to act. Animals Fund
The more we are with the buffalo, the better we Avacado Productions
understand the central role buffalo play in maintaining the Susan Bloom
health and biodiversity of the entire Yellowstone ecosystem. Nancy and Jitze Couperus
We witness the ways that current Montana Department of
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Livestock policies negatively impact the native flora and
fauna and subject them to unnecessary and harmful stress. Direct Action Fund
Buffalo Field Campaign is working to develop links Foundation for Deep
with other groups and expand our research and advocacy Ecology
strategies to affect long term change and protection for the Fund for Wild Nature
buffalo and their habitat. Such measures also benefit the Guacamole Fund
bald eagle, peregrine falcon, sandhill crane, trumpeter Honor the Earth
swan, lynx, wolverine, grizzly bear, grey wolf and antelope. Hooter Fund II of the OR.
We are exploring new opportunities to enable us to develop Community Foundation
these aspects of our work. Lemmon Foundation
Brian Daly/Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers Photo Housing, feeding, clothing, equipping, training and
Norcross Wildlife
operating patrols with the 250+ volunteers who join us Foundation
each year, and our public education and outreach program,
Nordik Wildlife Foundation
It does not matter that I am Irish and that my ancestors lived comprise the bulk of our expenditures. During the sum-
mer, BFC produces and distributes this newsletter, and Patagonia Environmental
elsewhere. For me the buffalo are a symbol of the Source of all Programs
organizes fundraising, tabling and educational events to
things. No matter how disconnected our culture grows from aware- spread the word about what is happening to the buffalo Pegasus Foundation
ness of the Source we continue to depend on it completely. Protect- across the country. Presently, we have grant applications in Bonnie Raitt
ing the buffalo is for me one way of taking a stand for a return to a with over twenty foundations both for general support and Seeds of Peace
special projects. But 60% of our fundraising comes from Harold & Donna Sender
way of life built on recognizing that Source and honoring it in all individuals like you. We appeal to you to continue support- Seventh Generation Fund
that lives. —Cris Mulvey ing us so we can be here next winter and for however long
Wiancko Family Donor
it takes. We thank you all for the support you have already Advised Fund of the
given— with your help, we will continue to make a Community Foundation of
difference for the buffalo! Jackson Hole
Y2Y Conservation Initiative
ZZYZX Foundation

Please make a tax deductible donation to the Buffalo Field Campaign. Support Our Work to Defend the Buffalo
Your donation feeds, clothes, equips and houses volunteers, supports our public
education and outreach efforts, and helps us protect Yellowstone’s native wild buffalo! With the Purchase of a New Tee Shirt
$36 supports one activist in the field for one week.
$20.00 2 Styles: Woodcut,
Thank you! Buffalo Head
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Please send contributions and requests to:
or note on the contribution form to the left that you want to purchase a t-shirt!
Buffalo Field Campaign PO Box 957, West Yellowstone, MT. 59758
 kills from starvation? Who gave the Montana DOL the
My Road to Yellowstone authority to auction off the carcasses, hides, heads, and
skulls of these animals they so disrespectfully shot and
By Flo Gardipee, BFC Board Member; fgardipee@hotmail.com killed? Why did the profits from these sales go into their
coffers and how was it spent? What kinds of lab tests are
being used to determine the presence of brucellosis, how
“Let us honor the bones of those who are they performed, and what do they mean? What is the
gave their flesh to keep us alive.” rate of infection in the herd? These and other questions led
me to do some research—finding a few answers.
– Buffalo Altar Prayer As a medical laboratory technician, the most logical
place to begin was with the disease brucellosis and testing
methods for diagnosis. From there I searched for epidemio-
Our family is a mix of several Native American tribes
and I work as a medical laboratory and radiology techni- logical evidence of brucellosis in the Yellowstone National
cian. I clearly remember the day I transformed from an Park buffalo herd and any case histories of possible
ordinary wife, mother, and medical professional into an transmission to livestock in Montana or around Yellow-
“activist.” stone. I gathered information on current research projects. I
About five years ago my six year old daughter and I made some surprising discoveries (see sidebar).
were watching a TV program featuring graphic footage of
buffalo outside of Yellowstone being shot and killed. My
daughter looked up at me, tears streaming down her face,
and asked “Mommy why are they doing that?” I had no
answer. Her child’s tears moved my heart — awakening
something within, and lead me down a new path. Five
years and much research later, I cannot answer my children
or our ancestors’ question.
The journey begins
Several months later we moved back to Montana,
started a buffalo ranch and our lives have not been the
same. I was unaware of the impact that buffalo would have
on our lives. Being buffalo ranchers and activists brought us
back to our native culture. The buffalo healed our family
and strengthened our spiritual bonds and I realized our
spiritual responsibility to look after our relations, the
buffalo.
We are united together as the “Buffalo Nation.” Our
elders tell us we are so closely related that whatever
becomes of the buffalo becomes of us. Many legends
describe how buffalo pitied us because we were cold, weak
and hungry. They became our blood brothers and sacrificed
themselves that we might have food, clothing, shelter, and
medicines.
The buffalo figure prominently in our ceremonies, Buffalo crammed into a capture facility. BFC File Photo
such as the Sundance. The Creator chose the buffalo to
bring the Sacred Pipe to the Indian people. The buffalo hold
a place of high honor and respect in our culture and
Where do we go from here?
The Greater Yellowstone Interagency Bison Coopera-
religions. It is from this perspective that I view these issues.
tive (GYIBC) is funding over 37 different research projects
After we bought twenty acres and five buffalo in
concerning brucellosis in the Greater Yellowstone Area
Montana, we watched in horror as Montana slaughtered
(GYA), and are requesting an annual budget of $1.8 million
1,083 wild buffalo. We were appalled by the state’s
in federal funds through the year 2005. Yet, no vaccines
disregard and brutal treatment of those buffalo and their
have been proven to be safe or effective for use with
spirits. A newspaper article prompted us to contact the
wildlife. And there isn’t a definitive lab test to diagnose
author to discuss what he had witnessed. Michael Mease
brucellosis accurately. Nor is there a long term plan to
told us the buffalo carcasses were taken to the dump, where
effectively control or eradicate the disease in the Yellow-
Native Americans harvested any salvageable meat. To me
stone ecosystem—if that is even necessary or possible.
this was the epitome of our government’s treatment of both
Montana state officials defy logic and reason by
native peoples and the buffalo. I was reminded of my
insisting on a zero tolerance policy that
includes any buffalo entering the state from
the park. This forced the federal agencies
“The whole world is coming involved to withdraw from their agreement
with the state as outlined in the GYIBC
a nation is coming, a nation is coming. “Memorandum of Understanding” last
The eagle has brought the message to the tribe. December. People like Jim Peterson of the
Montana Stockgrowers Association continue
The Father says so, the father says so. to “cry wolf,” citing brucellosis as a finan-
cial threat to Montana’s livestock industry.
