Update from the Field ~ Aug 25, 2022

New Beginnings! 

A Heartfelt "Thank You" to the Wiconi Wakan Youth

Summer is a time for sharing and exploring, and we were blessed last week with the presence of a rambunctious crew of 12 tribal youngsters and 4 elders from the Oglala Lakota Nation of Pine Ridge, SD. In addition to their usual activities, like playing basketball, these future leaders were thrilled to get into the Park and learn about buffalo in their habitat (in the photo above, Mike is teaching them about the bison's seasonal migrations). Our organizational leader, James Holt, and three of his own progeny joined camp towards the end, and so on their last day the kids and young adults from Buffalo Nation journeyed back into the Park again and soaked up some of the Nez Perce wisdom and knowledge James brings to the table as a still-young (happy 50th James!) tribal leader in his own right. And yes, there were S'mores back at camp (see photo below), after which the youngsters put on competing plays for the adults. Needless to say, there was much laughter, and maybe just a little confusion from us oldsters! 

Thanks to the generosity of BFC supporters like you, we raised close to $5,000 for our young Lakota friends! So not only were we able to cover their costs, but together we've empowered them to continue building leadership in their community when they get back home. They brought us all into a sacred circle before getting back on the road, which gave everyone an opportunity to express their gratitude and celebrate new bonds of friendship and support. The kids gave their hosts gifts of hand-crafted jewelry and cool T-shirts, and we reciprocated by letting them know that they will always be welcome in this special place where the last of the wild bison, who their tribal ancestors co-evolved, still roam relatively free and definitely wild.

LIFE IS SACRED! Buffalo Nation is rising up. Come back soon...

Buffalo News

As per usual, we have Good News and Bad News to report on the buffalo front. The really good news is that our friends and allies up north, who run the American Prairie Reserve for WWF, were recently granted permission from the Bureau of Land Management to graze bison on about 100 square miles of public rangelands! As you can read here, not everyone was pleased by our federal land manager's final decision! (Please let us know if you'd like to see more writing like that at the link). It was timely, then, for Scott Heidebrink, a biologist with American Prairie, and our own James Holt to conduct an illuminating forum on coexisting with bison for the International Wildlife Coexistence Network, which you can watch here. In his relentless efforts to elevate BFC's profile, and on the heels of signing the Inter-Tribal Buffalo Treaty, James is now a board member of IWCN, which is doing great work around the world. Thanks, James!

As American Prairie expands their herd to our public lands, we here at BFC will continue to press BLM's sister agency, the U.S. Forest Service, to add to this critical momentum by following through on their own promise, in the newly revised Custer & Gallatin National Forest Plan, to create more room to roam for Yellowstone's wild herd. As the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has already noted, one of the biggest threats to the continuing viability of YNP's herds is their confinement to what amounts to only 15% of the bison's 7,700 square mile historic range.

Montana is big enough for wild bison.

Unfortunately, our public servants don't happen to share that opinion. Last month, after the floods, a lone bull bison migrated all the way to Emigrant in the Paradise Valley before being reported to the Department of Livestock. Because this hearty migrant was found on private land, rather than public land, and was nearly 30 miles out of the Park, IBMP protocol called for him to be 'eliminated' (with extreme prejudice). Why, you ask? Well, according to the IBMP he was deemed a "low risk" for transmitting brucellosis to nearby cattle. This determination is itself an "alternative fact," since as everyone knows, a bull bison is incapable of transmitting brucellosis to cows. As discussed in the linked article above, when a livestock spokesperson calls ecological restoration a "threat" to rangelands, there is a real-time disconnect between federal land managers aspirations for accommodating bison on public lands, and Montana's unscientific opposition to treating bison and restoration as a threat to their public subsidies.

We are living in a climate emergency. Those archaic, unscientific attitudes need to change.

IN MEMORIAM

The Campaign is sad to report that Dave Hogan of Portland, Oregon passed this month after a brief illness. Dave's loving mother Laurie called to let us know of his passing, and also to let us know that, as a longtime supporter of BFC, one of David's last wishes was that donations in his memory be made to BFC. You can visit Dave's online memorial and obituary here. As Justine Sanchez, BFC President, said: "It is so humbling to have our organization be the recipient of Dave's love and passion, and that his family wants Dave's life and passing to have a lasting imprint on wild migratory Buffalo." If you feel inspired by his example to make a donation in Dave's memory for the buffalo, please note "In Memory of Dave Hogan" in the dedication line or check memo line (below). BFC will be planting a tree in Dave's honor. This is also a timely reminder for all our supporters to consider how they would like BFC to be remembered in their own wills. Life is impermanent, but we can all create lasting legacies in mindful ways like Dave did. Rest In Peace, Dave, knowing that even in death, you continue to support a future with wild, free-roaming bison.

BFC is Seeking a PhD Wildlife Biologist

Buffalo Field Campaign is searching for individuals to conduct a threats assessment of factors threatening or endangering the iconic, migratory herds of wild bison in Yellowstone.  

We are accepting proposals from individuals who can produce a study that will withstand scientific scrutiny. You can download the proposal outline here:  https://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/bfc-seeks-phd-wildlife-biologist

We are wide open to accepting proposals from any individual who can conduct a threats analysis of factors threatening or endangering this iconic, migratory species  — just as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service would do in a science-based species status review. Check out how to send us a proposal here: https://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/bfc-seeks-phd-wildlife-biologist

With the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s announcement commencing a 12 month status review of factors threatening Yellowstone bison, we have until the end of May 2023 to get the job done.  https://www.regulations.gov/document/FWS-R6-ES-2022-0028-0001

Now is the time to use your biological, ecological, traditional, and scientific knowledge to help our country’s last wild buffalo. Please help us gain Endangered Species Act protection for our country’s last wild buffalo.