Buffalo face DOL Spring
Insanity...
--- begin forwarded text
* Brief hi from the Field! DoL out in
full force harassing buffalo (no cows due in area for
months....)
* Mother's Day
* Spring Calf (born on day of last hazing)
Dies Outside West Yellowstone
* Banner Hanging Activists Released On
Their Own Recognizance
* Department of Livestock Hazes 30+
Buffalo; Activist Arrested
________________________
Friends of the Buffalo,
Facing our most hectic week of the year,
we've faced four of our friends being jailed in the past two days in
our work to protect the Yellowstone buffalo herd and make their
plight known to the world.
Even as I write, the radio buzzes with
transmissions from the field. The DOL is out in full force,
hazing more than 30 buffalo along Highway 191. It looks as
though they're trying to chase them to the capture facility at Duck
Creek.
Because we're so busy, and we need to get
this out to you today, this week's update will take the form of
recent press releases, including today's.
Tuesday's rally in Big Sky (see press
release & web page), in which a 20x50 foot
banner was hung from a ten story building,
was funded entirely by the activists who organized
it.
If you would like to help, please send a
donation care of the Buffalo Field Campaign and say you want it to go
toward reimbursement for the Big Sky action, it would be
appreciated.
Thanks for you continued support. It
really does keep us going. And remember - if any of you can
make it out to work with us before May 15th - you'll have a warm bed
and good meals and some quality time with some buffalo!
For the Buffalo,
Dan Brister
Buffalo Field Campaign
(formerly Buffalo Nations)
PO Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-0070 phone
406-646-0071 fax
mailto:[log in to unmask]
http://www.wildrockies.org/buffalo
__________________________________
A Mother's Day and Women's Rally is being
planned for Thursday May 11 at 2:00 PM in front of the DOL building
in Helena. This is to honor the spirit of our sister buffalo
and to bring attention to the tragedies and difficulties they face
each spring when it is time for their calves to arrive. Anyone who
would like to participate is welcome. Please feel free to contact me
with any ideas you have for activities that could take place during
this rally. I would like to see it be peaceful and respectful. I plan
to offer up a prayer for the buffalo. Children are more than
welcome.
For the Buffalo....
Contact Flo for more info at
mailto:[log in to unmask]
___________________________
Spring Calf Dies Outside West
Yellowstone
April 9, 2000
West Yellowstone, MT- The first buffalo
calf born outside the west boundary
of Yellowstone National Park died early
this morning. Buffalo Field
Campaign (BFC) volunteers, on their early
morning patrol of the north side
of the Madison River, noticed the carcass
among trees where the calf and
its mother had been feeding for the past
few days.
The buffalo was born during the early hours
of Thursday, April 6, just
before the most recent hazing operation
conducted by the Montana Department
of Livestock. Using cracker barrel
shotguns and snowmobiles, the DOL ran a
mixed herd of fourteen buffalo more than
two miles from the Gallatin
National Forest to the park.
BFC volunteers stood between the DOL and
the calf and its mother. By the
DOL's own admission, the calf was too young
to move. Since Thursday, BFC
volunteers have noticed its deteriorating
condition.
"The DOL say they are ensuring the
health safety of livestock and citizens
but chasing pregnant females around makes
no sense even from a disease
control point of view," said BFC
volunteer Pete Leusch, who was first to
discover the dead calf. "Hazing
causes unnecessary stress for pregnant
buffalo, as well as pregnant elk and moose,
thereby increasing the risk of
abortion, the very condition the DOL is
supposedly concerned about."
There were several pregnant cows in the
herd on Thursday, who were chased
across highway 191 and over a
guardrail. Buffalo migrate along the Madison
every Spring, on their way to Horse Butte,
a favorite Spring feeding ground
for buffalo as well as elk, moose, grizzly
bear, and bald eagle.
There are no cattle on these National
Forest lands until June 15.