Over the whole earth they are coming. The DOL will continue to bait their capture
facilities, luring hungry buffalo to their
The buffalo are coming, the buffalo are coming. deaths. Will the voices of the Buffalo Nation
The crow has brought the message to the tribe. continue to fall deafly upon the ears of
those unwilling to hear them?
The father says so, the father says so.”
— Sioux Ghost Dance Song A cultural conflict
If these voices go unheard, the long
term planning process remains the same
old bureaucracy and politics. Because the
husband’s ancestors begging for entrails at the back dominant culture in American society views itself as
window of local butcher shops to avoid starvation. We separate from the natural world, they view it as a domain to
became involved with the campaign to save wild buffalo. be conquered and controlled. Everything they see in nature
I was left with many questions and a sense of conflict is either a commodity or a nuisance to be eradicated. This
that other viewpoints had not been given equal consider- perception is opposed to the way Native Americans
ation. What about the possible adverse affects to the perceive their place within the natural world. Native culture
genetic diversity of the Yellowstone National Park herd and spirituality includes all of the elements of the earth and
caused by the indiscriminate slaughter and large winter
sky as integral to our existence.
Vine Deloria brilliantly exposes and outlines the
source of this cultural conflict in his book titled “God is
Red, A Native View of Religion.” The idea of “eminent
domain” victimized the Buffalo Nation in the past and
continues today around Yellowstone—conflicting with
Native American culture. As I read through his book, I
feared that this same attitude has invaded the buffalo
ranching industry.
We believe there is more to raising buffalo than
achieving the ultimate body type or the financial bottom
line. We raise our buffalo with respect to their spiritual
significance in our culture, being careful that we follow
proper ceremonies in all of our actions. This includes
having a ceremonial person present to offer prayers to the
buffalo’s spirit.
Montana state officials have never requested the
presence of ceremonial Native peoples, as they slaughter
buffalo that don’t belong to them. This is a slap in the face
to all Native people and to the entire Buffalo Nation. The
spiritual value and significance of buffalo to Native Ameri-
cans can’t be ignored. It must given proper consideration in
all matters concerning them.
It is no longer acceptable for us to stand at the edge
of a dumpsite, or at the “back window” of a government
agency begging for our inalienable cultural rights to be
acknowledged. Montana’s government officials must end
their arrogance and consult with tribal elders as equals.
I sincerely hope that the voice of my child’s tears for
her relatives, and the many voices of the people who honor
and respect the spirit of the buffalo will be heard. The
Buffalo Nation is coming back! Put your ear to the earth and
listen for the thundering of their hooves, and the many
shuffling feet of those dancing to hasten their return.
A wild buffalo being tested in a capture facility. BFC File Photo
What is Brucellosis?
Brucellosis is a disease caused by a gram
negative bacteria, characterized by an undulating
body temperature. It was unknown in this country
before the introduction of European cattle. Although
debilitating, it is rarely fatal. The Center for Disease
Control (CDC) does not consider it to be a major public
health threat, nor requires reporting of it, and current
statistics reveal a low incidence in human beings.
Brucellosis can be transmitted to wildlife and
domestic livestock through contact with aborted
fetuses and birth materials infected with the organ-
ism. Infection may occur during breeding. Human
beings may contract brucellosis as result of contact
with infected tissues through open wounds or cuts,
ingestion of unpasteurized milk, or through accidental
inoculation with the vaccine. Only two cases have
been reported in Montana in the last ten years,
contracted as a result of gutting infected elk. There are
no documented cases of buffalo transmitting brucello-
sis to either humans or livestock in Montana.
The CARD test vs. culture techniques.
The CARD test currently is used in the field to
determine if a buffalo is seropositive for brucellosis.
This test only detects antibodies to the brucellosis
organism, not the presence of the organism itself!
Antibodies are formed in the host in response to
exposure to a potentially infectious agent.
These antibodies are made up of proteins
referred to as immunoglobulins or Ig for short. There
are three main immunoglobulins that are considered
significant. IgM and IgG are primarily involved in
responding to infectious agents, and IgE usually only
responds in allergic reactions. IgM antibodies are the
first to be formed in response to contact with any new
infectious agent. IgM production usually continues as
long as the organisms remain in the host, ceases when
the organism is cleared from the body, and falls off
rapidly after the onset of IgG antibody synthesis.
Persistent IgM production suggests that the infectious
agent is still present. IgG antibody production begins
rather late in the immune response and continues at
high levels well after the infectious agents have been
eliminated. IgG levels eventually drop off to low levels
and may persist for the host’s lifetime. IgG antibodies
also are formed in response to vaccinations and
enable us to maintain immunity to certain infections.
Maternal IgG antibodies are small enough to cross the
placenta and can pass on immunities to the fetus.
The CARD test shows a positive result only in
the presence of IgG antibodies, detecting only the
animal’s immune response to exposure to brucella
organisms. The methodology of the test itself limits it
to this purpose alone! It cannot determine if infection
is present. This can only be proven by actually
culturing out the organism itself. Specimens for
culture are not obtained on all seropositive buffalo,
and of those that are cultured only a small percent
actually grow out brucella organisms. What could be
the reason for this? Current research has discovered
that some buffalo may possess a gene enabling them
to develop immunity to brucellosis, allowing them to
clear the organism from their bodies. Could it be that
most of the seropositive buffalo have merely devel-
oped an immunity to brucellosis?
There are other factors that affect the accuracy
of the CARD test and culture techniques. The CARD
test is only qualitative—macroscopically read as a
positive or negative result. It cannot be correlated to a
level of IgG antibody. The test should be run at a
room temperature of no less than 50 degrees F, in a
slightly humid environment. Humidity is not carefully
regulated by the DOL. The makeshift lab where the
DOL performs this test can be much colder. The
samples should be spun only in a properly calibrated
centrifuge designed specifically for the CARD test. The
centrifuge that spins specimens before testing is old
and worn, and not properly timed. The CARD test
should be rotated for exactly four minutes. Any
further manipulation can result in gel-like substances
which could be read as a false positive.
All of these factors adversely affect the accuracy
of the test. Yet, the DOL relies on these results alone to
determine if a buffalo is slaughtered. As for the few
cultures that are taken, failure to obtain positive
results from a suspect host usually is due to non
presence of the infection, or inappropriate sampling
techniques including failure to use a sufficient
sample. False positive cultures can occur with cross
contamination of specimens. Considering all of the
variables which can alter the quality and accuracy of
these testing methods, in conjunction with the
random nature of the population sampling, it’s clear
that there is no real evidence to support the claim that
there is widespread brucellosis infection in Yellow-
stone buffalo.
It is interesting to note that the same tests also
have shown that as many as 50% of the 120,000 elk
in the Yellowstone ecosystem are seropositive for
brucellosis as well. Yet, they are allowed to migrate
freely and are more likely to co-mingle with cattle
than buffalo. In fact, I have observed that buffalo will
avoid most contact with cattle. I question why the elk
have been left alone. But we know quite well that it is
their popularity with hunters and the money they
generate that protects them from the DOL.
