Greetings!
It's been a while since you have heard from us...but
we didn't take a vacation all summer. Buffalo
Nations had no access to long distance communication
up until yesterday. Also, volunteers in West
Yellowstone were busy trying to work during the
tourist season so that they can afford to stay in
Yellowstone and volunteer again this winter. That,
in addition to tabling in the Park and going to DEIS
hearings has kept all very busy. A big thanks to the
dedicated activists who have worked so hard this
summer season!
The snow line is dropping in Yellowstone and it looks as if a tough winter is ahead (which means we will be fighting hard to keep buffalo from being killed again.) This update contains: * News "from the field" from Buffalo Nations * A reminder to PLEASE comment on the draft "buffalo" DEIS * An update regarding CUT lands outside of Yellowstone (traditional buffalo grazing lands) * A note regarding the Montana Department of Livestock's newest propoganda (ugh!) Thank you! For the Earth! ******************************
News from Buffalo Nations...the only group working 365 days a year IN the Park for the buffalo! We have been a small group this past summer but have been working hard to prepare for the winter which is almost upon us. The firewood has been collected; thanks to some dedicated students who travelled from Missoula to make sure we stayed on schedule. Thank you to all of them.
Apart from the wood we have been working to make the house ready for the new season and to make sure we have a smooth running operation. There are many projects going at once and campaign still has many needs. If you would like to help please let us know.
The buffalo still need people to speak out for them. The changes are slow and we will be here until they come. Mike Mease has been busy creating a new documentary, "Buffalo Bull", which has had many showings here in Montana and in other states. It will be available for distribution in the coming weeks. Job opening: Buffalo Nations is looking for a Jack or Jane of all trades, ie. mechanic, plumber, carpenter. In other words a maintenance person. This job is from November through to April and may involve a small stipend. Please direct inquiries to Mike Mease or Sarah Chalmers at (406)646-0070 and leave a message.
We are prepared to protect the buffalo again this
winter, but have alot of work to do and could really
use some help (all donations are tax deductible)
Buffalo Nations Wish List:
Money, of course is always appreciated and well used
for food, rent, telephone, heat, gas, etc etc
Computers:
Macintosh 8600 Computer, backup Hard Drive (DVD ROM
drive)
Photo Scanner- Astra 610S
Modem- Global Village 56k flex
Snowmobiles and Trailer
Snowshoes
Cross-country Skis, boots and poles
4-wheel drive trucks
Snow tires
Propane Heater
Binoculars
Radio Communication Equipment- cb radios, walkie
talkies, 2 way radio and scanner
Cooking gear
Winter- boots, clothing, gloves, hats
Chain saws, axes, splitting maul
Winter sleeping bags
Cots/bunkbeds
Thermal rests
Tarps
Video Cameras (Hi 8 or Sony digital 3 chip) & tapes
Media 100 Software for Macintosh
35 mm Cameras
Film
VCR machine (for dubs)
Video tapes
Fence repair supplies (wood, tools, etc.)
Non-perishable food
File Cabinets
vacuum cleaner
refrigerator
toiletry items
AND OF COURSE...volunteers to come and work!! (room
and meals provided)
Buffalo Nations
PO Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-0070 phone
406-646-0071 fax
buffalo@wildrockies.org
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Please take a moment and send in your comments now! Dear Buffalo Supporter, In early June the Bison Draft Environmental Impact Statement was released and the public given until October 16, 1998 to send in written comments. This comment period has been extended until November 2nd. Buffalo Nations has been out with the native tribes of this land spreading the word and working on legal issues having to do with their say in what happens to this sacred animal.
Buffalo Nations cannot endorse any of the government's alternatives for the buffalo. They all include quarantine (in effect, domestication), and killing of buffalo. They all insist that brucellosis is a major threat and therefore their alternatives are flawed.
Rosalie Little Thunder is in the process of putting together a legal case hoping that it will result in the government going back to the drawing board. Plan B (http://www.wildrockies.org/PlanB) was conceived as a response to the government's alternatives and is very close to what needs to happen. There is a summary of the DEIS at: http://www.nps.gov/planning/yell/eis/summary.htm.
