Roam Free Reports

I wrapped up my field time in Montana earlier this week, and I wanted to send a final report, some action ideas, and a message of gratitude.

A Few Final Days in Gardiner

After the killing of the second bull on the 13th, my last few days in Gardiner were quiet. The park trapped more buffalo on Friday the 14th, and more trailer loads left for the slaughterhouse. On Saturday the 15th it was excellent to be joined in the field by our co-founders, Stephany and Jaedin, as well as our amazing local allies. On Sunday I sat with the mixed herd of buffalo as they came to the very border of the kill zone, drank at the creek and scratched on the trees there, and then turned around towards safety. I left Gardiner then, knowing the field monitoring was in capable hands, and feeling good that the buffalo had turned away from the killing fields. Unfortunately, as you read in the last report by Stephany Seay, that safety didn’t last, and at least eight of those buffalo were killed.

But the much bigger toll taken on wild buffalo this year hides in Yellowstone behind a giant public closure and a successful greenwashing campaign. Yellowstone and their Interagency Bison Management Plan cronies have captured over 500 of the last wild bison in their trap at Stephens Creek, and they continue to capture now, according to allies in the area. Most years, Yellowstone has ceased capture operations in early March, because of the proximity to calving season. This year, they only started their dirty deeds at that time. To capture pregnant mama buffalo now, just a month away from calving season, and sending them to the slaughterhouse is a crime against wildlife. So far, two trailers of bison have been sent to their death every weekday since March 10th. Twelve days, twenty-four trailer loads – probably 300 or more sent to the slaughterhouse. As they do not tend to capture adult bulls, this is 275 yearlings, immature buffalo, and pregnant females with the unborn calves in their bellies. We do not have more accurate numbers because Yellowstone and the IBMP partners still remain silent about their operations.

At this rate of slaughter, one wonders if they are keeping any living bison to be imprisoned in their quarantine facilities. Not that it is necessarily any better – separation from their families, intense testing, confinement, management, and then a life as livestock far from their homes. For those “environmental” groups that support quarantine, know that this is what quarantine looks like – it looks like trailers full of wildlife rumbling on the highway to a commercial slaughterhouse. Because even if they aren’t racing to kill buffalo to appease Montana’s governor? Any bison caught for quarantine who test positive for brucellosis antibodies are sent to their deaths.

Contact Yellowstone and the Shameful Slaughterhouse

Shame on Yellowstone for caving to dirty politics and going along with this. Shame on the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes for facilitating the slaughter and for profiting from the crime. And shame on Tizer Meats in Helena for helping to wipe out wildlife in the name of livestock interests.

Contact Yellowstone and tell them to stop the slaughter of pregnant moms and calves. Enough is enough!

Call Yellowstone’s Superintendent Cam Sholly at (307) 344-2002
Email: Yell_Superintendent@nps.gov
Comment on their social media pages:

Let Tizer Meats know how disgusted you are at their participation in this slaughter.

Tizer Meats
(406) 442-3096 • (406) 422-4822

A Brief Visit to West Yellowstone

After leaving Gardiner, I traveled down to West Yellowstone for just a few days, to visit and to get a couple skis in to see if I could find any Central Herd buffalo there. Ski conditions were not great (and driving conditions were pretty terrible!) but on my last day in Montana the buffalo came my way – crowding the highway, frozen bellies telling tales of cold river crossings. With the new snow, though, there was no exposed grass on the highway sides either, and leaving the pavement meant some serious post-holing.

The herd eventually made their way up one of the forest service roads, packed hard by countless snowmobiles. Unfortunately, these endangered Central Herd buffalo followed that road towards danger, where some of their number were killed by “hunters”. Local allies report that out of the group they are only seeing two survivors.

A Bit of Media

Have a listen to my interview with the incredible Tiokasin Ghosthorse on his program First Voices Radio on Radio Kingston. It was an honor to speak with him on this Native-hosted, Native-produced weekly radio show.