 Since 1990, I have been deeply involved with the buffalo issue. During this
time I have witnessed some significant changes. I watched, for years, as
virtually every buffalo that left Yellowstone National Park was killed. I
watched DOL agents hurl insults and derisive laughter at Native Americans
performing ceremonies and saying prayers for dead buffalo.

I watched Native Americans reduced to doing the state’s dirty work—gutting

and butchering the buffalo that were gunned down. I watched as the DOL left
piles of guts—from supposedly diseased buffalo—on fields where cows graze
in the summer. My saddest memory is the winter of 1996-’97, when 1,083
buffalo— nearly one third of the herd— were slaughtered.

In response to this insanity, the Buffalo Nations (now the Buffalo Field Cam-
paign) was formed. After three years of documenting every move made by
the DOL and alerting the world through local, national and international
media, the killing has paused for the first time in 17 years. The new millen-
nium has turned the battle into a debate on hazing.

I know many factors have contributed to this miraculous change, but the
work of BFC volunteers has had a significant impact. Over 700 people from
around the world have come to West Yellowstone to stand with the buffalo. It
is my great honor to thank each and every one of you and to tell you your
efforts and prayers are creating change. —Michael S. Mease, BFC Co-Founder

Photo ©TiffanyBrown1998 Buffalo Activists Hang Massive Banner in

We had spent most of the morning searching
unsuccessfully for the buffalo on Horse Butte
and paused to eat lunch on the shore of Hebgen
Lake. When we rose, we spotted a herd a few
hundred yards away. We sat down and waited
quietly to see what they would do. Within
minutes we were surrounded on all sides by 25
yearlings and pregnant cows. They lingered,
grazing and sizing us up. It was a rare moment
of grace in the life of a human, to feel trusted
and accepted by wild creatures. The following
day we watched, horrified as the DOL fired
cracker rounds from their helicopter at these
same buffalo, now terrified and exhausted,
seven miles back to the park.
— Emily Kodama, BFC Volunteer
Brian Daly/Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers Photo
The reckless and vindictive slaughter of the
last wild American Buffalo is a symptom of the
disease that plagues our nation. When people
like the Buffalo Field Campaign take a nonvio-
lent stand against injustice, they affect change.
When many people and many groups come
together and support each other, real, sweep-
ing change is possible. Start it now.
Please, stand up. —Pete Leusch, BFC Volunteer
©JamesV.Shipley2000
I am standing in the way
of laws made up in mens’ minds.
They have no place with the buffalo.
A fence has no meaning to an animal
whose path was plotted centuries ago.
His blood tells him where to go.
Do you know where to go?
—Sarah Chalmers, BFC Volunteer
Protest of Montana’s Buffalo Slaughter
Early on the morning of April 11, 2000 two women
unfurled a 20 by 50 foot banner from the top story of the
Summit Hotel at the Big Sky Ski Resort. The banner bore
graphic depictions of two severed buffalo heads and the
words: “Racicot’s Buffalo Slaughter Kills Tourism.”
The action was part of an all-day rally organized by
activists to call attention to Montana Governor Marc
Racicot’s policy of hazing, capturing, and shooting buffalo
that leave Yellowstone National Park.
With much of the conference focused on improving
the state’s image (one session was titled: Montana’s Image:
How Others See Us), it was important to remind participants
that people come to Montana largely to see live buffalo and
other wildlife. Outraged over the state’s buffalo slaughter,
several groups have organized boycotts against Montana.
According to a recent study, Gallatin County— one of
the only counties in the state with unfenced buffalo—
brings in more tourism revenue than any other county in
Montana. Tourism is the fastest growing sector of the state
economy, generating more than $1.5 billion in 1998.
The situation became precarious for the activists
perched on the icy ledge of the tenth floor balcony when
an angry construction crew gathered behind a blocked-off
sliding glass door. One of them held up a hand written
banner of his own which read “Hunting feeds our familys.”
Others began pelting the two women with snowballs from
an adjacent balcony.
When unforeseen complications made it possible for
workers to slice the banner, the climbers attempted to leave.
One was detained by a Gallatin County Sheriff, while the
other took off down a corridor. Before she reached the
stairwell she was tackled by a contractor and held down by
three others. When she questioned their authority to detain
her, she was told “Deputy Calvin just deputized us.”
The women were charged with criminal trespass and
obstruction. A third activist was later arrested for trespass-
ing when a hotel employee said she “saw him in the tenth
floor stairwell.” The three were released the next morning
on their own recognizance.
Since he took office in 1992, Governor Racicot has
bloodied his hands with the deaths of almost 2,300 buffalo.
A close advisor to George Bush Jr., Racicot is being groomed
for a cabinet post. Recent press coverage pegged him as a
possible candidate for Secretary of Agriculture or Interior
(and you thought James Watt was bad). One story even
included his name on a short list for the Vice-Presidency.
With political ambitions in mind, Racicot has sought
to distance himself from the buffalo slaughter. For the first
time in 17 years, Montana didn’t kill any buffalo that
migrated from the park. Instead, the state launched a wave
of militaristic hazing operations aimed at keeping buffalo
out of Montana. Using a helicopter, ATVs, 4-wheel drive
trucks and horses, the DOL has been wreaking havoc on the
wildlife that inhabits the Yellowstone ecosystem.
As this demonstration pointed out - this misuse of the
public’s trust and monies, not only maligns the people of
Montana and the citizens of the United States, but steals an
important heritage from future generations.
Attitudes Behind 19th Century Slaughter Department of Livestock Cohort Stands Trial for Poaching Buffalo These businesses
Remain Strong in 2000 have supported us
Montana’s Department of Livestock (DOL) may not have shot or slaughtered any
by Dan Brister buffalo during the winter of 1999-2000, but one of their cohorts, Dale Koelzer, a local
over the years.
resident whose land on Duck Creek serves as the DOL’s headquarters and which borders Please support them.