Buffalo Field Campaign volunteers defend
the buffalo on their traditional
habitat and advocate for their
protection. BFC is the only group working
in the field every day to stop the
slaughter of Yellowstone's wild buffalo.
_____________________
Banner Hanging Activists Released On Their
Own Recognizance
April 12, 2000
Big Sky, MT- Early this morning, three
Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC)
volunteers, Dieka Gericke (27), Tiffany
Brown (22) and Robert Zweifel (30)
were released on their own recognizance
from the Virginia City jail in
Madison County, Montana. Gericke and
Brown were charged with criminal
trespassing and obstruction of a peace
officer. Zweifel was charged with
criminal trespassing. All three plead
not guilty.
The two women were arrested yesterday
morning at the Summit Hotel at Big
Sky Mountain Resort after hanging a 20x50
foot banner off the 10th floor
balcony. The enormous banner read
"Racicot's Buffalo Slaughter Kills
Tourism" and depicted two lavishly
painted decapitated buffalo heads.
The women were protesting Marc Racicot's
continued harassment and slaughter
of the last wild and free roaming buffalo
in the United States. Protected
as wildlife inside Yellowstone National
Park, buffalo are demoted to
livestock when they enter Montana and are
placed under management of the
Montana Department of
Livestock.
"What has Governor Racicot done for
the tourism industry? His continued
policy of harassing and killing wild
buffalo has initiated national
boycotts targeting tourism in Montana and
yet he says he wants to encourage
growth of the already 1.5 billion dollar a
year industry. People don't
travel to Montana to see dead buffalo, they
come to see wildlife and world
renowned scenic landscapes," said
Dieka Gericke.
The huge banner was hung as part of an
all-day rally organized by the
Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) to call
attention to the hypocrisy of Governor
Racicot's conflicting stances on tourism
and the buffalo who draw visitors
to the region. Activists performed
guerrilla street theater this moring at
11am, including a skit illustrating the
close ties between Montana Governor
Racicot and Department of Livestock (DOL)
agents. An 11 foot-tall Racicot
killed throngs of buffalo while a larger
than life-sized buffalo skeleton
paraded outside the Big Sky Conference
Center where the Governor spoke.
The demonstration was held outside The
Governors Conference on Tourism and
Recreation that took place Monday and
Tuesday at Big Sky. The Governor
spoke Tuesday night and made no defense of
his continued slaughter of our
national heritage, the last wild and free
roaming buffalo.
Lt. Governor Judy Martz, a front-runner for
the Governor's seat said,
"Montana has not shot or put down a
buffalo in two years. We do not like
to put down these majestic animalsbut in
fact we cannot let them destroy
our number one industry [the livestock
industry]."
In fact, the State of Montana slaughtered
nearly one hundred bison just a
year ago.
Jim Coefield, Ecosystem Defense Specialist
for the Missoula based Ecology
Center, criticized Martz statements:
"Where was Judy last year when all the
buffalo were being slaughtered?
Hiding in Marc Racicot's shadow?
Obviously she is too out of touch with
wildlife issues to be a serious
candidate for governor. Here she is
at a tourism conference that is trying
to build on and promote the billion and a
half dollar tourist economy and
all she can do is spout 19th century
propaganda lauding the cattle
industry."
"Our actions yesterday were committed
to challenge citizens and politicians
throughout the U.S. to hold Racicot
responsible for his unscientifically
based slaughter of the Yellowstone National
Park (YNP) buffalo. We hope to
spread awareness of Governor Racicot's
slaughter of more than 2,000 buffalo
in the past eight years. As a
possible candidate for Vice President or a
cabinet position, is Governor Racicot
someone we would want to manage
public lands and wildlife when he has only
demonstrated his kowtowing to
the Montana cattle industry?" stated
Tiffany Brown.
Buffalo Field Campaign volunteers defend
the buffalo on their traditional
winter habitat and advocate for their
protection. Buffalo Field Campaign
is the only group working in the field
everyday to stop the slaughter of
Yellowstone's wild buffalo.