Farewell to Montana for Now

It is always hard to leave Gardiner after weeks of field patrols, even if the hours and long and the work of bearing witness can be hard. As I left, I knew that Stephany and Jaedin would be in the field for the next few days, and that we, and the buffalo, have amazing allies in the area, but it is still hard to say goodbye. I hope that Roam Free Nation can continue to build our presence in Gardiner to the point that we have a continuous base there during the winter season. The buffalo need our voices and our cameras on the ground, bringing their perspective to the world.

Thank you for all of your support that enables us to get into the field. We wouldn’t be here without you. Please continue to donate, to share our updates, invite others to join our mailing list, and keep pressure on Yellowstone and other officials.

From the field, for wild buffalo,
Cindy

Jaedin and I returned to Gardiner on Saturday, March 15. We met up with friends — human and wild — inside Yellowstone National Park along Old Yellowstone Trail. One of those friends included RFN board member, Cindy Rosin, who had been in the Gardiner Basin for about two weeks. We hung out with a family group of buffalo for hours, watching them graze, play, and just be buffalo at peace.

The buffalo were just a little east of Yellowstone’s Stephens Creek buffalo trap, and barely a mile from the infamous Beattie Gulch. Yellowstone had been actively capturing and hunters were in town to make their kills. For some time it appeared that the buffalo were going to move further south, where they would be safe from trap and rifle. When most of them were just out of our sight, something must have spooked them because they came running back, heading north.

For hours more we monitored them, watching them inch slowly to the north. There were plenty of hunters in town and they all had their eyes on this group, too. Not too far from them was a group of four bulls. They had also been closer to Beattie Gulch than any of us cared for, and hunters were watching them as well. At some point in the day, the bulls crossed the Yellowstone River and came into a large grassy pasture where they were relatively safe. The larger family group continued to make their way north, making us all uneasy. As the sun went down a veritable blizzard rolled in making it impossible to see the buffalo at all. We had to call it a night and gather again in the morning.

In the morning, the buffalo were still south of Beattie Gulch but still dangerously close. The bulls had joined them. As they got closer to the boundary and the hunters lay in wait, we repositioned to better document the tragedy we thought was going to take place. The whole group came all the way to Reese Creek, which is the border between Yellowstone and Gallatin National Forest. Hunters were already out of their vehicles, walking up the carcass retrieval road, rifles in hand. We waited for the worst. But, wild buffalo are full of surprises. As it turned out, they just came to get a drink of water from the creek and headed south again, much to the chagrin of the hunters.

Later that day, though, part of the family group broke away from the herd and joined the bulls who were once again heading north towards danger. We returned to our positions to bear witness to what was about to take place. Just before getting to Beattie Gulch, the smaller family group joined back up with the other herd. But, the bulls kept coming. We could also see three hunters at the boundary line, and another nineteen people — most with rifles — positioned in the middle of Beattie Gulch. The bulls couldn’t be seen from our position, but we had other people in the field who had eyes on them. At the time, they were safe. But suddenly the larger group of hunters got down on their knees. Moments later a volley of shots were fired. As we wondered what in the hell had just happened, thinking maybe they shot some elk, our other patrol showed up to say that the hunters along the boundary hazed the bulls further north and into the kill zone as soon as they stepped over Yellowstone’s boundary. Twenty-two hunters on four bulls. Sure, that sounds fair. Three of the bulls were killed then, and one managed to escape. Dark was coming and there was very little visibility. Apparently that didn’t matter to the hunters. The fourth bull was killed by them in the night. Tribal hunters can pretty much do whatever they want, no matter issues with ethics or safety. We are all pretty sure the bull came back to his fallen comrades to mourn, and the hunters took advantage and ended him, too.

When we got back to our room, we saw a Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes truck and trailer. From that, we knew that buffalo would be shipped to slaughter in the morning. Getting out there at the break of day, we had eyes on Yellowstone’s trap. Sure enough, two trucks with trailers were leaving the trap. We got into position to document. The two trucks — metal coffins on wheels for the country’s last wild buffalo — bumped down Old Yellowstone Trail escorted by law enforcement. They turned onto Highway 89 and headed for the slaughterhouse.