Capitalizing on the Native American dependence Yellowstone National Park on the west side, admitted killing a buffalo that wandered onto
upon the buffalo, 19th century government leaders backed his land. Big Sky, Montana
a campaign to exterminate the buffalo and force the On September 29, 1999 Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) volunteers discovered the The Board Room
Indians into a sedentary lifestyle more in line with the buffalo, which had been stripped of its head, hide and genitals, on Koelzer’s property. C & P Deli
"civilized" European ideals of land ownership and private Koelzer denied knowledge of the crime in the media until the missing parts of the animal
property. Interior Secretary Columbus Delano remarked in were found in his possession. Game wardens issued him three citations: for shooting the Bozeman, Montana
Barrel Mountaineering
1873, just one year after Yellowstone National Park had animal, wasting its carcass, and illegally possessing the head and cape. The Great Harvest
been established: After the hide and head were found in his garage, he admitted in the Bozeman Greg Keeler
"The civilization of the Indian is impossible while the Chronicle to killing the buffalo because “it was making him angry” and threatened his Lewis and Clark Motel
buffalo remains upon the plains. I would not seriously regret pickup truck. He skinned the carcass with the help of a neighbor. He stated that they Joe Mann
the total disappearance of the buffalo from our western dragged the carcass to the edge of his property so that bears could consume it. Montana Harvest
prairies, in its effect upon the Indians, regarding it as a means Koelzer’s lawyer, Bill Bartlett, has resorted to the truly ridiculous in an attempt to On the Rise
of hastening their sense of dependence upon the products of absolve his client. Citing a loophole in state law, which he claims essentially creates an TreeCycle Recycled
open season on buffalo , Bartlett stated, “It appears that buffalo are unregulated vermin in Products
the soil and their own labors." -Annual Report of the
Department of the Interior Montana and have the same status as gophers, which are shot up by the buckets full each
spring.” The Bozeman judge presiding at Koelzer’s hearing wasted no time in dismissing Butte, Montana
Not only did settlers and politicians view the buffalo's Trapline Lodges
survival as crucial to survival of Native American life ways, this absurd argument. Whether Koelzer was within his right to protect his property from
the buffalo was incompatible with the European dream of a wildlife-inflicted damage remains to be decided by a jury trial scheduled for this summer. Cooke City, Montana
The DOL has intimate ties with Koelzer. For the past three seasons they have main- Bike Shack
Great Plains cattle culture. It was a matter of competition; if
tained a buffalo trap on his land along Duck Creek, which is situated on a major wildlife General Store
buffalo remained wild, they would out-compete cattle for
migration corridor and abuts the western boundary of Yellowstone National Park. Koelzer
forage on the Western range. This sentiment is evident in
also leases the agency an apartment in his basement and barn space, from which they stage Gardiner, Montana
the following speech, made before the United States A Naturalist’s World
their hazing, capture, and shooting operations.
Congress: Governor Marc Racicot Two Bit
"There is no law that Congress can pass that will denied BFC permission to
prevent the buffalo from disappearing before the march of film the handling of buffalo Jackson, Wyoming
civilization. There is no law which human hands can write, “We don’t have a policy of shooting buffalo, Mark Ames
inside the Duck Creek
there is no law which a Congress of men can enact, that will nor do we have a policy of shipping them off to Barlows
(Koelzer) trap, a public
stay the disappearance of these wild animals before civiliza- Beads Unlimited
facility being operated at slaughter.” — Montana Governor Marc Racicot Betty Rock Cafe
tion. They eat the grass. They trample upon the plains upon taxpayer expense on private The Body Sage
which our settlers desire to herd their cattle and their sheep. land. The state’s lack of Bruce Burkland
They range over the very pastures where the settlers keep accountability and its
“The department will continue to manage
Harvest
their herds of cattle. They destroy the pasture. They are as relationship with an alleged bison through a combination of hazing, cap- Dr. Bruce M. Hayse
uncivilized as the Indian." -Representative Conger, 1874 poacher are prime examples ture and slaughter.” —Mark Bridges, Executive Dodi Jordan
To the livestock industry, cattle represent an eco- of the corruption that Jordan Metalworks
Officer, Montana Department of Livestock Mountain Camera Supply
nomic interest and way of life, albeit barely a hundred years pervades Montana’s buffalo
policy. Mountunes
old. To Native Americans--the buffalo represent the essence
Shades Cafe
of their social, cultural, and spiritual identity and a relation- Skinny Skis
ship thousands of years old. That the tribes haven't been Tobacco Row
allowed at the table where the ranchers, land managers, Dave Titcomb
and politicians decide the fate of the buffalo reflects a lack Trapper Inn
of wisdom, and utter disrespect for Native Americans. No Wilson Backcountry Sports
one has a closer relationship to the buffalo than the Native Wyoming Wear
American. Why are the tribes being left out?
Missoula, Montana
"Absent are the people who actually know the buffalo: Arbor Vitae Organics
the Nez Perce, Blackfeet and Crow, and others whose treaties The Bike Doctor
encompass part of Yellowstone National Park, or the Black Dog Cafe
Winnebago, Ho Chunk, Lakota, Anishinabe, Kiowa, Gros Bernice’s Bakery
Ventre, Cheyenne, Shoshone Bannock and others, whose Butterfly Herbs
spiritual practices, cultural practices, languages and lives are Downtown Bakery
entirely intertwined with buffalo. To us, the buffalo is the Dinosaur Cafe
Good Food Store
Western Doorkeeper, the Elder Brother, the Great One." - Kent Brothers
Winona LaDuke, Indian Country Today, 1999 Missoula Valley
Not only is the tribal voice being ignored-as the Landscaping
actions of policy makers and Montana Law Enforcement PictureTomorrow
Officers attest- the religion and culture of those who Rich Wachs
consider the buffalo sacred are being willfully violated. The Rockin Rudy’s
actions of Montana's DOL mirror those of their predeces- Solar Plexus
Tom Webster
sors: the buffalo hunters and Army officers of the 19th
Wild Rockies Infonet
century. In the words of Lakota spiritual leader Joseph
Chasing Horse, "When the U.S. government slaughtered the
buffalo as a way to subjugate Indian people, they put into West Yellowstone, MT
Prayer led by Scott Frazier at Big Sky rally during the Governor's Conference on Tourism and
motion an imbalance in the ecosystem that continues Bar “N” Ranch
Recreation in April 2000. ©JamesV.Shipley2000 The Book Peddler
today."
On March 7, 1997, during a winter when 1,083 Buffalo Exchange
buffalo were killed, American Indian leaders gathered near Buffalo Trading Post
Econo Mart
Gardiner, Montana, for a day of prayer for the buffalo. The Native American Sundance Church Honors Erik Nelson’s Wildlife
ceremony was disrupted by the echo of gunshots. Lakota Photography
elder Rosalie Little Thunder left the prayer circle to Buffalo Field Campaign at Earth Day Celebration Hilgard Log Builders
investigate the shots. Less than two miles away, Department Indian Creek Grafix, Inc.
of Livestock agents had killed 14 buffalo. Walking across a On April 22, 2000, the Ehnamani Sun Dance Church made a special presentation to Mika Products, Inc.
field to pray over the bodies of the slaughtered buffalo, she the Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) at the conclusion of their Earth Day performance in New Poineer
was arrested and charged with criminal trespass. Bozeman. Ehnamani is a multinational Native American religious group that recently Out West
visited England to raise awareness of issues affecting Native American religion and culture. Pathfinder
The continued harassment of the plains tribes and Wild West Pizzeria
the few remaining wild buffalo is a clear sign that the Ehnamani presented petition signatures and donations, collected from English supporters of Yellowstone Apothecary
attitudes which precipitated the 19th century slaughter are wild, free-roaming buffalo.
alive and strong today. In the words of Rosalie Little This presentation attests to the international outcry over Montana’s policy of slaugh- Across the Nation
Thunder, "They shot the buffalo because we were at that tering Yellowstone buffalo. BFC has received support from dozens of countries and has had ASM, Inc.
place, on that day, at that time." volunteers from Australia, Canada, England, Newfoundland, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Arkahoma Outdoors Host
Israel, South Africa, and Sweden. Atlas Snowshoes
The donations and signatures were presented by Scott Frazier, a Santee/Crow tribal Australian Health
The Backpackers Shop
member, at the conclusion of traditional chanting, singing, and drumming performances.
