Copyright © 2000 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

The frantic chatter of helicopter rotors shattered the still morning yesterday at Horse Butte, as the Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) initiated a militaristic bison hazing operation. Agents with shotguns fired cracker-rounds from horseback, All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), and helicopter at more than sixty buffalo, chasing the animals five miles along the Madison river into Yellowstone National Park.

The majority of the bison were cows, many of which were pregnant, who traditionally migrate to Horse Butte in the spring. The butte's south facing slopes provide excellent forage, and are a preferred calving ground for Yellowstone buffalo. In the past few weeks, dozens of buffalo have moved out of the park to Horse Butte. A series of DOL hazing operations has kept the bison almost perpetually on the move, as it is common for buffalo to return to the butte within 24 hours of being hazed away.

Yesterday's haze, the first of the season to employ the DOL's helicopter, was by far and away the most intensive and disruptive operation of the year, traumatizing not only bison but virtually all species in the wildlife abundant area between Yellowstone National Park and Horse Butte.

Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) activists videotaped as the DOL violated the Horse Butte bald eagle closure on horseback and with their helicopter. The Special Use Permit, under which the DOL is permitted by the Forest Service to conduct its hazing operations on the Gallatin National Forest, specifically states that from February 1 - August 15: "Helicopter activities will NOT be permitted in the Horse Butte area."

This was not the first time that BFC activists documented the DOL violating the bald eagle closure on Horse Butte. In 1998, we documented their helicopter violating the closure twice, and also endangering people in the vicinity during a major hazing operation. The repeated violation of the bald eagle closure with foreknowledge of the terms and conditions of their Special Use Permit demonstrates the State of Montana's disregard for public resources on Forest Service lands and the terms and conditions of their permit.

The State of Montana and the Montana Department of Livestock need to be held accountable for disturbing public resources on a wildlife rich peninsula, jeopardizing nesting habitat for threatened Bald eagles, and violating the special permit uses authorized by the Forest Service. Please take a moment and let the following people know you are concerned about the violations of the Special Use Permit which were documented on 4/20:

Dan Glickman, Secretary of Agriculture, Phone: 202-720-3631, FAX: 202-720-2166;
Mike Dombeck, Chief, U.S. Forest Service, Phone: 202.205.1661, FAX: 202-205-1765, email: Mike.Dombeck/wo@fs.fed.us;
Dale Bosworth, Region 1 Forester, Phone: 406-329-3316, FAX: 406-329-3411;
Gary Benes, District Ranger Hebgen Lake District, Phone: 406-646-7369, FAX: 406-646-9632;
Dwane Moe, Gallatin National Forest Law Enforcement Officer, FAX: 406-449-5436

At one point during the operation, a group of buffalo fled from DOL agents on horseback by swimming across the Madison. The agents in the helicopter reacted, hovering above the river and firing cracker rounds into the water. The frightened buffalo quickly changed directions, swimming back across the river, pursued all the while by the helicopter. Moments later a pair of sandhill cranes nearly became entangled in the chopper's rotors as they took to the air and struggled to flee the chaos of the operation.

The DOL justifies such heavy-handed tactics on the argument that bison pose a threat of transmitting brucellosis to cattle, yet there aren't any cattle in the area until June 15. Even if there were cattle in the area now, there has never been a documented case of brucellosis transmission from wild bison to livestock. Hazing operations, especially those like yesterday's, are extremely detrimental to bison, inducing unnecessary stress which can cause them to miscarry.

Thanks to our many volunteers and supporters, we were well represented in the field yesterday and were able to document the severity of the DOL's actions and their transgressions of the law. Video footage from yesterday, filmed by the BFC, has been shown on Montana news stations and sent to the Forest Service as documentation of of the violations.

Our National Week of Action for the buffalo begins tomorrow. We are expecting an influx of volunteers who will allow us to be especially vigilant in our work to protect the buffalo on the ground they choose to stand on. We have a series of workshops, events, and actions planned. Tomorrow afternoon, 4/22, the Ehnamani Sun Dance Church will make a special presentation to the BFC at the conclusion of their Earth Day performance in Bozeman. Ehnamani is a multinational Native American religious group that recently visited England. Ehnamani will present petition signatures and English pounds that were collected from the English people in support of wild, free roaming buffalo.

This presentation is an example of the worldwide outrcry against the slaughter of Yellowstone bison. BFC has received support from many different countries and has had volunteers from Ireland, England, Holland, S. Africa, Australia, Israel, and Sweden. As the world's first National Park, Yellowstone has been an inspiration for other countries to establish National Parks and is listed as a world heritage site by the United Nations.

Next week, citizens will present more than 50,000 signatures from the National Buffalo petition. The signatures will be deliverd to the US Forest Service at the Hebgen Lake Ranger District who will pass them on to Mike Dombeck, the Forest Service Chief. If you haven't yet signed the petition, or would like to print a copy and collect signatures, it is available online at http://www.wildrockies.org/buffpet/ As signatures are collected, they will be forwarded to Mr. Dombeck, Mr. Babbitt and Mr. Clinton. A hardy thanks to all of you who have already spread the word and helped to collect petition signatures!

Thank you all for supporting us in our work to protect the Yellowstone buffalo. Your thoughtful and caring email responses, the phone calls you have made to officials involved in buffalo management, and your generous donations of gear, clothing, and financial support make our work possible and remind us how many of us there really are. We are all in this together. Let us raise our voices together for the buffalo and be heard.

For the Buffalo,

Dan Brister
Buffalo Field Campaign
P.O. Box 957 West Yellowstone, Mt. 59758
Phone: (406)646-0070 ~ Fax: (406)646-0071
E-mail: buffalo@wildrockies.org
URL: http://www.wildrockies.org/buffalo

Additional Update:
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!