ALERTS
Time sensitive Alert: Bison hunting
Senate Bill 395 has unfortunately passed the Montana State Senate, and will now be heard in the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee on March 25.
The bill would open a sport hunting season on bison in Montana under the guise of disease control. More than a decade ago, Montana stopped bison hunting due to enormous public outcry stemming from national media coverage of hunters shooting bison as they left the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park. Having no fear of human presence after years of Park protection, the bison did not try to escape their gruesome fate and were gunned down at point blank range.
Despite the firing line advantage, many animals suffered terribly prolonged deaths (15 minutes or more) due to hunter ineptitude -- shocking the national public and contributing to a negative image of hunters and hunting. We do not want history to repeat itself.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Please immediately call or email all members of the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee, which will hear this bill on March 25. A list of members can be found at: http://leg.state.mt.us/content/committees/standing/2003_house_committees.pdf
You can reach each member of the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee by calling 406-444-4800, or by visiting the following website for their home phone numbers and email addresses: http://leg.state.mt.us/css/sessions/58th/roster.asp?HouseID=1&SessionID=80
You can also contact all Montana legislators expressing your opposition to this bill. Tell them that opening a hunting season on Yellowstone bison will seriously damage the image of Montana, hunters and hunting in the eyes of the general public; that hunting bison allegedly for disease control purposes lacks scientific basis; and that hunting bison is certain to trigger a tourism boycott of Montana, something the state can ill-afford.
Yellowstone National Park is currently capturing and slaughtering wild bison in the Park near Gardiner.
Yesterday, the Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) shipped 47 buffalo to slaughter. The National Park Service (NPS) captured approximately 60 bison yesterday afternoon. Today the DOL hauled 86 buffalo to slaughter with a heavy police escort. Park representatives have indicated that they could kill around 300 buffalo this week.
Many readers have expressed interest in writing, calling, or emailing someone to express their outrage, concern, confusion, and criticism. Of course, when speaking on behalf of the buffalo, it is important to be respectful. We show our strength and commitment by creating a challenging dialogue that cannot be dismissed due to emotion.
Remember that the NPS is capturing the buffalo and the DOL are transporting them to slaughter. Both agencies have a role in the current slaughter. Below is contact information:
Yellowstone National Park:
Suzanne Lewis Superintendent Yellowstone National Park PO Box 168 Yellowstone Park, WY 82190 (307) 344-2002 suzanne_lewis@nps.gov
Marsha Karle Public Affairs Officer Yellowstone National Park PO Box 168 Yellowstone Park, WY 82190 (307) 344 2015 marsha_karle@nps.gov
Possible points to make to the NPS:
* Withdraw from the Interagency Bison Management Plan. If the Park really doesn't want to slaughter bison, encourage them to withdraw from the Plan that requires them to do so, and develop a better plan that addresses the issues without killing bison.
* Explore alternatives. Alternatives were considered in the Plan, but so far money has not been made available to develop a long-term quarantine facility so that buffalo could be introduced onto reservations as requested by the Intertribal Bison Cooperative. It's time that money being spent on the slaughter be spent to explore viable alternatives.
* Protect America's natural heritage. The Yellowstone bison herd is a unique part of our natural heritage and deserves protection. Encourage the Park to fulfill its mandate to preserve our natural environment for future generations. * Challenge the Park's population target of 3000 as not protecting the genetic viability of this unique last herd of free ranging wild bison.
See below for more information.
Montana Department of Livestock:
Marc Bridges Executive Officer Montana Department of Livestock PO Box 202001 Helena, MT 59620 (406) 444 7323 mbridges@state.mt.us
Karen Cooper Public Affairs Officer Montana Department of Livestock PO Box 202001 Helena, MT 59620 (406) 444 9431 kcooper@state.mt.us
Possible points to make to the DOL:
* Challenge the brucellosis myth. See below for more information.
* Encourage the DOL to spend money currently used for "bison management" on developing an acceptable vaccine for cattle. If the concern is protecting cattle, why not focus on the cattle instead of all the wildlife?
* Ask the DOL why agents with no wildlife management experience are managing wild bison.
* National and Local Media Coverage
Buffalo Field Campaign PO Box 957 West Yellowstone, MT 59758 (406) 646-0070 buffalo@wildrockies.org
http://www.wildrockies.org/buffalo
Ralph Maughan operates a page which lists the latest news stories about the Yellowstone bison at http://www.forwolves.org/ralph/bisonrpt.html
To voice your opinion, contact Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Suzanne Lewis at POB 168, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190-0168; (307) 344-2002. By email: Suzanne_Lewis@nps.gov
Please remember that polite letters and calls help more than letting our anger show.