Badgerworks of Whitefish
Scott has long been an advocate for the Yellowstone buffalo and the wolf and has served as Brian Flaig
spiritual adviser to the BFC. Cabelas
In 1997 Frazier and other Ehnamani members performed a Sun Dance inside Cascade Designs
Yellowstone National Park. It was the first time in recent years that such a ceremony was Circle Cg Farm
performed on the land we now call Yellowstone. During the ceremony, one of the partici- Crazy Creek
pants dreamed of buffalo hooves stampeding through the night. Scott had a vision of a Deep Spirit
Doctor Bronners
white buffalo calf being born to the Yellowstone herd.
Dream Catcher Films, Inc.
Frazier recounted the following Santee origin story to the Buffalo Field Campaign Mountain Products, Inc.
during the winter of 1998-’99, when we were witnessing the slaughter of buffalo on a Nomadic Tipi Makers
weekly basis. The account describes the sacred human-buffalo relationship and the original Patagonia
sacrifice on which this relationship is built. Paul’s Music
The story begins after the world was formed but the people live in the world. The Paradise Farm Organics
buffalos were sacred and we tended them. We fed them a food that was like clouds. The life we Petzel
had was sacred but some of the people wanted to see what lay outside the tunnel to the surface. Project Lighthawk
Tribal Wear
One of those who decided to go up the tunnel was named To ka hey, “the first one.” He went to Tubbs Snowshoes
the surface to look around. He came back with wonderful stories. The people were curious but WCB Landscaping
decided not to let on that they were going to the surface. Seven families left. Soon the buffalos
realized what had happened. They went to the surface to see what had happened to the people. If your don’t see your
What they saw was sad, the people had nothing to eat, they were cold without shelter. Those business name here and
buffalos went back to the others to report. The buffalos decided that though the people had you would like to be listed
been foolish the buffalos needed to go to the surface to help the people. The buffalos knew that in our next newsletter,
Arvol Looking Horse talking to a Park ranger at the Day of please write to us and let
if they went to the surface they could not return to the life they knew within the earth. The us know. We apologize to
Prayer, 1997. Brian Daly/Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers Photo buffalos gave up their life within the earth so that the people could have food, clothing, and anyone we may have
shelter. What they did was holy. —Scott Frazier, personal interview forgotten.
Horse Butte Showdown Continues
As the 1999-2000 winter buffalo season closed,
Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) activists paused to reflect on
the past and future of America’s last wild buffalo. The
Yellowstone buffalo escaped death at the hands of Montana
this year, and the respite from butchery is an unquestion-
able victory for the buffalo and their allies. But the killing
of nearly one hundred buffalo during the spring of 1999
still echoes in the hearts of buffalo allies everywhere. As
Montana’s Department of Livestock (DOL) continues to
violate laws, obstruct activists, and threaten wildlife, we
realize their grim agenda has not changed. The buffalo are
still in danger, and we must continue working to protect
them and their habitat.
On March 18, 1999, over twenty law enforcement
officers from various agencies removed a BFC blockade that
had prevented construction of a buffalo capture facility at
Horse Butte Peninsula for over two months. The Horse
Butte Peninsula is approximately 15-square miles or 10,000
acres of world class wildlife habitat. Much of the land is
owned by the public (Gallatin National Forest) and provides
habitat for Yellowstone's wild buffalo herds.
Horse Butte lies north of the Madison Arm of Hebgen
Lake and the Madison River, east of Hebgen Lake, south of
the Grayling Arm of Hebgen Lake and Cougar Creek, and
west of Yellowstone National Park. The peninsula provides
habitat for a number of sensitive species including the bald
eagle, gray wolf, trumpeter swan, peregrine falcon, grizzly
bear, wolverine, lynx, and boreal owl.
They arrested activists that day, and set up the
capture facility. Law enforcement agents tackled one
activist without provocation and arrested another who was
filming the incident, confiscating his radio, video camera,
and video tape. Although charges against four of the
activists were dropped and no one was convicted, everyone
arrested was restricted from going within 1,500 feet of
capture facilities or DOL operations and were banned from
public lands, including National Forest and Park Service
lands.
On March 31, 1999, the DOL hazed 29 buffalo into
the Horse Butte capture facility, and shipped 18 to slaugh-
ter. BFC activists videotaped the DOL in two violations of its
Horse Butte Capture Facility. Project Lighthawk, BFC Photo
Special Use Permit: snowmobile hazing within a quarter
mile of an eagle nesting site, and hazing within a quarter
mile of Hebgen Lake.
On April 14, 1999, the DOL captured 69 buffalo in its
Horse Butte trap and two at Duck Creek. All of these
animals were confined for two nights in the overcrowded
trap before 45 were sent to the slaughterhouse. Six died
later of injuries sustained while in confinement. Five
activists were arrested, and four were detained but never
charged. One detainee was tackled, cursed at, held to the
ground, and threatened by the DOL.
We are currently in the third year of our powerful
public awareness campaign employing in-depth documen-
tation, extensive media outreach, and nonviolent civil
disobedience to hold the state of Montana and Governor
Marc Racicot accountable for their actions. Three years
ago, government agents massacred nearly 1,100 buffalo.
This winter, not a single buffalo was killed. Amazing
progress, to be sure — but dangerously deceptive. Although
Montana didn’t slaughter buffalo this winter, their needless
hazing of the animals, many of which were pregnant,
violations of protected wildlife closures (see related story),
and disregard for the rights of activists clearly show that the
state is stuck in the rut of its own antiquated thinking.
Illegal activities by the agencies
• On January 25, 2000, a BFC volunteer approached an
agent on a snowmobile as the DOL hazed one bull
outside the park. He drove straight into her, knocking
her down and suffered no consequences for his action.
• On January 30 and again on April 13, 2000, law enforce-
ment officers with the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Depart-
ment, Montana Highway Patrol, and the US Forest
Service forcibly and illegally confiscated videotapes
from volunteers. In both cases, the cameras were
literally torn from the volunteers who were filming.
• On April 20, 2000, the largest haze of the year, the DOL
violated the terms of their Special Use Permit with the
Gallatin National Forest and the Endangered Species Act
when they flew a helicopter within a quarter mile of a
bald eagle nest on Horse Butte, flushing two eagles from
their nest. The Permit states that “helicopter activities
will NOT be permitted in the Horse Butte area.” Any
disruption that flushes bald eagles from their nests could
lead to brooding failure, or abandonment of fledglings
and the nests.
