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Fri, 04 Feb 2000 07:49:35 -0500
From: Buffalo Folks <stop-the-slaughter@wildrockies.org>
Subject: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRESS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Federal Government's Preferred Alternative Leaves Buffalo Little Room to Roam

Press contacts:
Allison Lovejoy, Buffalo Field Campaign 406-646-0070 Jim Coefield, Ecology
Center 406-728-5733 Darrell Geist Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers will be
available for interviews in Helena at the hearing.

Missoula (MT) - Today, environmental groups criticized the federal
government's modified Preferred Alternative for the Long Term Management
Plan for buffalo in Yellowstone and Montana (see attachment). This
Alternative would continue, and increase Montana's hazing, capturing and
slaughtering of buffalo on public lands. The modified Alternative, intended
to mollify Montana's stance on wild buffalo outside of Yellowstone, in many
ways is more stringent than the preferred Alternative in the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), and the current Interim Bison
Management Plan.

The criticism comes on the heels of Friday's hearing in Helena, Montana
before U.S. District Court Judge Charles C. Lovell. Judge Lovell ordered
the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S.D.A's Animal
Plant Health Inspection Service and the State of Montana to appear in
Helena to resolve an impasse over the long-term buffalo management plan.
The hearing considers the federal government's motion to dissolve the
Memorandum of Understanding binding the Federal government and Montana in
the joint DEIS as co-leads.

The Federal government is ignoring the comments of over 60,000 people who
commented on the DEIS in support of protecting wild buffalo habitat
explained Jim Coefield of the Ecology Center in Missoula, Montana. "The
public lands surrounding Yellowstone should be managed for native species,
not cows--as they were intended," said Coefield. "Wild buffalo hold a
special place in the American public's hearts and heritage. They need room
to roam outside Yellowstone Park on Federal lands to survive. Montana's
zero-tolerance stance on buffalo is scientifically, politically, and
morally unacceptable. The Federal government obviously is attempting to
distance themselves from Montana Governor Marc Racicot." Racicot is
spending gubernatorial time attempting to gain an adminstration post should
Texas Governor Bush win the Presidency.

Mike Mease of the Buffalo Field Campaign said the fear of brucellosis
transmitting from buffalo to cattle is a smoke screen that the government
hides behind. "The real issue is about what public lands will be used
for--to graze cattle for a few months out of the year, or to allow buffalo
to roam free on lands that are their birthright," said Mease in West
Yellowstone, Montana. "Today, five Montana Department of Livestock agents
attempted to haze a lone buffalo bull off the Madison River - and there's
not a cow in sight. They continually attempt to confuse the pubic about
brucellosis in order to control the buffalo's population and public lands
surrounding the Park."

Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers Executive Director, Darrell Geist reiterated
that taxpayers continue to foot the bill for the Federal government's
failure to phase-out cattle grazing allotments on winter range for buffalo
and other native wildlife. "The American people want to see wild buffalo
>and their habitat in and around Yellowstone protected," said Geist.
"Americans are still footing the bill for millions of dollars spent keeping
buffalo off cattle grazing allotments on public lands. It boggles the mind
to see the government waste so much taxpayer money on so few cattle to the
great detriment of the last wild buffalo herd."

On Friday, citizens from around Montana will gather at 9 am on the steps of
the U.S. District Court in Helena concurrent with the federal hearing, to
protest the government's policy of killing and harassing buffalo that
migrate from Yellowstone National Park. The rally,is being organized by
members of the University of Montana's Environmental Action Community, Cold
Mountain, Cold Rivers and the Buffalo Field Campaign. The event will
include a prayer for the buffalo, public speakers, and street theater.

-30-

Modified Preferred Alternative for Interagency Bison Management Plan
December, 1999

Put forth by the Department of the Interior National Park Service,
Department of Agriculture United States Forest Service and Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service, as the preferred alternative in the "final
Environmental Impact Statement for the Interagency Bison Management Plan"
the long-term management plan for Yellowstone's wild buffalo herd.

Buffalo Population Limits
Caps buffalo population at 3,000 based on "carrying capacity" inside
Yellowstone Park.

Haze, Capture, Test and Slaughter
Hazing, capture, test, and slaughter of Yellowstone buffalo are the primary
management tools. Tolerance limits are set for buffalo who go through the
management regime above: 100 buffalo each on the north and west boundaries.
If "agreed up seronegative tolerance levels" for buffalo on public lands
north and west of the Park are exceeded during winter migration, the
following regime kicks in:

North Boundary
a) Haze buffalo between Madison Junction and Mammoth to prevent migration
outside the Park. b) Shoot buffalo at the Park boundary of Reese Creek
"that cannot be hazed, evade capture or are deemed unsafe to handle
(usually large adult males)." c) Captured buffalo would be held for the
duration of the winter or early spring. d) If the capture facility capacity
(125 buffalo) is reached, seronegative buffalo could be "selectively" sent
to slaughter.