In Gardiner, wild buffalo are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. For a while they seemed to be inching their way south, away from the hunt zone. But early in the afternoon, they changed their minds. They were moving north and it did not look like they were going to stop.

We got our cameras ready, had our binoculars and scopes out. As the buffalo moved into Beattie Gulch, they were still a couple hundred yards away from the kill zone. We noticed a man on foot slowly moving towards them and skirting around them. He was attempting to haze them into the kill zone. Like night shooting, hazing is also legal. Real hunting, huh? He was waving his hat around in his hand, getting closer. Part of the group got the message and bolted past him back into the Park. About twelve buffalo were still in danger. He kept trying to haze them, running them in circles. At one point one of the adult females bluff charged him. But the man was joined by two others who had rifles and they eventually succeeded to haze them into the kill zone. One shot, one buffalo down. Three more shots were fired, but the rest of the group — or so we thought — made an about face and bolted back into the Park. Both groups of the original herd took off running and didn’t stop running until they were in the vicinity of the trap.

We posted up across the river from the Trap and set our scopes up. These buffalo who had just been harassed and “hunted” were perilously close to the trap. We could see two men in the blue shirts of Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) walk out and open the gates to the trap. They both took out handfuls of hay, attempting to lure the buffalo into the trap. As we watched in horror, seven buffalo, in single file sampled the hay and one by one walked into the trap. Our hearts sunk. But, as we were watching, they each turned around and headed back out and kept going. One of the DOL agents came back out and shut the gate again. Disaster narrowly averted!

As we were giving thanks for this miracle, and for the fact that we saw only one buffalo get shot, we got a text from another patrol who said that, in fact, three more buffalo had been killed in that “hunt”. We couldn’t believe it. We were watching the whole time. We went back to the scene, set up our scopes and could see other groups of people scattered about. We also saw a rope tied to two trucks that went behind a hill. Sure enough, one of the trucks drove up the carcass retrieval road, while the other acted as an anchor, and a dead yearling was drug out. But, the yearling was not alone. He had a passenger. One of the hunters was actually riding him! Show some respect for your relatives, for crying out loud. We could then get a visual on two other carcasses, all yearlings. So four were taken in that “hunt”.

Right as we got home that night, two Confederated Salish & Kootenai trucks and trailers pulled in to our parking lot. Yes, more buffalo would be shipped to slaughter in the morning. We were there to say goodbye to our friends as the metal coffins drove them to their doom. Over the next two days, two more trailers full of the country’s last wild buffalo left the Gardiner Basin. With so many buffalo still in the trap, and others possibly in danger of being captured, this will be a regular occurrence until the trap is empty, while simultaneously buffalo outside the trap are consistently threatened with rifles.

What can we do about this? How do we stop it? There is really nothing we can do about the tribal hunts, other than pray very hard that the buffalo are granted Endangered Species Act protection. Under the current administration that doesn’t seem very likely. But we can continue to put pressure on Yellowstone.

Call Yellowstone’s Superintendent Cam Sholly at (307) 344-2002
Email: Yell_Superintendent@nps.gov
Comment on their social media pages:

This senseless, needless, disrespectful, selfish maltreatment of the country’s last wild buffalo must end! Until it does, we will endlessly apply endless pressure and show the world was is taking place with these gentle giants. We are able to do that because of you. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for allowing us to stand with the buffalo and tell their story, sharing their perspective.

WILD IS THE WAY ~ ROAM FREE!

~ Stephany
Co-founder, Roam Free Nation

I bring you a short and sad update today.

He is gone.

The beautiful bull we told you about a couple days ago – defiance in the face of danger, protective of the herd. Lone bull daring to spend his time near humans, and hunters, and hazers.

Killed. After eight shots and a short-lived run for his life. Eight. Shots.

The bull had been hanging around the area of private homes for nearly a week. After his friend was killed on Tuesday, he left with the rest of the herd, but returned that very night to be where he liked, despite the danger. He spent the day in the area Wednesday, risking danger and gaining the attention of hunters. This morning, the hunters, or maybe the bull, decided they’d had enough.