“Just west of Yellowstone, the U.S. Forest Service is
pushing to help Montana build a pen for shipping the
bison to slaughter. The national government is
spending 100 times the revenue it receives, on an
effort that’s altogether unnecessary.”
—Denver Post Editorial, 2/7/99
We are here as volunteers giving our time and
attention to the preservation of all life. We are not
against cattle ranchers. We are not here looking to
make people angry or to cause confrontation.
Rather we are here for the buffalo, and to witness
and document the actions of Montana’s DOL.
—Jason Johnson, BFC Volunteer
• On many occasions —April 27, May 4, May 6, May 11,
and May 12—the DOL violated a grizzly bear closure
area inside Yellowstone Park which is closed to all
activities between March 10 and May 27. Using horses,
all-terrain vehicles, and cracker rounds fired from
shotguns, DOL agents pushed buffalo up to two miles
back in the restricted area. BFC learned that the Park
Service gave the DOL permission to violate the closure
after the DOL threatened more “aggressive action”
against the buffalo if forbidden to haze in the area.
Time and time again, the state of Montana has
behaved more like a playground bully than a responsible
government, disregarding inconvenient regulations and
trampling the rights of those standing in its way. If left to its
own devices, Montana’s government will continue to kill
and harass these majestic animals. Only the continued
outcry of concerned citizens stands between the buffalo
and the DOL’s guns.
Activists Shut Down DOL Helicopters
— Groups Aim to Protect Habitat for
Yellowstone Buffalo and Bald Eagles
The Ecology Center, Inc., Buffalo Field Campaign and
Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers filed a Temporary Restraining
Order under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) on May 9,
2000 asking Federal District Court Judge Charles C. Lovell to
restrain the Montana Department of Livestock, the US
Forest Service, and the National Park Service from illegally
harming threatened bald eagle nests on the Horse Butte
Peninsula of the Gallatin National Forest.
While Judge Lovell did not grant a Temporary
Restraining Order, in his ruling he wrote: "all of the
Defendants do agree that no hazing shall be accomplished
by helicopter." He goes on to say, "Defendants represent to
the court that there is no intention for future helicopter
hazing in Horse Butte area."
At the end of each of the last two winters, the DOL
deployed a helicopter to haze buffalo back into the Park
despite Special Use Permit requirements that forbid their
use on Horse Butte Peninsula. The permit conditions are
intended to protect nesting bald eagles which are listed as
threatened under the ESA.
The groups have filed a 60-day Notice of Intent to sue
and intend to file a formal complaint against the agencies
for illegally jeopardizing threatened species protected by
the ESA. The groups are lobbying the Secretary of Interior
to designate Horse Butte Peninsula as critical habitat for
wildlife including Yellowstone’s native buffalo herd, and
effect critical habitat protections for threatened and
endangered species.

ACROSS
1. Chief of the National Forest Service.
4. The buffalo are an integral part of __________American culture.
6. A male buffalo.
7. A female buffalo.
8. In 1902, only 21 buffalo were left in the Yellowstone ecosystem and
they were on the brink of _______________
12. Current Secretary of the Interior.
14. Lakota word for buffalo.
15. A type of pine tree in the Yellowstone ecosystem.
19. Name of the State killing Yellowstone’s buffalo.
20. A type of fir tree in this region.
21. _________Butte is traditional DOWN
buffalo calving habitat. 2. The Buffalo Field ____________is the only group working 365 days a
22. Bald eagle food. year with the buffalo.
23. A favorite food of buffalo. 3. A threatened species in the Yellowstone ecosystem.
25. A native animal recently reintroduced to 5. What prevents cows from contracting brucellosis.
the the Yellowstone ecosystem. 9. A greyish-green dryland shrub.
26. In 1810, there were 65 10. A baby buffalo.
______________buffalo. 11. The act of forcing buffalo to return to Yellowstone National Park.
27. The National Park that the 13. The movement of buffalo in search of food.
buffalo live in and around. 16. Governor of Montana responsible for the buffalo slaughter.
17. Who can make a difference and speaks out for the buffalo.
18. Another animal that can carry brucellosis.
23. ____________bear; a large predator.
24. Yellowstone’s buffalo herd is the last one that is ____and free roaming.

Horse Butte
Peninsula
“our federal lands” Yellowstone
National
Park

State and Federal management agencies justify killing
buffalo by saying the buffalo pose an unacceptable risk of
brucellosis transmission to Montana cattle, and that the
cattle industry must protect its brucellosis-free status.
Brucellosis is a bacterial disease present in both domestic
animals and wildlife such as elk, deer and moose. Infected
domestic cows tend to abort their first calf and then birth
normally, although it does not seem to affect wildlife.
Facts:
• The available scientific evidence demonstrates that the
risk of brucellosis being passed to cattle is extremely
remote. There has never been a documented case of
brucellosis transmission from buffalo to livestock in a
natural setting.
• In Grand Teton National Park, buffalo and vaccinated
cattle have co-mingled for over 40 years without a single
cow contracting the disease.
• Management agencies have not addressed possible
brucellosis transmission from wildlife such as coyotes,
elk, deer, moose, and others. If managers truly believe
brucellosis is a threat, they would manage the disease
instead of the buffalo.
• The Federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
(APHIS) will not revoke Montana’s brucellosis-free status
if the state tolerates the presence of “low risk” buffalo
such as bulls and calves. Of the 1,190 buffalo killed in
the last four winters, almost half posed a low risk for
transmission (bulls and yearling calves).
• Costly cattle import restrictions, imposed by other states,
are supposedly feared. Yet, only the federal government
can impose restrictions, and all states must respect the
federal brucellosis classification.
Meghan Fay/Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers Photo 1997
“There is just as much propriety in depopulating our
rivers, in destroying the fish in our rivers, as in
destroying the buffalo in order to induce the Indian
to become civilized. We may as well not only destroy
the buffalo, but the fish in the rivers, the birds in the
air; we may as well destroy the squirrels, lizards,
prairie-dogs, and everything else upon which the
Indian feeds. The argument, Mr. Speaker, is a
disgrace to anybody who makes it.” —U.S. Represen-
tative Eldredge of Wisconsin, 1874
BFC File Photo
This bison herd is as
important to this
country as Old
Faithful, as the Statue
of Liberty, as the
Grand Canyon. This Pre 1800 65 million wild buffalo in the United States.
particular bison herd 1850-1880 80 million buffalo shot, their remains left to rot
is the most genetically on the prairies.
pure bison herd we 1872 Yellowstone National Park established.
have in America 1895 800 buffalo left in the United States, most in captivity.
today. They’ve not 1896 23 buffalo left in Yellowstone; wild buffalo on the
been interbred with brink of extinction.
