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Fw: Buffalo News and thanks!


-----Original Message-----
From: Buffalo Folks <stop-the-slaughter@wildrockies.org>
To: Stop the Slaughter <Stop-the-Slaughter@vortex.wildrockies.org>
Date: Saturday, March 13, 1999 10:07 AM
Subject: Buffalo News and thanks!


>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
>(buffalo@wildrockies.org) 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 house@state.mt.us, 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
>
>w*@wildrockies.org
>
>***************************************
>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
>buffalo@wildrockies.org
>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
>s*@wildrockies.org 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
>s*@wildrockies.org to receive the most current news
>from the field as well as other pertinent Yellowstone buffalo info (3-4
>updates per month)!
>
>
>
>
>List-Subscribe: S*@vortex.wildrockies.org
>List-Unsubscribe: S*@vortex.wildrockies.org
>News Submissions or Problems: S*@wildrockies.org
>************************************************************************
>
>

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