Update from the Field 2/17/05
Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC)
News from the Field
February 17, 2005
NEW WEB SITE! http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org
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In this Issue:
* BFC Needs Your Financial Support
* Update from the Field
* Who is APHIS?
* A Volunteer's Experience
* Last Words
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* BFC Needs Your Financial Support
The Buffalo Field Campaign has been on the front-lines since
1997, documenting every action taken against the buffalo and fighting
tirelessly against the unjustified harassment and slaughter of the
last truly wild buffalo. This first-hand experience has placed
us at the forefront of legal, legislative, policy, and grassroots
solutions that will lead to the buffalo's long-term protection.
BFC coordinators put in hundreds of hours every week, scouring
agency documents, reviewing scientific studies, making phone calls,
and writing letters to increase the numbers and power of the buffalo's
constituency. We fervently believe that when enough people are
equipped with the facts and the proper tools to put those facts to
use, public officials will have no choice but to enact laws and
policies that will protect the buffalo for future generations.
We are an extremely efficient organization that gets more done on
less money than any other group in existence, but our efforts do
require money. We are in the busiest time of our season, when
our bare-bones expenses exceed $10,000 a month. Unlike many of
the larger, more corporate groups, the majority of our budget is
covered by our network of individual supporters. In other words,
without individual contributions from people like you, there would be
no BFC.
Our work has helped bring awareness of the buffalo slaughter to a
national audience. One unfortunate downside to this awareness is
that many groups have now jumped on the bandwagon and claim to be
"saving the buffalo." As a result we find ourselves
facing increasing competition for a diminishing pool of funds.
Although all environmental and animal rights groups working on this
issue depend on BFC for up-to-date news and information, none of these
groups make financial contributions to insure our continued
existence.
If you value the Yellowstone buffalo and our work on their
behalf, we need you to make a tax-deductible contribution to BFC
today. Our future--and the future of the buffalo--depends on
it.
Already in 2005, we have made great strides for the buffalo.
Together with you, our thousands of supporters and family, we focused
media attention on the ill-advised buffalo hunt which lead to its
cancellation; organized a one-on-one meeting with Governor Brian
Schweitzer; and have been vigilant in opposing legislative and policy
efforts to quarantine, vaccinate, neuter, and otherwise erode the
wildness of the Yellowstone buffalo. We've accomplished all this while
feeding, housing, and equipping the more than 100 volunteers who have
comprised the daily patrols we've been running since early
November.
Hundreds of you have responded to our calls for action,
contacting agency officials and lawmakers, and making a real
difference for the buffalo. In the midst of our eighth season we
find ourselves in the difficult position of needing to ask for your
financial support. The truth is that everything we do depends on
you. Please, if you are able, make a donation today. The
easiest way to donate is by clicking the red "donate now"
button on the bottom right hand side of our web site:
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/. Or send a check to the
address listed at the bottom of this message. We are a
non-profit organization and all donations are tax-deductible to the
extent allowed by law. Please be as generous as we are
committed, and take a moment to make a donation to BFC today.
We envision a future gathering where buffalo supporters and
allies can come together in celebration of the long-term protection of
wild buffalo. Together we are making a difference and together
we will bring this vision to fruition. Pass this on to others;
our existence depends on it.
From all of us at BFC, thank you.
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* Update from the Field
It is so cold now that our freezers are dying.
It's no wonder there are no cattle around now - they'd never
survive. This climate was given to the shaggy buffalo; they carry on
no matter the weather, facing into a storm, grazing and sleeping in
the wide open, bitter cold spaces like there's nothing to it, like
they've been at it for millennia; and they have. The cold crone
bones of winter have a fierce grip on us right now; the past few days
have been utterly frigid, as we've been experiencing an average of 25
below freezing each morning. Waiting for the morning fire to
give its blessed heat, as we lay snug under covers in the tipi, the
strangely soothing and punctual sunrise caws of Raven grind through
the chill in the air and wake us for hot coffee and breakfast.
Reports indicate that the cold is not going to let up any time
soon. But what else to expect when you live in one of the
coldest climates in the lower 48? And we can't complain too
much; aside from the pipes freezing, things have been rather calm in
the field. The five bulls that were hazed last week have
been peacefully grazing and simply being buffalo trying to make it
through another winter. Most of the activity has been in
Helena, were lawmakers and lobbyists are trying their best to make
this world a more "interesting" place, for better or for
worse.
On Tuesday, Josh and I ventured to Helena to defend the buffalo
against some insane ideas coming from lawmakers at the state capitol.