1902 Buffalo reintroduced to Yellowstone from herds in
cattle, they are exactly
Montana and Texas.
the way they were a 1907 Bison Ranch built in Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley.
thousand years ago. 1917 Brucellosis discovered in Yellowstone buffalo
— Don Barry, Assistant (introduced by cattle).
Secretary, Department of 1952 Bison Ranch ceases operations.
the Interior 1954 1,500 buffalo in the park; park officials decide
Dan Brister Photo Yellowstone can only support 400 buffalo, start shoot-
ing buffalo inside the park.
1966 397 buffalo left in Yellowstone; park implements
policy of natural population regulation; shooting stops.
1985 Montana legislature enacts buffalo hunt.
1988 2,750 buffalo in Yellowstone.
1989 Buffalo hunt stopped due to public opposition.
1991-1995 Montana Fish & Game shoot buffalo leaving
Buffalo that cross the invisible park boundary are put park in winter.
into the deadly grasp of the Montana Department of 1995 3,500 buffalo in Yellowstone; Montana legislature
Livestock (DOL), an agency with no wildlife management gives control (shooting and capture duties) to the
training or experience. DOL agents chase, capture and kill Montana Department of Livestock (DOL).
buffalo that enter the state. However, the DOL’s mandate is 1996-1997 During a harsh winter DOL and Park Service kill
to promote Montana’s livestock industry—the ultimate 1,083 buffalo; another estimated 1,800 die from the
disincentive for managing a wild buffalo population. winter; herd reduced by two-thirds.
When buffalo enter Montana, DOL agents on 1997-1998 Buffalo Nations (later the Buffalo Field Cam-
snowmobiles, ATVs, horses or trucks round them up and paign) formed — volunteers protect all buffalo leaving
force them to run for many miles and over barbed wire the park; Ehnamani Sun Dance Church holds Sundance
fences back to the park. As the snow accumulates, contin- in Yellowstone; National Day of Prayer held; DOL kills 11
ued hazing stresses the buffalo unnecessarily and causes buffalo; 1,700 wild buffalo left.
winter kill. Buffalo Field Campaign documented a herd of 1998-1999 DOL slaughters 96 buffalo; 22 BFC volunteers
over 100 elk running from a DOL snowmobile during arrested while protesting capture and slaughter opera-
buffalo hazing, over barbed wire fences, and getting tions; “Tatanka Oyate Mani”—‘They Walk for the
injured. Buffalo’, a 500 mile native walk from South Dakota to
DOL baits their capture facilities with hay or rounds Yellowstone. Tribal Consultation held in spring.
up buffalo and hazes them into the trap to test them. These 1999-2000 For the first winter since 1983-1984, no
traps are a maze of cattle fences and plywood that funnel Yellowstone buffalo slaughtered by Montana.
captive buffalo into small chutes for testing. This process
subjects wild buffalo to unnatural confinement, which
causes the animals to break horns, panic and gore each
other. DOL agents hit captive buffalo with sticks, shock
them with cattle prods, and chase them with Bobcat mini-
tractors.
The test that the DOL conducts is a blood test which
can only prove that the buffalo might have been exposed to
brucellosis, not that they have or could transmit the disease.
About 50% test positive and are sentenced to death, even
though most of those, because of sex, age or reproductive
status, could not, if infected, transmit the disease.
According to the results of tissue and blood tests
conducted by State and Federal officials during the winter
of 1991-92, less than one-half of one percent of
Yellowstone buffalo were infectious. Of the 218 buffalo
sampled, not one, at the time of death, was capable of
transmitting brucellosis bacteria to cattle.
The DOL even shoots buffalo in the field without
testing them for brucellosis. Even worse, in the winter of
1996-97 the DOL shot buffalo in the field after they had
already captured and released them after testing negative
for brucellosis.
BFC Photo
The Yellowstone Buffalo
Yellowstone buffalo play an important role in the
Yellowstone ecosystem. Scientists identify buffalo as a
“keystone species” in maintaining the health and abun-
dance of other wildlife and plant communities indigenous
to the area.
Grizzly bears, gray wolves, trumpeter swans, eagles,
peregrine falcons, lynx, wolverine, and boreal owl are
among the animals that inhabit the lands where buffalo
BFC File Photo roam.
Yellowstone’s buffalo herd have established migration
Is History Repeating Itself? corridors to habitat surrounding the Park, like Horse Butte
Peninsula, a wildlife rich area that includes Hebgen Lake
Sixty-five million buffalo once roamed America. near West Yellowstone. The buffalo winter there and calve
Buffalo were essential to the survival of Plains Indians, in the spring.
providing spiritual guidance, food, shelter, and tools. 19th When the sun has melted the deep snows, and the
century American military leaders recognized the Indians’ time is right, the buffalo use these wildland habitats to
dependence on the buffalo and launched an all out attack return to Yellowstone Park.
on the Indians’ very source of life. Buffalo were killed by
the millions and their remains were left to waste on the
prairies. By 1900 only a few hundred buffalo remained,
most in captivity. In the remote backcountry of Yellowstone
National Park, the last 23 wild buffalo survived, the
ancestors of today’s herd.
By 1997 the Yellowstone buffalo herd numbered
3,500— one of the greatest conservation success stories in
American history. Unfortunately, the success was short
lived. Buffalo are no longer welcome on public lands
outside of Yellowstone, their traditional winter habitat,
having been displaced by powerful cattle interests. The
buffalo slaughter of the 19th century has resumed. The
State of Montana and federal government agencies are
killing the direct descendants of the buffalo brought back
from the brink of extinction in the last one hundred years. Sunrise on the Madison River. Chuck Irestone Photo
 International Buffalo Petition Drive
During the Week of Action in April of 2000,
almost 50,000 petition signatures were presented to
government officials. Thanks to all who signed on and
passed the information along to friends and families!
Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt and
President Clinton still have to yet to formally comment
on the petition. It was also presented to Hebgen Lake
District Ranger Stan Benes to “pass up the chain of
command” to Forest Service Chief, Mike Dombeck.
Please contact us for further information regard-
ing the actions (or inactions) that these public servants
are taking to respond to the concerns of citizens.
The petition represents a common sense
grassroots solution to a complex problem. It requests a
simple action: turn federal grazing allotments over to
buffalo and wildlife as intended when the Gallatin
National Forest was created as a buffer zone. This would
save tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars as well as the
lives of buffalo. As Stan Benes, Hebgen Lake Ranger
District said regarding the buffalo continuing to return
to traditional lush grazing grounds on Horse Butte, “It’s
like my teenage son. If I chase him away from the
refrigerator — he’s gonna be right back.”
The petition has three main points:
1) Federal (public) lands should be used for wild buffalo
instead of being leased at below cost value to
ranchers to graze cows.
2) The financial burden to the taxpayers of the United
States regarding the management of these animals is
unacceptable. Federal agencies should be using
fiscallyresponsible alternatives instead of wasting
taxpayer’s dollars.
3) The people of the world care for the buffalo and will
not stand by and watch them be slaughtered. There
are sound biological principles that should override
politics.
