---------- > From: Buffalo Folks <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: Stop the Slaughter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Buffalo News and thanks! > Date: Saturday, March 13, 1999 9:20 AM > > Greetings! > In this update...The DOL captures buffalo when there aren't even cows in > the area while Montana citizens (as well as folks around the nation) demand > that the State of Montana switch management of the last wild buffalo over > to the biologists (FWP) instead of the incompetent Department of Livestock > > * House Bill 643; <Please take a moment to make one call,fax or letter for > the buffalo!> > * News from the Field: Department of Livestock Lures Buffalo <3 calves!> > into Trap <will they too be slaughtered?>; Volunteers Needed > * Draft DEIS comments released...Thanks for your comments! > * National Petition Drive target date for: return of cows (and potential > buffalo hazing and death) > * We need to get the word out around the nation about the plight of the > buffalo...it's easy...if everyone just forwards this update to 5 caring > folks! see... you can make a difference! > > Thanks! for your efforts and support of the buffalo! > > Be Well > For the Earth! > > By the way- > The folks on the front lines in the Buffalo Field Camp > ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) are sure doing a great job and any "happy" > emails, cards, donations and of course monetary contributions to pay the > rent are appreciated down there, I'm sure. > *************************************** > *HB 643 > > Howdy folks, > > Montana House Bill 643 will be heard in the House Ag Committee, 3pm, March > 18, 1999. A rally at 1:30pm with speakers and drummers on the Capitol steps > will precede the hearing. Media Welcome! We need to have a good turnout for > the hearing, so if you can get to Helena, we need you! > > HB 643, introduced by Rep. Gail Gutsche (D-Missoula) will modify management > of wild buffalo in Montana, outside of Yellowstone National Park. The bill > will include several provisions that will prevent the wanton slaughter of wild > buffalo that may have been exposed to brucellosis. > > House Bill 643 has four main provisions: > > 1) Transfers primary management of buffalo from the Montana Deparment of > Livestock (DOL) to the Montana Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks (FWP). > > This puts wildlife biologists, not cattle folks in charge of the public's > wildlife. > > 2) Mandates that Montana follow the federal Animal and Plant Health > Inspection Service's (APHIS) definition of low-risk buffalo, and honor the > 30-60 grace period on public lands. > > APHIS has stated that bulls, calves and non-pregnant females cannot > transmit the disease under normal conditions in the wild, and should be > considered "low-risk" by the state, and could be allowed to winter > undisturbed on public lands outside of Yellowstone National Park. APHIS > also allows that a 30 day window of separation between the time pregnant > females leave lands that cattle will be grazing on is sufficient to protect > against transmission of the disease. > > 3) Prevents 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! The > practice of profitting from the slaughter has been most offensive to many > people. <Meanwhile they continue to beg for federal tax dollars and have > already gotten 1/2 million of your tax dollars committed to their trap > plans!> > > 4) Directs the MT Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks to conduct a study > of the carrying capacity for buffalo on public lands outside of > Yellowstone, and to develop a management plan--in conjunction with tribal > interests--to manage the herd for that population. > > ******************* > What you can do: > > * Attend the Hearing and Rally; Folks in Missoula can call 728-0867 to > arrange car pooling. > > * Write, email, or fax letters to members of the House AG committe, or call > them and leave a message. Letters to all of the members would be great. If > you email them, send an email to each member; > > * Make it known that the State of Montana must alter their bison management > policies to allow wild buffalo to roam in Montana on their traditional, > critical wintering grounds just outside of Yellowstone National Park; > > * If you are outside of Montana, let the AG committee and the DOL know that > the buffalo herd is a PUBLIC RESOURCE, not just a herd of buffalo for them > to treat like cattle. This is a NATIONAL issue; Let them know that folks > from around the country are watching and that the buffalo matter; Politely > and heartfully let them know that tabling this bill and trying to sweep it > under the carpet is not appropriate. They need to let their constituents > (&the country) know where they stand so that when the voters go into that > voting booth...... > > * Pass this note on to folks you know who may not have heard about this > issue, and urge them to make their wishes known; > > * Send personal testimony to the committee in addition to your vote of > support. > > ******************** > 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 (the last three already support the bill): > > Joe Barnett; Chair; Belgrade, (R) > John L Holden; Vice Chair; Valier; (R) > Rick Dale; Member; WhiteHall; (R) > 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) > 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) > *Paul Clark; Member; Trout Creek; (D) > *Frank Smith; Member; Poplar; (D) > *Bill Eggers; Member; Crow Agency; (D) > > * Known Bill Supporters > > 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. > " Hi!, I am in support of Montana House Bill 643,The State of Montana must > alter their bison management policies to allow wild buffalo to roam in > Montana on their traditional wintering grounds outside of Yellowstone > National Park" Leave name and address > > Fax: 1-900-225-1600; Address it to the Representative > > By e-mail: E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], be sure to put the Representative's > name in the subject line. Be sure and include full name & address. > > By mail: Send letters of support to Representative ________, Capitol Station, > Helena, MT 59620. > > ***************** > Jim Coefield > The Ecology Center, Inc. > 406-728-5733 > > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > *************************************** > Department of Livestock Lures Buffalo into Trap; Volunteers Needed > > For Immediate Release: March 12, 1999. > Media Contact: Mike Mease. (406) 646-0070. > > West Yellowstone, MT--The Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) captured 5 > buffalo including 3 buffalo calves and a bull who had already been marked > as testing negative at the Duck Creek capture facility near West > Yellowstone, Montana. The buffalo have been