[RFN] Report Back from the IBMP Meeting

[Stephany Seay]

Dear Friends,

Jaedin Medicine Elk and I traveled to Chico Hot Springs, MT, for the fall
Interagency Bison Management Plan meeting, which took place on Halloween.
Not exactly how we wanted to spend this holiday, but the buffalo come
first. This is our report back to you.

We learned that the Montana State Vet (Dept. of Livestock), Marty Zaluski,
has retired.  The new state vet is Dr. Tahnee Szymanski.  She is a native
Montanan and a graduate from Oregon State University, a big agriculture
school.  To our knowledge, she may be the first female state vet for
Montana.  We hope she will be more gentle than the men before her.

We also learned that one of Yellowstone's bison biologists, P.J. White, has
retired.

There was much hoopla from the Montana Dept. of Livestock in regards to
language the Park and other agencies wanted to strike from the Operations
Plan in regards to vaccinating wild bison.  In 2014, Yellowstone squashed
the idea of vaccinating buffalo, because it doesn't make sense on so many
levels.  It is domestic, invasive cattle who should be vaccinated, not wild
buffalo.  To date, there is no safe and effective brucellosis vaccine
because former President George W. Bush placed *brucella abortus *on the
Center for Disease Control's bio-terror agent list.  A foolish move that
prevents scientists from working to find a vaccine that works.  On cattle.

More urgently, Yellowstone released their summer bison population estimate
<https://billingsgazette.com/outdoors/yellowstone-bison-population-estimated-at-4800-department-of-livestock-interagency-bison-management-plan-greater-yellowstone-coalition-chris-geremia/article_4a127bde-7750-11ee-b408-63c2ba9b5907.html#tracking-source=home-top-story>.
The Yellowstone buffalo population dropped by 2,000 in the last year.
Mainly due to excessive treaty hunting.  The Park reported that 60-70% of
the population migrated into the Gardiner Basin (north edge of Yellowstone)
where there was a record "harvest", as we have previously reported.

Chris Geremiah, Yellowstone's head buffalo biologist reported that the
imperiled Central herd continues to decline.  As he has for over five years
now, he again recommended that no buffalo be hunted in the Hebgen Basin, on
the west side of the Park.  But, the hunters will not listen.  The Central
herd are the only buffalo who migrate into the Hebgen Basin, but they also
migrate into the Gardiner Basin, being doubly impacted by "management"
actions (hunting, slaughter, quarantine).

Astoundingly, he also recommended that hunters kill MORE females than
bulls!  The females are the matriarchs, the ones who teach the youth where
to find the best grass, the best water, the safest lands and routes to get
there.  They are also the ones who carry in their wombs the next
generation.  As we stated in our public comments, killing the females is
what destroys a nation.

Once again, they set no quota, meaning if we have a heavy winter like last
year, it could be another free-for-all killing frenzy.  Though they did
suggest that no more than 1,100 should be taken, that's only a suggestion
that holds no weight.  Buffalo advocates know that killing one is too many
right now.  These populations need federal protection under the Endangered
Species Act. They must be allowed to recover and restore themselves on the
lands that are their birthright, and ESA listing is the only thing that
will give them the respite to do so.  But, restraint and respect for these
circumstances aren't something that agencies or hunters really care about.

The MT. Dept. of Livestock appealed to treaty hunting tribes to actually
help them by hazing with bullets, should buffalo approach or breach the
so-called tolerance zones, beyond which, buffalo are currently not
allowed.  Once again, they want to use tribes to do their buffalo-killing
dirty work.

In an interesting twist, some members of the Interagency Bison Management
Plan began questioning what they were doing, why do they exist, what is
their purpose in moving forward?  They currently have no purpose other than
to maintain the status quo and make the lives of the last wild buffalo one
of unnecessary challenges and misery.

The public comment period actually came *before* lunch, this time.  There
were some really great words said on behalf of the buffalo.  One person
really stands out.  Wendy, someone we've been in touch with since last
winter.  A Montana resident with a brilliant mind who knows exactly what's
going on.  In her comments, she sang a version of "Home on the Range" that
put the DOL to shame.  It was brilliant.  She had visual aids, some blown
up photos of ours that really helped illustrate the travesty she was
conveying.  It was an honor and pleasure to meet her.

We have a bit of video footage to download, and we will soon be able to
share ours and others comments with you.  There were a couple of decent
articles that came out, which you might like to read, the following being
the most thorough.  From the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, "Livestock
Department, Yellowstone, Exchange Blows in Annual Bison Meeting"
<https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/environment/livestock-department-yellowstone-exchange-blows-in-annual-bison-meeting/article_6df2fc92-780c-11ee-83c2-0700f2783178.html>.


Winter is here now, and the deep snows are just around the corner.  We need
your support <https://roamfreenation.org/support-us/>to be in the field, to
stand in defense of our buffalo family.  There is a lot of travel and
lodging involved to keep us on the front lines, so please, do what you can
to support our work <https://roamfreenation.org/support-us/>in standing
with the last wild buffalo.  Thank you so much for loving wild buffalo!

Next week, November 9, we will travel to Bozeman to watch a public
screening of Yellowstone Voice's "A Path Forward for the American Bison
<https://yellowstonevoices.org/>" at the Museum of the Rockies.  We will be
part of a panel discussion after the documentary plays.  We wish you all
could be there with us.  Trust that we will represent.

WILD IS THE WAY ~ ROAM FREE!

~ Stephany
Cofounder, Roam Free Nation
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