A Petition to the Honorable:
Mike Dombeck, Chief, US Forest Service;
Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of the Interior;
Bill Clinton, President, United States:
We, the people, implore you to take immediate
action to help protect one of our nation’s greatest
natural heritages, the largest and last free-ranging wild
buffalo herd in the United States.
Montana’s Governor Marc Racicot has made the
Yellowstone buffalo into a political punching bag instead
of managing them as wildlife. This is evident in
Montana’s refusal to let biologists manage them, and
instead treating them like domestic cattle. Please be the
voice of reason and action and end this debacle for the
concerned citizens of the United States and the world.
Federal agencies and officials have continually
failed to prepare legally sufficient environmental
documentation analyzing all environmental impacts of
buffalo management, and to prevent impacts of the
buffalo slaughter on imperiled species in violation of the
National Environmental Policy Act, and the Endangered
Species Act. Forest Service lands should be used for
wildlife as intended by law. Current grazing allotments
on public lands should be designated as buffalo habitat.
It is necessary to stop wasting taxpayers dollars in
managing these wild buffalo. It is time that you, as
public servants, take personal responsibility and serve
the public and address these issues.
Please take a moment and sign on or contact us at:
http://www.wildrockies.org/buffpet/
or request a hard copy petition at
buffpet@wildrockies.org
For the Buffalo!
Join us on the Front Lines or
Support us from Afar!
We are on patrol all day, everyday, defending the
buffalo on their critical habitat outside Yellowstone
National Park, documenting every action taken against
them. We have immediate openings for field volun-
teers. All volunteers are provided room and board in a
log house on Hebgen Lake, near West Yellowstone,
Montana. If you can’t visit in person, your tax-deduct-
ible contribution will make our patrols possible. Please
contact us for volunteer information or with questions.
email: buffalo@wildrockies.org
This publication and all contents within are ©2000 by the
Buffalo Field Campaign, or the photographer, as noted.
C Printed on recycled paper.
Mark Alan Wilson Photo
Join our Stop-the-Slaughter
Email Update list
The Stop-the-Slaughter email update is sent out
one to three times each month providing key informa-
tion on the Yellowstone buffalo as well as updates from
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Our listserve updates let people know what is
happening to our national heritage... the last wild
buffalo... and informs people on how to make their
concerns known.
To subscribe to the list, send an email to:
Stop-the-Slaughter-on@vortex.wildrockies.org
Please pass this address on to your friends.
Contact us for more info!
Tax deductible monetary contributions to camp will be
used for housing, food and gas. Please consider
supporting Buffalo Field Campaign… your money will
be used wisely. Hold a benefit in your community!
We are in the field with the buffalo 365 days a year!
This is a grass roots effort.
If you don’t speak out… who will?
Pass this newsletter on to your friends and family.
Yellowstone Buffalo Video
Online at: www.wildrockies.org/buffalo/video.html
Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers has produced a
compilation video on the Yellowstone buffalo. The
video includes Buffalo Bull, a 52-minute documentary
on the plight of Yellowstone's wild herd. Plan B, the
Buffalo's Alternative (6-minutes) a scientific,
biologically based plan to allow buffalo to roam free
in the Yellowstone ecosystem. Where the Buffalo Roam
profiles Buffalo Field Campaign efforts to protect
Yellowstone's buffalo.
Send a $20 check or money order to:
Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers
PO Box 7941 Missoula MT 59807
406-728-0867 cmcr@wildrockies.org
The Buffalo Field Campaign Headquarters, outside of
West Yellowstone, Montana. Chuck Irestone photo.
Solutions to the Problem:
✱ Like other wildlife in Yellowstone, buffalo should be
managed by qualified wildlife agencies using contempo-
rary management techniques with full public involve-
ment. The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS) could establish, through regulations, a
buffer zone around the park within which all cattle
would be tested for brucellosis before being permitted to
leave. This would eliminate the problem of ranchers in
other parts of the state being adversely affected by
Yellowstone’s brucellosis scare.
✱ Although Montana claims the threat of brucellosis is
great, ranchers in effected counties are not required to
vaccinate against the disease. Vaccination would protect
livestock far more effectively and economically than the
current war against the buffalo.
✱ Only 2,000 cattle are grazed on public lands in the
cattle-buffalo conflict zone. These National Forest lands
were established expressly to provide habitat for buffalo
and other park wildlife. The Forest Service could close
grazing allotments or modify the stocking dates of such
allotments to ensure no buffalo/cattle overlap.
✱ If the herd grows beyond the carrying capacity of
Yellowstone, buffalo could be relocated to tribes wanting
to re-establish wild herds on their lands. There are
already 47 such tribes waiting for Yellowstone buffalo.
Additionally, wild buffalo could be returned to parts of
their former range. Establishing other wild herds would
protect the genetic viability of the species.
✱ The Department of Livestock is the wrong agency to
control the fate of these magnificent creatures. It is a job
for wildlife biologists. Buffalo are not cattle, and they
deserve all the protections that other wild species
receive. Decisions affecting the buffalo should place
emphasis on maintaining wild, free-ranging, self-
sustaining herds.
It just takes a moment and can help make a
difference! Use your pen, phone, or computer to urge our
public officials to stop the slaughter and implement some
common sense solutions to the problem (above). Letters to
the editor of your local paper are also a great way to let
people know about this atrocity. Check out our website for
more info and speak out for the buffalo and future
generations!
Mike Dombeck, Chief, Forest Service,
Auditor’s Bldg
201 14th Street, S.W. at Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20024
Phone: (202) 205-1661
email: Mike.Dombeck/wo@fs.fed.us
Dan Glickman, Secretary of Agriculture
200A Whitten Bldg
1400 Independence Ave SW
Washington, DC 20246
Phone: (202) 720-3631; Fax: 202-720-2166
Let their bosses know that wild buffalo are important…
do they even know what is happening?
President Bill Clinton
email: president@whitehouse.gov
Vice President Gore;
email: vice.president@whitehouse.gov
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, D.C. 20500
Phone: (202) 456-1414; Fax: (202) 456-2461
Bruce Babbit, Secretary of Interior
1849 C St NW
Washington, DC 20240
Phone: (202) 208-7351
email: exsec@ios.doi.gov
Robert Stanton; Director
National Park Service
1849 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20240
email: dir@nps.gov
Montana Folks responsible for the killing:
Montana Department of Livestock
Box 202201
Helena, MT 59620
The DOL’s acting director is Marc Bridges. Phone from
Montana at (800) 523-3162; ext. 3
or from out of state (406) 444-2023
Governor Marc Racicot
State Capitol
Helena, MT 59620
Phone: (406) 444-3111
within Montana: (800) 332-2272
fax: (406) 444-4151
Montana Tourism Development & Promotion Division;
Travel Bureau of Montana
Matthew Cohn, Director
email: mcohn@state.mt.us
Will you spend your money in a State with such politics?
Phone calls are good (& free)… (800) 847-4868