If you would like to see buffalo from Yellowstone National Park relocated to two Indian reservations in Montana, it’s about time to get on the bus for a public hearing on Monday.
That’s the word coming from organizers who hope to transfer genetically pure buffalo from Yellowstone National Park to the Fort Peck and Fort Belknap Reservations.
Join me Friday morning, Oct. 7, on Tribal Scene Radio from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. on KBGA radio. Our guest will be David Ditloff, regional representative of the National Wildlife Federation who will talk about the latest developments on buffalo in Yellowstone National Park. A live stream is also available at kbga.org.
A public hearing has been scheduled on Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. at the Glasgow Civic Center. A free bus shuttle is scheduled to transport people from Poplar and Wolf Point to the hearing. The bus will return riders to both communities right after the hearing.
Many people are likely familiar with the Yellowstone buffalo story from the not so long ago when the state of Montana warranted national headlines for shooting and slaughtering healthy buffalo that left the north end of Yellowstone National Park. The buffalo were killed for fear they might spread brucellosis to cattle. About five years ago, a remedy was sought to end the slaughter. The answer: Quarantine the buffalo instead of shooting them. Now, what to do with the quarantined buffalo.
The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks recently released a plan to relocated disease-free buffalo to four areas in the state, including Fort Peck and Fort Belknap. A recent enviromental assessment provides the full details about the quarantined herds and possible relocation areas. Here’s a summation of the current situation:
•A small portion of the bison in Yellowstone National Park have a cattle disease called brucellosis. For years it was the policy of Montana to shoot or send to slaughter bison leaving the north end of the park to prevent brucellosis from being transmitted back to cattle…even though there has never been a documented case of transmission from wild bison to cattle.
• As an alternative to the shooting and/or slaughter, a quarantine facility was set up five or so years ago. The bison remaining in the quarantine are now deemed brucellosis free and are ready to be relocated to other appropriate spots.
• The environmental assessment proposes to relocate them to one or more of the following places: the Spotted Dog Wildlife Management Area near Deerlodge, the Marias Wildlife Management Area near Shelby, the Fort Belknap Reservation, and the Fort Peck Reservation. Fort Peck and Fort Belknap already manage their own bison herds. Tribal councils on both reservations have passed resolutions in support of transfer of the Yellowstone bison to the tribal lands. The Montana-Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council also supports the proposal.
So far, there have been two public meetings, one in Shelby and one in Deerlodge, on the proposed transfer of Yellowstone bison. Here’s a Great Falls Tribune article on the Shelby meeting. So far, there has been a significant lack of support at those meetings to transfer the buffalo to the Spotted Dog and Marias Wildlife Management Areas. It’s now up to tribal folks to show up and voice their support to bring the buffalo home to tribal lands.
Tribal Scene Radio airs live Friday mornings from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. on KBGA radio, check it out on 89.9 FM.