grazing along the park > boundary for the past week. DOL agents lured them into the trap with a > trail of fresh hay leading from Duck Creek, a natural migration corridor to > lower elevation critical winter habitat outside the Park. > > Buffalo Field Campaign volunteers have successfully prevented buffalo > leaving the Park from entering the trap all winter. In the past week, a > herd of more than seventy buffalo-- mostly cows and their calves--have > gathered on the park boundary near the DOL capture facility. Volunteers > were unable to keep the 4 buffalo from being lured by the hay into the trap. > > The DOL will blood-test the buffalo to determine which to send to slaughter > and which to release. The blood test used in the field by the DOL is > extremely unreliable by industry standards and only determines if a buffalo > is has been exposed to brucellosis, not for the disease itself. > > Only tissue culture tests determine if an animal is actually infected. > Culture tests, conducted by the US Animal and Plant Health Inspection > Service (APHIS) following slaughter, determined that 13 of the first 15 > buffalo killed this year were "culture negative", i.e. did not have > brucellosis. Both the animals that tested positive were bulls, defined by > APHIS as low risk for brucellosis transmission. Of the buffalo slaughtered > this winter 87% were low risk bulls. > > Scientific studies have shown that the only way brucellosis can be > transmitted to cows is if they ingest an aborted buffalo fetus or > after-birth. With no cows on these public lands until June, it would be > impossible for such a transmission to occur. Brucellosis dies within four > hours of exposure to sunlight. > > Calves, non-pregnant cows, and bulls therefore are all considered "low > risk" for brucellosis transmission by APHIS, the federal agency responsible > for granting a state its "brucellosis free" status. APHIS has stated that > the presence of low risk buffalo will not jeopardize Montana's status. > Despite these facts, the state of Montana continues, needlessly, to > slaughter all exposed animals. > > "The DOL is making a mockery of science and needlessly killing off America's > last wild buffalo herd." said Dan Brister, Buffalo Field Campaign spokesperson, > "We will be here until this sensless slaughter stops." > > > Contact Mike Mease, 406-646-0070 for further information. > > Videos and Stills available on request. > > **************** > Volunteers needed!! > > The Buffalo Field Campaign still has several months to go. We need to have > more folks to come to West Yellowstone to help out with the campaign. Many > folks have left the camp recently to rest/recharge and to go back to work, > or meet other obligations. If you can help out, please call the Buffalo > Field Campaign office!! > > ********************* > > Buffalo Field Campaign > (formerly Buffalo Nations) > PO Box 957 > West Yellowstone, MT 59758 > 406-646-0070 phone > 406-646-0071 fax > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Our web pages are updated and full of great info; please share this URL > http://www.wildrockies.org/buffalo > we have posted new video clips for an "in the field" look at the situation > Please stop by and see it! > > ************************************************ > > We are preparing to kick off the national petion drive for the buffalo! > Target date for submission of the petition is around earth day...before the > APHIS designation of "30 days before the cows come home". We hope to get > an excutive action to avoid the replication of the insanity of the military > hazing action that went on last year. Please email > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] if you are able to help with > electronic or physical petition circulation. > Thanks! > STOP THE SLAUGHTER! > > ************************************************ > > NEWS RELEASE > u.s. department of the interior national park service > > LARGE NUMBER OF PUBLIC COMMENTS ON DRAFT BISON MANAGEMENT PLAN REVEAL -- THE > ISSUES ARE OF NATIONAL CONCERN > > A draft plan on the management of bison in and around Yellowstone > National Park received more than 67,000 public comments from across the > country and around the world, the National Park Service announced today. The > announcement was made as the NPS released a summary analysis of the comments > which details the areas of support and concern generated by the draft plan. > During the period allowing public comment on the draft EIS, the NPS > received 67,520 letters containing 212,249 individual comments. The dominant > themes in the letters were bison management and the alternatives for bison > management presented in the draft EIS. > The comments were received in response to a draft Environmental Impact > Statement (EIS) on the Interagency Bison Management Plan for the State of > Montana and Yellowstone National Park. The EIS was jointly developed by the > State of Montana, Department of Interior's National Park Service, and the U.S. > Department of Agriculture's Forest Service and Animal and Plant Health > Inspection Service (APHIS). > The comment period on the draft EIS lasted from June 12, 1998 through > November 2, 1998. Comments were received from federal and state agencies, > tribes, non-governmental organizations, and interested individuals from every > state in the United States and 66 countries throughout the world. > The cooperating state and federal agencies will now use the public > comments to revise the draft EIS and correct errors, incorporate relevant new > information, and evaluate new proposed alternatives. > The report on the summary of public comments will be available beginning > March 9, 1999. To request a copy of the public comment report, write Bison > Management Plan EIS Team, National Park Service, Sarah Bransom, DSC-RP, P.O. > Box 25287, Denver, Colorado 80225-0287; phone (303) 969-2251; or visit the web > site at http://www.nps.gov/planning/current.htm > ___________________________________________________________ > Our web pages are updated and full of great info; please share this URL > http://www.wildrockies.org/buffalo > we have posted new video clips for an "in the field" look at the situation > Please stop by and see it! > > _________________________________________ > If this was passed on to you via a friend or a list, please subscribe to > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] to receive the most current news > from the field as well as other pertinent Yellowstone buffalo info (3-4 > updates per month)! > > > > > List-Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > List-Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > News Submissions or Problems: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > ************************************************************************