Joined by two other buffalo soldiers, Darrell and George, we stood
before the Montana House Agricultural Committee to speak in opposition
to recently introduced House Joint Resolution 22, which
urges federal agencies to "expedite the elimination of
brucellosis in the Yellowstone National Park bison and elk herds and
urges the president.... to name the USDA as the lead agency in an
elimination plan." Though the resolution isn't legislation
that would become a state law, it would set a very scary precedent
because it essentially states that agriculture takes precedence over
wildlife no matter what. If adopted, it would mean Montana
agrees with removing the National Park Service as the lead agency in
charge of wildlife within Yellowstone National Park, placing the
USDA-Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in that
position. APHIS will do whatever it takes to protect livestock
over wildlife (see below for a full description of APHIS) and allowing
them to take charge *inside* the park opens the doors that nightmares
are made of. It was no surprise to hear DOL, the MT Cattlemen's
Association, and the MT Farm Bureau speak in favor of it, but we were
shocked and disheartened to hear Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
speak as a proponent of the resolution. This is the agency
we would have in charge of a buffalo hunt? This is the agency in
charge of protecting and managing Montana's wildlife? The
resolution was written by a cattleman, and it reflects this segment's
ignorance and prejudice. For the full text of the resolution go
to http://data.opi.state.mt.us/bills/2005/billhtml/HJ0022.htm. Montana
residents should contact their House Representatives
(http://leg.state.mt.us/css/house/default.asp); folks both in and
out-of-state should contact Governor Schweitzer
(governor@mt.gov).
While in Helena, we also got some pretty bad news from the Senate
side: Senate Bill 353 passed the House Resource Committee 5-4.
This is the the bill that would allow DOL to capture, neuter,
quarantine and transport wild buffalo in an effort to start herds on
tribal lands. Even its sponsor, Senator Pease, spoke to the
absurdity of starting herds with neutered buffalo and said his bill
probably isn't the right answer. Regardless, the Chairman of the
committee said that he voted to pass it for two reasons: 1) 75%
of the comments he received were from out-of-state; 2) he heard no
opposition from any Montana tribal members. The bill could go to
the Senate floor at any time. Inaction on our part will mean
it's passage. If you are a resident of Montana, it
is *critical* that you contact your senator
(http://leg.state.mt.us/css/senate/default.asp ) regarding the
negative impacts of SB 353; please also contact Senator Pease and urge
him to kill his own bill. If you're from out-of-state, contact
the Governor (governor@mt.gov) and tell him that these buffalo do not
belong to Montana, and are not theirs to do with as they please.
Your voices count and must be heard.
It is a blessing that the west side is quiet right now; things
are otherwise coming at us from all angles. On the north side,
near Gardiner, buffalo are on the move, and we are on stand-by, ready
to set up camp there at a moment's notice. We had been hopeful
that the milder weather, which brought some early green-up, would
check the buffalo's need to migrate out of the Park, but temperatures
have dropped, and buffalo will be buffalo and will go where they need
to be. Unfortunately, we have only four working cameras, and our
operating budget is growing thin. In Helena, legislation and
resolutions keep us trekking to the podium. Times are hard, and
we are only in the middle of the campaign season. We need your
continued support to keep our volunteers in the field and equipped,
able to carry the buffalo's message to the ears of the world.
Without you, we are not able to be here, and that's the plain and
simple truth. Asking for money is one of our least favorite
parts, but we are doing that now. We need your financial
support. You make it possible for us to be in the field.
You make the difference. We really need your help now.
For the Buffalo,
~Stephany
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* Who is APHIS?
The USDA's Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS) is one of five agencies involved in the
Interagency Bison Management Plan. APHIS is the federal agency
responsible for the national brucellosis eradication program and is
solely responsible for designating the brucellosis status of
individual states. All of the funds spent by the state of
Montana to implement the Plan come from APHIS as part of their annual
$9 million brucellosis eradication budget. The DOL receives
approximately $600,000 a year for the Plan and another $250,000 for
the Greater Yellowstone Interagency Brucellosis Committee comes
directly from APHIS. Additionally, APHIS spends millions of
dollars annually for research into brucellosis vaccination of buffalo
and elk. Recently, APHIS has taken the lead on quarantine
research for Yellowstone buffalo. APHIS also served in an
advisory role to the Wyoming brucellosis coordinating committee that
has recommended test and slaughter of elk on the Pinedale Feed
Ground.
But what is APHIS really all about?
The reality is that APHIS is the federal arm of the agricultural
industries. In addition to disease control, APHIS administers
the grossly inappropriately named "wildlife services"
division. Formerly known as animal damage control, APHIS
oversees and administers the shooting, poisoning, and trapping of
millions of wild animals deemed to be pests to agriculture including
prairie dogs, ravens, coyotes, beavers, foxes, opossums, and countless
other species. Ironically APHIS also administers the Animal
Welfare Act designed to protect livestock from inhumane treatment.