Early in the morning we saw hunters throwing rocks at the bull while in the no hunt zone. Aside from angering the bull, it only chased him further away from the kill line.

But a bit later, drawn, perhaps, by the remains and memory of his friend, he walked past the imaginary line and was gunned down. After eight shots.

He died as he lived, bold, unafraid, and going where he chose.

People here are feeling his loss. The buffalo allies, the neighbors who had been living with his presence, some international visitors who happened to be in the area for both kills, and even the press covering the story – all heartbroken.

And of course this doesn’t tell the whole story – that the vast majority of the buffalo killed this year (and still to be killed this year) died away from the land they are a part of, afraid, confused, and contained, in a slaughterhouse in Helena.

But it is the danger of being on the ground with the buffalo. You get to know them, you personify them, and you feel their loss deeply.

Rest in Peace wild friend.

In a disgusting display of submission to the livestock industry and the State of Montana, Yellowstone captured over 300 wild buffalo in the Stephen’s Creek capture facility, and began shipping them to the slaughterhouse on Monday.

Last Friday, as I went back towards Gardiner along the dirt road called Old Yellowstone Trail, I got caught in a “buffalo jam” – the road flowed with a river of buffalo – passing by the car on both sides for about fifteen minutes. There must have been hundreds. It was incredible. You’ll want to play this video with the sound on.

The next morning, Saturday, there were over three hundred buffalo wandering freely between the Roosevelt Arch and the actual northern border of the park. By Sunday morning, there were less than fifty. It’s like the Park came out and rounded up every buffalo in the area. Attempting to count the buffalo in the trap from a high vantage point proved difficult, but there were at least 350 held captive there. What you could see, though, was Yellowstone and Montana Department of Livestock pushing buffalo through the sorting and testing areas of the trap.

On Sunday night the livestock trailers showed up in town, a sure sign of impending ship-to-slaughter operations. Sure enough, before daylight on Monday a parade of vehicle lights traveling up the road to the trap make their intentions clear. In an hour, two trailers containing 26 buffalo rumbled up the dirt road to make their way to the highway.

The transportation to slaughter is done by the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes, with security along the way provided by the National Park Service, the US Forest Service, and APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service). In the past they’ve driven the doomed buffalo to White’s Meats in Ronan, MT, on the Flathead Indian Reservation, but last year we discovered that was no longer the case.

On Monday one of our amazing allies followed the trailers as they headed north, until the buffalo met their final end at Tizer Meats in Helena. We put that information out to the public in a press release, and it forced a response from the slaughterhouse in question. You can read that article in Cowboy State Daily.

By Monday evening the trailers were back in town. Yellowstone and the other Interagency Bison Management Plan partners are not done with their dirty deeds. Two trailers went to the slaughter house on Tuesday, and another two on Wednesday. The trailers are back tonight, with round four of doomed bison to be sent to their deaths tomorrow.

Government agencies, even those like the National Park Service that ostensibly are supposed to serve the wildlife, do a lot of pretty terrible things in the name of wildlife and wildlands “management”. But no other wild native species is treated so much like livestock as Yellowstone’s wild buffalo.

I feel our comments to any federal agencies are being increasingly ignored, but you can still let Yellowstone know how you feel.

Call Yellowstone’s Superintendent Cam Sholly at (307) 344-2002
Email: Yell_Superintendent@nps.gov
Comment on their social media pages:

From the field, for wild buffalo,
Cindy

I bring a devastating update to you tonight. There are two tragic stories to share, one of the shipment of buffalo from the Yellowstone trap to the slaughterhouse, and another of the first killing of the season at the Beattie Gulch firing line. I tell you now of the Beattie Gulch “hunt”, and will share the tale of the ongoing slaughterhouse shipments tomorrow.

I told you in our last update of the big bull evading hunters and hazers alike on Friday night to graze peacefully on private land. He stayed in that area for three days – occasionally popping out to tease waiting hunters and give us a scare. We spent many hours sitting with that bull.