There is a page for submitting your comments online at: http://www.nps.gov/planning/yell/eis/8.htm. When preparing your written comments, please include the following points: * bison must be treated like wildlife, not like domestic livestock; * require the vaccination of cattle, not bison; * immediately prohibit the capture and slaughter of bison inside or out of Yellowstone National Park; * eliminate cattle grazing on public lands surrounding the park and allow bison to use these lands without restrictions; * rifle hunting of Yellowstone bison is unethical, unsporting, and should not be permitted; * establishment of a quarantine facility for Yellowstone's bison will be a multi-million dollar waste of federal and state tax dollars and is entirely unnecessary. * native tribes need a larger voice in regards to this issue Written comments must be sent before November 2nd, 1998, to the following address: Bison Management Plan EIS Team National Park Service, Denver Services Center P.O. Box 25287 Denver, CO 80225-0287 Fax: (303) 969-2736 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&*
Montana "Representatives" Burns & Hill fail to support $$$ to aquire CUT lands adjacent to Yellowstone! YELLOWSTONE WINTER RANGE AT RISK! Please Make 2 Calls Today! (Buffalo supporters- Please call or write 2 of your representatives or senators and ask them to check into the LAW funds and act on this issue. Montana's reps are not acting in behalf of the buffalo, perhaps your rep can help)
A large parcel of private land along Yellowstone National Park's northern border is up for sale. Money for its purchase has been allocated from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. However, conservative congressmen bent on budget-cutting and opposed to federal land aquisition are trying to hold up this important purchase, and it could fall into the hands of unscrupulous developers.
The land is owned by the Church Universal and Triumphant (CUT). In the early '80s, the Reagan administration killed public aquisition of the former Forbes Ranch, including this land near Yellowstone, and CUT bought it. Now Oregon land broker wheeler-dealer Tim Blixeth (pronounced Blix-death) is looking to make big bucks by buying this property and developing it. Blixseth made millions buying, logging and selling off Plum Creek's former inholdings in the Gallatin National Forest. Now he is developing an exclusive, rich-people-only ski resort on formerly wild Pioneer Mountain, near Big Sky, Montana.
The land for sale is very important to a broad array of wildlife, from bison to grizzlies, as it is immediately adjacent to Yellowstone's northern border. The land contains a lot of key winter range for elk, antelope and other critters as well as some of the finest habitat along the Yellowstone River. Hundreds of migrating bison have been shot there over the last ten years due to CUT's intolerance for wildlife.
This land should be aquired via Land and Water Conservation Funds. Unfortunately, federal purchase of this land is taking a back seat to competion with the Gallatin Land Exchange and purchase of land near Lindberg Lake in the Swan Valley. Calls are needed to Sen. Conrad Burns and Rep Rick Hill (*or your state reps) to let them know that the members of the public want the CUT lands purchased and set aside as federally protected wildlife habitat. Burns' office - 202-224-2644 Hill's office - 202-225-3211 For Wild Yellowstone, Phil Phil Knight Native Forest Network Yellowstone Branch PO Box 6151 Bozeman, MT 59771-6151 (406) 586-3885 mailto:pknight@wildrockies.org *****************************************
The following is an example of media advertisement by the State of Montana...an effort to make the unacceptable - acceptable. Please send your comments concerning this misleading propaganda to: max@baucus.senate.gov mgmt@travel.mt.gov momholt-mason@mt.gov msimonich@mt.gov csiegner@mt.gov Thanks, Ish
I have been " a little" involved with the Montana Dept. of Livestock over a few issues; one being the Brucellosis Scare. I have called, written faxed them and generally tried to make myself into a pain in the butt to them. Well, I goes out to my mail box just now and I got an envelope from them. I open it, (hoping that it is a response to at least one >>>of my inquiries) and I find a beautiful color brochure enclosed. the title states:
"Oh, give me a home, where the disease-free buffalo
roam..."
Its background graphic is a photo of a little blonde
haired boy learning the lasso with the assistance of
his father while the montana country side spands
behind them. Both father and son are dressed in
cowboy regalia.
When you open the leaflet, you are faced with a
beautiful picture of cattle grazing in a field with
a cowboy on horseback over looking his herds.
The caption at the top of the page reads:
"Brucellosis..."
They use a quote from Bruce
Babitt. Talk about insult to injury.
Then they have the sheer audacity to state:
"The bison that roam in the Yellowstone National
Park and at the National Bison Range on the Flathead
Indian Reservation occupy a special place in every
Montanan's heart. However, many Yellowston Bison
carry brucellosis, a disese that threatens the
states public health, livestock, industry and
economy...."
If you are interested in this mung and would like a
copy for yourself, please contact:
Montana Department of Livestock
Box 202201
Helena, MT 59620
BTW: they printed 10,000 of these to send out. Nice
to see
tax dollars at work huh?
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In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this
material is distributed without profit or payment to
those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving this information for non-profit research
and educational purposes only.
Our web pages will be updated soon...until then,
please pass this update on to 5 friends.
The more folks that hear about this issue...the
stronger our voice for the buffalo will be.
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