_________________________
Department of Livestock Hazes 30+ Buffalo;
Activist Arrested
April 13, 2000
West Yellowstone, MT--The Montana
Department of Livestock (DOL) hazed more
than 30 bison today in an unsuccessful
attempt to chase the animals into
Yellowstone National Park. In a rash
of separate hazing operations, DOL
agents fired cracker barrel rounds from
snowmobiles and four-wheeled ATVs
as they pursued the bison.
A lone bull who has been grazing near the
Duck Creek capture facility since
December was subjected to his second hazing
operation in three weeks. DOL
agents on snowmobiles chased the bull a few
hundred yards into Yellowstone,
committing multiple violations of park
closures. This area of the park is
closed to all human use at present to
protect sensitive grizzly bear
habitat, and is closed at all times to
motorized use. Fresh grizzly tracks
were observed in the immediate area as
recently as Tuesday.
BFC volunteer Alan Ramos was arrested this
afternoon on two counts of
obstruction for attempting to slow
approaching vehicles as the DOL hazed 30
bison along Highway 191 toward the
Duck Creek trap. The agents made no
attempt to warn oncoming traffic. BFC
video footage documenting the arrest
was confiscated by Gallatin County
Sheriff's Deputy Rob Burns. Ramos was
released on $340 bail.
"Today's events are further proof of
the futility of hazing as a management
tool," said Emily Kodama, a volunteer
with the field campaign. A week ago
the DOL hazed 14 buffalo back into
Yellowstone, yet today there are nearly
three times that number outside the
park.
Marcus Baker, who was present during
the operation, further observed,
"When they started hazing this morning
there were eight bison outside the
park. Now, after the operation, there
are more than 40. It makes you
wonder about the effectiveness of their
operations."
It appeared the DOL intended to haze the
bison into the Duck Creek trap,
despite recent assurances from Rob Tierney,
DOL's director of bison
management, that this season's
actions would be restricted to hazing only.
Tierney's actions are the latest in a
series of official misrepresentations
of the state's buffalo management
policies. At the Governor's Conference
on Tourism held in Big Sky on Tuesday,
Montana's Lt. Governor Judy Martz
made the blatantly false statement that,
"Montana has not shot or put down
a buffalo in 2 years. We do not like to put
down these majestic
animals...but in fact we cannot let them
destroy our number one industry
(the livestock industry)." In
fact, 96 buffalo were killed by the state of
Montana last winter alone. Martz is
the Republican front-runner for
Governor Racicot's position.
Buffalo Field Campaign volunteers defend
the buffalo on their traditional
habitat and advocate for their
protection. BFC is the only group working
in the field every day to stop the
slaughter of Yellowstone's wild buffalo.
________________________________
4/14/00 is the last push deadline for
the sign on to the National buffalo petition so we can present it
during the Week of Action- Please pass the URL on to friends, family,
press and newsgroups so that folks can get signed
on!!
http://www.wildrockies.org/buffpet/
Thanks!
for the earth!
_________________________________
Schedule a showing of the Buffalo
Compilation Video in your community. for more info:
mailto:[log in to unmask]
Let us know at
mailto:[log in to unmask] if you will be showing it in
your community during the National Week of Action in April! Let
us know about any prayer ceremonies or demos that are planned
also! Thanks!
___________________________________________________________
New info daily :
http://www.wildrockies.org/buffalo
BFC is the only group working 365 days a
year in Yellowstone with the buffalo.
Which T-shirt do you like the best?
-
http://www.wildrockies.org/buffalo/teez.html
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Rex L. Bavousett
Photographer
University of Iowa
Our old name: University Relations - Publications
Our new name: University Communications & Outreach -
Publications
100 OPL, Iowa City, IA 52242
http://www.uiowa.edu/~urpubs/
mailto:[log in to unmask]
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