I also told you of the group of buffalo who had stopped just short of the Park boundary on Saturday. They crossed the river to spend a couple days in a field on the other side. Aside from occasionally getting too close to the highway, they were safe there.

This morning, Tuesday, the bull made his way back south just across the Yellowstone border. All of our buffalo allies here were happy he’d returned to the relative safety there. At the same time, the group had returned across the river, and started again nearing the border at Beattie Gulch. There was another bull spending time with that group, and upon seeing the lone bull, he ran to join him and one after the other they ran back into the danger zone. They seemed playful – chasing, wallowing, and enjoying each other’s company.

Unfortunately, their energy led them towards the killing fields. The rest of the group soon followed.

Remarkably, only one hunt party awaited them, a Blackfeet man who had spent days waiting for this chance to kill.

Slowly the group made their way into the kill zone. The man waited in the sagebrush, picked his target, and fired. It took him three shots to make the kill. The bull that had so recently joined his friend to run and wallow in the field had fallen. The grunts and grumbles he made as he died were heartbreaking. The entire group of buffalo gathered around their fallen brother, nosing and nudging him. Their grieving process is both tragic and beautiful. But the lone bull, robbed of his friend, was not content to grieve – he was very, very angry. Tail up he went towards the “hunter”, huffing in rage – but he turned, thankfully before the man shot again.

While tragic, I also realize, and reminded the press that was there to document, that this day is in no way representative of what usually happens on this killing field. There was only one shooter, he didn’t haze or push the buffalo, instead waiting for his chance. He picked one animal and killed him, not wounding any others in the process, and he chose to only fill one tag of the two he was allotted. I cannot say I am grateful to the “hunter”, but I am grateful it was not the disastrous and chaotic firing line that buffalo have met at Beattie Gulch so many times in the past.

The shooter did allow the buffalo a bit of time to grieve their fallen relative, but eventually chased them off. The group did not go far, and even two hours later I saw them return to the bloody scene to say another goodbye – one buffalo even nosing at the parts that lay in a game sled nearby.

After that final parting, the group turned and filed in a line south across the imaginary border and kept going, a mile or more, before coming to rest in a field. I can only hope they stay clear of the trap on their way back south.

The killing fields were empty of buffalo once again, and the ravens came in to have their fill. Just before sunset, however, I got another message – “there’s a bull in the Beattie Gulch parking lot”. I race out, wondering if any more “hunters” had heard the news and come to the area, but thankfully, no. And when I arrive, I see that the lone bull had returned, to be where he chose to be, danger be damned. I sensed a sadness in his face, as he stared me down with distrust. This wise old bull is safe for another day.

It’s been a whirlwind couple days – an emotional roller-coaster. Buffalo are flirting with the park boundary while managing to dodge the so-called “hunters”, but they are falling prey to Yellowstone’s capture facility in huge numbers.

The afternoon of my last update, on Tuesday, a group of 37 wild buffalo did as they are supposed to – migrated – and marched right on past Yellowstone’s boundary. Incredibly, this happened in the very short window of time where there seemed to be no hunters in town! This mixed group of two beautiful bulls, very pregnant mamas, and assorted youngsters included a very late calf of last year – still red in the body but turning brown at the head. At dusk they were camped on private land north of the park, and I left for the night fearing the worst in the morning.

On Wednesday morning, the word had apparently gotten out and the hunters were here – some having driven through the night to “get a buffalo”. The small group was having none of that, however, and had made their way back to the relative safety of the park during the night! Some of those “hunters”, disappointed, turned around and headed for home. Wednesday was quiet, with few buffalo out at all.

Thursday we woke up to snow, and it snowed most of the day. Poor visibility meant checking activity at the trap was difficult, but the Park captured buffalo again. We confirmed with photos later that they had over 200 in the trap by the end of the day. Sadly, the little red yearling was among those lured into captivity.