West Boundary
a) If a quarantine facility is not available, seropositive and seronegative
would be buffalo sent to slaughter. If available, seronegative buffalo
would be sent to quarantine. b) Untested bison on public lands will be
hazed back in the spring. c) Once the tolerance level for seronegatives is
reached, untested buffalo would be captured and shipped to slaughter. d)
Shoot buffalo outside the Park "that cannot be hazed, evade capture or are
deemed unsafe to handle (usually large adult males)."

Stringent Management of Buffalo Migrations "Bison would not be allowed to
move beyond certain areas outside the Park." As buffalo migrate further
from the Park boundaries, "increasingly stringent zones of risk management"
will be used to prevent further migration to areas the buffalo will be
excluded from. Buffalo would be hazed, intercepted and killed beyond Yankee
Jim Canyon or east of the Yellowstone River north of Maiden Basin/Little
Trail Creek. The federal government may set up another capture facility at
Yankee Jim Canyon. On the west boundary, buffalo are confined to Madison
canyon and Horse Butte. Beyond that they can be hazed, intercepted and
killed.

Spatial/Temporal Management of Buffalo and Cattle Buffalo "tolerated" on
public lands will be hazed back into the Park in the spring to ensure a
45-day separation between cows and buffalo. The only cattle grazing
allotment affected by this preferred alternative is the Royal Teton Ranch
allotment which expires in April 2002. A management plan for these lands
has not been developed. The preferred alternative does not mention any
modifications to cattle grazing allotments on the Gallatin Forest which
overlap with buffalo range on the north and west boundaries of Yellowstone
Park.

RB 51 Vaccination of Buffalo/Vaginal Telemetry of Pregnant Females RB 51
vaccination of buffalo calves and yearlings "outside the Park could
commence prior to the completion of studies regarding the efficacy of the
vaccine." The plan does not address how the vaccine may effect "non-target
species" including bald eagles, grizzly bears and wolves.

Initiation of NEPA and ESA consultation may be required to implement RB 51
vaccination of buffalo inside the Park. The federal government will expand
RB 51 vaccination of buffalo once GYIBC criteria are met, to include remote
vaccination, park-wide vaccination, and vaccination for all ages and
classes of buffalo.

The federal government will provide new funding to implant seronegative
pregnant females captured and "tolerated on public lands" with a vaginal
radio telemetry device "that would be expelled and activated upon abortion
or birth."

Vaccination of Cattle
By the fall of 2000 if 100% voluntary vaccination of "test-eligible cattle"
outside the Park is not achieved, the State of Montana "will make such
vaccination mandatory. The federal government will reimburse the direct
cost of vaccination." APHIS will work to prevent state sanctions including
consultation and will pursue legal remedies if consultation fails.

APHIS and Montana will regularly test cattle in proximity to the Park.
APHIS will fund certification of cattle herds "for livestock operations who
graze cattle in areas bison may occupy during the winter." If buffalo and
cattle commingle, the federal government would cover direct costs of
additional testing of cattle.

Buffalo Quarantine Facility
The federal government with APHIS as the lead agency will initiate "NEPA
analysis to determine the location, design and operation" of a buffalo
quarantine facility. Buffalo that "pass through the quarantine protocol may
be transferred to Indian reservations or other appropriate public lands."

The quarantine facility would handle seronegative buffalo: 1) when buffalo
tolerance levels are exceeded, 2) the overall buffalo population is greater
than 3,000 or 3) when capture and testing of buffalo is used to enforce the
45-day separation of buffalo and cattle on public lands outside the north
and west boundaries of the Park.

Prepared by Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers PO Box 7941 Missoula MT 59807 (406)
728-0867 cmcr@wildrockies.org
_________________________________________________________
To find out the "in the field" info directly from Buffalo Field Campaign go
to: http://www.wildrockies.org/buffalo
Getting the word out is critical and BFC is the only group working 365 days
a year
in Yellowstone with the buffalo.
________________________________________
New Compilation Buffalo Video Available

Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers has a compilation video available on the
Yellowstone
buffalo. Plan B, The Buffalo's Alternative is a brief scientific advocacy
piece on
long-term management strategies to allow buffalo to roam free in Yellowstone.
Buffalo Bull is a more in-depth documentary on the Yellowstone buffalo
slaughter.
Where the Buffalo Roam profiles the field campaign and their efforts to
protect the
Yellowstone buffalo herd. To purchase the video send a check or money order
for
$20 to Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers; PO Box 7941 Missoula, MT 59807.
Elders and educators can receive a video at a discount please send a query to
mailto:cmcr@wildrockies.org or call our office at 406-728-0867.
_________________________________

Getting the word out is key... please take a moment and look at your local
paper
and send us contact info for the editor.  Both email and fax are appreciated!
please send contact info to stop-the-slaughter@wildrockies.org

A&E piece on BFC will air on Thursday 2/24 at 9pm EST.
 

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