News from the Field
Buffalo Field Campaign
http://www.wildrockies.org/buffaloSeptember 12, 2003
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In This Issue:
* Update From the Field
* Buffalo Roadshow Updates
--East Coast--
--West Coast--
* Last Words
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* Update From the Field
As the summer draws to an end, so does the buffalo rut. I was lucky enough to get one last glimpse of their dance before returning home. One large bull sauntered across the sage brush evoking loud bellows and roars from the other bulls who had already selected their mates. The herd was gathered near the Gibbon River inside Yellowstone National Park next to a thermal pool. The sky was charcoal and a red-tailed hawk circled above. Bison hair clung to the sage brush as a cool breeze caressed the landscape. Days like these make me so grateful to be a Buffalo Field Campaign volunteer.
But our patrols are not always like this, as our crew of dedicated outreach facilitators learned while tabling inside Yellowstone. Blistering hot sun beat down on them as they sat near a parking lot at one of the park's main attractions, testing the resolve and commitment of these folks who sacrifice so much for the buffalo. Questions like, "Why not put a fence around the park so the buffalo can't leave?" or "Can't you feed them hay so they don't leave the park?" are familiar to our patient tablers, who were happy to answer these and other queries from the folks who cared enough to stop at the table to learn about the bison and the BFC. As Summer Campaign Coordinator I would like to thank each of our tablers. It was a honor and an inspiration to work with you and to see the love of all that is wild and free shine through the sometimes tedious work of being a Summer Campaign volunteer.
And thank-you to everyone who helped spread the word of the plight of our last wild bison, the thousands of visitors who visited our table in Yellowstone!
On August 25 all our high-ranking park officials as well as Theodore Roosevelt IV gathered in Gardiner, MT to celebrate the 100th year anniversary of the Roosevelt Arch. The arch is a large stone gateway spanning the road near Yellowstone's north entrance. Unveiled at a dedication ceremony led by President Theodore Roosevelt, the arch is inscribed "For the benefit and enjoyment of the People." The stone arch stands as a symbol of our commitment to the world's first national park...or so it should.
BFC volunteers were there to celebrate as well...to celebrate the diversity of animals that live within the park and utilize the surrounding national forests...for the benefit and enjoyment of the wildlife! As Suzanne Lewis, Yellowstone's Superintendent took to the podium, a large banner was unfurled on a hillside behind her. The banner read, "Buffalo Slaughter, an American Tradition." The BFC volunteers in the 1000+ crowd donned their buffalo masks, held up signs, and chanted, calling attention to the hypocrisy of a Park Service celebrating its commitment to Yellowstone's wildlife when just a few months ago it sent 231 buffalo to unnecessary slaughter. Many people in the crowd and in the Gardiner community thanked us for holding the Park accountable and for commemorating the hundreds of buffalo that were killed in the Spring. It is crucial that we use our voices and our presence to let the Park Service, the US Forest Service, and state of Montana know that slaughtering the last wild bison is not acceptable to the citizens of this country and the world.
We are currently gearing up for the 2003-2004 season. We have lots of firewood to gather, skis and boots to mend, and food to put up for the winter. If you can help in any way, whether as a volunteer or through a tax-deductible contribution, we could use your help in our efforts to protect the buffalo.
We recently retrofitted our office and media cabins to run on propane heat, so if you know a distributor of propane heaters who is willing to make a tax-deducible donation of a couple heaters, please send them our way!
Join us in the field for our Winter and Spring Campaigns (Nov-May) and let us unite our voices for the protection of the wild bison of Yellowstone National Park and Montana.
For the Buffalo,
Justine Sanchez
Summer Campaign Coordinator-----------------------------
* Road Show Updates
--East Coast--
The first ever BFC East Coast Road Show hits the road on the equinox. We'll be stopping in communities from North Carolina to Vermont to share stories from our time in the field with the buffalo and to build a strong constituency for buffalo protection. Here's our tentative schedule:
Not all of these shows are confirmed. Reply to this email with any questions.
October 1
Washington, DC
Georgetown Patagonia StoreOctober 3-5
Harmonic Convergence Festival
Ashland, NCOctober 7
York Memorial Library
York PennsylvaniaOctober 8
New Brunswick, NJOctober 9
New York CityOctober 11
Woodstock, NYOctober 13
New Paltz, NYOctober 16
Burlington, VTOctober 18
Boston, MAOctober 20
Andover, NHOctober 21
Plymouth NHOctober 23
Biddeford, MEOctober 26
Barnstable, MANovember 5
Williamsburg, VANovember 6
Charlottesville, VANovember 8-9
Richmond, VA
Veteran's Day Pow-Wow
--West Coast--Our West Coast tour continues this weekend in Orgeon and wraps up in Montana on Thursday. We have one more week of shows. For those of you planning to attend Saturday's show in Eugene please note that the venue has changed (see below). Thanks to everyone who has helped make the roadshow such a success.
Sept. 11
Portland, OR
7:30 PM- 9:30 PM Show Liberty Hall 311 N. Ivy Contact: Greg- 503-816-5217Sept. 13 (morning)
Eugene, OR
10 AM- 4 PM Farmers Market
Oak & 6thSept. 13 (afternoon)
Eugene, OR
7:30 PM Show Cosmic Pizza Willamette Street
Contact: Kris- 541-736-1692Sept. 15
Bend, OR
6:30-9PM Central Oregon Community College
Hitchcock Hall
Contact: Brennan- 541 390-5976Sept 18
Missoula, MT
7PM University of Montana
Urey Underground Lecture Hall
Contact: Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers- 406 728-0867-----------------------
* Last Words
"Here all the wild creatures of the old days are being preserved, and their overflow into the surrounding country means that the people of the surrounding country, so long as they see that the laws are observed by all, will be able to insure to themselves and to their children and to their children's children much of the old time pleasures of the hardy life of the wilderness..."
President Theodore Roosevelt
April 24, 1903
Dedication Ceremony for the Roosevelt Arch
Gardiner, Montana-----------------------
Buffalo Field Campaign
PO Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
(406) 646-0070
buffalo@wildrockies.org
www.wildrockies.org/buffalo