Again, there were “hunters” around, getting skunked by both the buffalo’s own self preservation and the Park’s giant capture operations. Tempers are running high, and my morning began with a Nez Perce hunter confronting me as I sat parked at the Yellowstone boundary. Pulling his truck up to my passenger side, he got out and came to the drivers side, pointing his phone camera at me, “you can’t do this… you’re hazing the buffalo… you’re violating my treaty rights…” Caught off guard, I only managed, “what are you talking about?” And “I don’t see any buffalo, do you?” And as he got back in his truck to drive off, “if you want to blame anyone for messing up the hunt blame the park who captured over a hundred yesterday!” He quickly drove off, having had his say… who knows, maybe I’m famous on his TikTok…

In the evening a group of 16 buffalo headed for the boundary and Beattie Gulch. Hunters waited at Beattie Gulch. I sat with some other buffalo allies and the little herd as they stopped their northward march, only about a half mile from the boundary. We stood with them, our little buffalo crew with theirs, as the sky darkened, and soon, a half hour after sunset, they were safe for the night.

Friday morning was fairly quiet – some hunters around, and at least one elk was killed above the town off Jardine Road. Disturbing news was coming from West Yellowstone that made it sound like some hunters had left for West to kill buffalo there.

Around noon I watched as Yellowstone cleared the outer pen of the trap again, and spread more hay to bait the trap. In the afternoon they captured even more buffalo, at least another 50 – the outer pens must be getting so crowded.

Afterwards I thought I’d be able to call it an early night, when I noticed a bull heading north, about a half mile from the kill zone. He marched north, and hunters gathered. One bull, and at least seven hunt rigs and two conservation enforcement officers showed up. The shooters lined up on opposite sides of a little dip in the land, at least four of them holding rifles. The bull marched up the road, stopping to graze, not paying any mind to the multiple people out trying to haze him into the kill zone. He picked his way through that gauntlet to private land and safety. I celebrated his victory, this beautiful bull.

As I headed for town that evening, I got caught in a buffalo jam. Old Yellowstone Trail, the dirt road leading from Gardiner, was flowing with buffalo. Hundreds made their way past me flowing past the car on both sides for about fifteen minutes. It was awe-inspiring, incredible, and also scary as they headed north towards danger.

Saturday morning the lone bull remained safe on private property, and the river of buffalo seemed to all gather around the trap – hundreds in the area. Yellowstone couldn’t resist, and by 8 in the morning horseback riders rode out to actively haze buffalo in the trap – no longer satisfied with luring them with hay. It seemed they captured another 30 or so – and later I counted over 350 inside the trap. The active hazing was not something I’d seen in a while, and it really seems like for some reason the Park Service and Department of Livestock is trying to provoke the tribes by capturing almost every buffalo who moves north.

A small group, though, made it past the capture facility and was moving close to the danger zone in the afternoon. As the group of 34 headed towards Beattie Gulch, hunters again gathered, and again, the buffalo stopped short of the boundary, deciding that the field a quarter mile from the Yellowstone border was a good place to spend the end of the day.

I am so so grateful for this time with the buffalo. I’m elated that they are avoiding the killing fields of Beattie Gulch, and furious that Yellowstone is once again betraying their mission by betraying the buffalo. I’m thankful for all the buffalo allies I’ve had time with in the field, and thankful for you, our supporters, who enable us to be here. You can continue that support here, or please just help us spread the word and these updates.

From the field, for wild buffalo,
Cindy

It’s late, and the alarm clock for first light goes off early, but I wanted to send a quick note to our supporters. I arrived in Gardiner on Sunday evening – just in time to greet some of the first groups of buffalo to come out of the park this winter.

Monday they all stayed safe – sticking around the entrance of the park, and I enjoyed the day reuniting with the buffalo, the rest of the wildlife friends, and with the land. I was even honored by the presence of an early morning wolf.

Today, Tuesday, was a different story. We got word last night that the Park intended to capture, and right from the morning the buffalo were streaming out of the park and heading north, seeming to beeline for the trap. The Park captured over 100 buffalo – pregnant moms, yearlings, and juveniles. The buffalo were lured into the trap with hay, and then five agents on horseback came around and closed the gate.

They first captured a group of 59 buffalo. The agents on horseback immediately pushed those buffalo to another pen, spread more hay in the outer pen, and opened the gate again to trap another group.