This is akin to designating the Nazi SS as the watchdog for the
treatment of Jewish prisoners at Auschwitz. Additionally, APHIS is the
agency responsible for representing the United States in international
trade regulatory talks related to the import and export of agriculture
products including the provisions for livestock diseases such as
brucellosis.
Under the 2002 Animal Health Protection
Act, APHIS claims to have gained authority over any "animal"
(humans?) that might be considered a pest to the livestock industry.
APHIS has already claimed that this act allows them to assert primary
authority in developing and carrying out management plans regardless
of the other jurisdictions in place. In other words, APHIS
claims that if they choose to, they could come into Yellowstone
National Park and capture, test and slaughter any potentially
disease-infected buffalo, elk or any other species for that matter.
At a public meeting in Jackson Hole, Wyoming in May 2003, APHIS
unveiled their intentions to develop a brucellosis eradication plan
for the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA) and designate themselves as the
lead agency. Furthermore, APHIS admits that the only currently
developed "tools" for eradicating brucellosis are test and
slaughter in combination with vaccination. However, given the
relative ineffectiveness of the available vaccines in bison and elk,
test and slaughter would be the primary means of eradication.
Montana resolution HJ22 requests that APHIS be named the lead agency
for brucellosis eradication in the GYA with full knowledge of how
APHIS would administer such a program.
It is high time that APHIS be exposed for
what they really are, the heavy hand of the agricultural industries.
APHIS has no real concern for wildlife or the ecosystems they inhabit
except when agriculture is potentially affected in which case they aim
to eliminate the "problem" (i.e. wildlife) to insure maximum
profit for the industries they represent. APHIS must hear from
you and the message must be clear. Tell APHIS to keep their
hands off of our wildlife now and in the future. Let APHIS know
that Americans will not stand to see the agents of death destroy our
last and only wild buffalo for the benefit of the livestock
industry. Email:
APHIS.Web@aphis.usda.gov; Web: http://www.aphis.usda.gov
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* A Volunteer's Experience
5:00 a.m. - wake up call for the first patrol.
We rise this morning long before dawn's first light to pick our
spot and stand our ground. Many of the veterans here are
expecting a hazing soon, maybe today. It is in the field, on the
front lines where it all comes together. We don't fight with
guns or violence, instead we fight with our cameras and a belief in
our hearts and souls compelling us to do what is right.
I am new here, and like many of you, I had my hesitations about
coming out here. I didn't know anyone, or what it would be like
living here. I must admit I didn't even know for sure that it
would be right for me. All I knew is what the DOL was doing to
the bison and in turn to us all.
So here I am before the dawn getting ready to go into the field.
My job is simple, to document what the DOL is doing to destroy a
tenacious symbol of freedom, spirit, and strength.
What about all my fears in coming here? How did I overcome
them?
Imagine a land where the bison shall never run free.
This is my answer.
~Kim
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* Last Words
The following is a brief transcript from the end of Tuesday's
hearing on House Joint Resolution 22. Representative Jonathan
Windy Boy, a Chippewa-Cree, has a question for Tom Linfield, Montana's
State Veternarian. Linfield represents the Department of
Livestock.
Representative Jonathan Windy Boy: "Looking at this
testimony here.... where did this brucellosis come from?
Linfield: "It is unknown where it came from....
perhaps a milk cow in the early 1900's in Yellowstone
Park..."
Rep. Windy Boy: "So this came from a cow, why are we
putting blame on the buffalo?"
Linfield: "Certainly we're not blaming the buffalo or the
elk for the disease, our concern is the disease and unfortunately both
the bison and the elk are infected... certainly we'd never blame the
buffalo, it's just that unfortunately they're the reservoir for the
disease right now."
Rep. Windy Boy: "That's where my confusion is... my
ancestors have been living on buffalo for centuries and centuries and
centuries. That's where my confusion is. Why are we
blaming the buffalo all of a sudden for the last 100 years?
Brucellosis wasn't an issue then, why all of a sudden in the last 100
years?"
Linfield: "Essentially in this country, there's been a
fairly intensive brucellosis eradication program in domestic
livestock... The point is right now we have very few remaining
reservoirs of this disease in the country... Wyoming and Texas are the
only states that are not class-free and the only other exception is
this reservoir in Yellowstone, in and around Yellowstone National Park
in both the bison and elk. I guess I don't know if I directly
answered your question, maybe if you could rephrase it I could answer
it better."
Representative Windy Boy waved his hand in frustration and had no
further questions for Linfield.
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--
Buffalo Field Campaign
P.O. Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-0070
bfc-media@wildrockies.org
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org
BFC is the only group working in the field every day
to defend the last wild herd of buffalo in America.
--
Buffalo Field Campaign
P.O. Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-0070
bfc-media@wildrockies.org
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org
BFC is the only group working in the field every day
to defend the last wild herd of buffalo in America.