As that second capture happened, another group bypassed the trap and headed north towards Beattie Gulch and danger. I’ll be out at first light tomorrow and will be sure to send you a more detailed update then.

From the field, for wild buffalo,
Cindy

RFN Attends Fall Interagency Bison Management Plan Meeting

On October 29, Jaedin and Stephany, cofounders of Roam Free Nation, attended the fall Interagency Bison Management Plan (IBMP) meeting in Missoula, Montana. It was the most boring IBMP meeting either of us have been to. It seemed nobody wanted to be there or to put much effort into the process. State, federal, and tribal governments used to occasionally fall into intense disagreements, things would get especially heated between the Montana Department of Livestock and Yellowstone National Park, and tribal representatives would often have strong words for the agencies killing the buffalo. But no one sitting at this table opposes the killing of the buffalo anymore. They are all getting along as the desired kill numbers go higher and higher.

Earlier this fall, Yellowstone announced that they want to “remove” (read: kill) upwards of 1,400 buffalo this winter. The herd stands at about 5,500 now. That’s 25% of the population! They have stated that they would like to see most of the buffalo killed by hunters, some will be sent to slaughter, and a few will become prisoners of the quarantine (domestication) program. This terrible news was made public in the media, and RFN’s Stephany Seay responded with this opinion editorial which ran in six of Montana’s most widely-read papers – in addition to the Missoula Current, it ran in the Billings Gazette, the Helena Independent Record, the Ravalli Republic, the Missoulian, and the Montana Standard.

In response to Yellowstone capturing buffalo for slaughter and quarantine, the Nez Perce tribe announced that they have extended their “hunt” by four months, which now runs from August 15-April 15. April 15 is right about the time calving season starts. A representative from the Nez Perce tribe rightfully complained about capture, especially for quarantine, but that is only because they see capture as taking buffalo away from their hunt. It does, but the point is they don’t oppose capture because it is harmful to the buffalo, they oppose it because that’s fewer buffalo that they get to kill. Chris Geremia reminded the Nez Perce that in the past six years, there have been hundreds more buffalo killed in the “hunt” each year than have been captured.

All in all, all the IBMP cohorts expressed how much they are hoping for a big winter, so there is a big migration, and they can kill more buffalo.

The most meaningful part of the meeting were the few public comments. Only five people spoke, and only three represented the perspective of the buffalo. Videos are below. One of the commenters offered a brilliant twist to her presentation.

The Future of Yellowstone’s Wild Bison – Event at the Museum of the Rockies

The following Friday, we traveled to Bozeman, Montana for a wonderful, educational, and inspirational event at the Museum of the Rockies. This event, “The Future of Yellowstone’s Wild Bison,” was sponsored by Yellowstone Voices and supported by Roam Free Nation, the Alliance for the Wild Rockies, the Gallatin Wildlife Association, and the Montana Wild Bison Restoration Coalition.

RFN’s Jaedin Medicine Elk offered the opening prayer. We watched an edited version of Yellowstone Voice’s “A Path Forward for the American Bison” documentary, heard a powerful presentation by Confederated Salish & Kootenai tribal member Rochelle Salois; watched a telling video, complete with photos, of RFN’s Stephany Seay talking about Yellowstone’s capture operations (video courtesy of Greg Cairn of Yellowstone Voices); and a very informative slide show by brucellosis expert Dr. Peter Nara. Then came the highlight of the evening, a presentation by keynote speaker Rick Wallen, who is Yellowstone’s former senior bison biologist. Rick’s presentation was outstanding. Being retired, he is no longer gagged by the government and can speak freely, speak the truth. Listen for yourself in the video below.

We ended the evening with a great Q&A session with panelists responding to inquiries from the audience. Folks asked some really great questions and we all learned a lot and felt inspired to continue this critical work to defend the country’s last wild, migratory buffalo.

In the Media

Cofounder Stephany Seay was once again featured on Joe DeMare’s podcast, For a Green Future. Listen here (starting at about 13:45). You can always see more of our coverage on the In the Media page of our website.

Please Support Our Work!

Thank you for allowing us to be there for the buffalo. It is because of your generosity that we are able to attend these meetings and events, and soon be back in the field with the buffalo. As a 501©(3) non-profit organization, we depend on your support to do this work. Winter will soon be approaching and we will need to get back in the field as much as possible to monitor the buffalo, document actions against them, and advocate for their protection. Please consider making a donation today.

Farewell to The Queen, Grizzly Bear 399

Grizzly bear 399 was the worlds most famous bear. She was followed by nearly fifty professional photographers and beloved by millions of Grand Teton National Park and Bridger-Teton National Forest visitors from around the world, and of course truly loved by so many humans who lived near her. She gave birth to at least 22 cubs. On October 22, she was hit and killed by a vehicle. She was 28 years old. Her last child, Spirit, survived. Grizzly 399 will be missed and we will never forget her.

WILD IS THE WAY ~ ROAM FREE!!

Dear Friends, 

It’s been a while since we’ve made contact. It’s been a pretty uneventful summer, though the buffalo may have a different opinion having been dealing with millions of tourists to Yellowstone National Park. That being said, there are some important things we want to share with you. 

SAVE THE DATE! 

On November 1, 2024, thanks to Yellowstone Voices, we will be returning to the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, MT for an important community event on the future of wild buffalo. RFN cofounder, Jaedin Medicine Elk, will conduct the opening prayer. Rick Wallen, Yellowstone’s former head bison biologist, will be the keynote speaker. This will be really interesting because he is now retired and can speak the truth, not tow the government line.

There will also be some informative videos of Confederated Salish & Kootenai tribal member, Rochelle Salois, who will speak about what is happening to the buffalo from a tribal perspective. And RFN cofounder, Stephany Seay, will be featured in a video to talk about Yellowstone’s capture-for-slaughter and -quarantine programs, and to show images of what goes on at Yellowstone’s nefarious Stephens Creek buffalo trap. Dr. Nara, an expert on brucellosis, will present information confirming that the so-called risk of brucellosis could be greatly reduced by allowing buffalo to express themselves on a much larger landscape. There will also be ample Q&A opportunities along with a panel discussion from various experts and advocates.  

If you are in or traveling through Montana, please come visit with us in Bozeman! The event will begin at 5:30pm, with a welcoming reception and lots of information from our sponsor, Yellowstone Voices, and all of the promotional support partners, including Roam Free Nation. We will conclude at 9:00pm. We hope to see you there! Please help us spread the word about this event!  

RFN IN THE MEDIA THIS SUMMER

While the summer was mostly uneventful, we did have some good opportunities to do interviews and engage the press to keep getting the word out there. Check out our media page to listen to interviews on Resistance Radio, For a Green Future, and on the Washington, D.C.-based Political Misfits. 

You can also read our press release that we issued after Yellowstone’s disappointing Record of Decision came out on their new Bison Management Plan.  

FALL IBMP MEETING

The Interagency Bison Management Plan cohorts will hold their fall meeting on October 29, 2024, at the Residence Inn in Missoula, MT. The agenda has yet to be posted, but the fall meetings are where the IBMP representatives will make decisions for the coming winter. RFN cofounders will be there to represent and document. Information about the meeting can be found here.

THANK YOU! 

As always, thank you all so much for your continued support and encouragement. The field season will be soon approaching as we get closer to winter, so we could really use your support to make sure we are there for the buffalo, and to tell the truth of what is happening to them. 

WILD IS THE WAY ~ ROAM FREE!  

Join us and our friends at Yellowstone Voices for an evening of education and community discussion on the future of Yellowstone’s wild bison. The evening will feature keynote speaker Rick Wallen, wildlife biologist and former Senior Bison Biologist of Yellowstone National Park. The evening is also co-sponsored by the Montana Wild Bison Restoration Coalition and the Gallatin Wildlife Association.

Yellowstone Voices’ last event at the Museum of the Wild Rockies was an inspirational evening in a packed house.

We’ll update with more details when we have them, and we hope to see you there!