PBS - THE BUFFALO WAR: In Their Shoes, Solutions

"This Administration has said that buffalo are as much a symbol of America as the Statue of Liberty. Yet the Administration's plan for buffalo is like turning a jackhammer loose at the statue's feet. It will chip away at a national treasure. We can, and must, do better."
Mike Clark, executive director, Greater Yellowstone Coalition

Buffalo in Yellowstone National Park

The Interagency Bison Management Plan was agreed upon in December 2000 by the Montana Department of Livestock, Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S.D.A. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. While less aggressive than past policies, the plan currently in use still involves the slaughter of bison and remains a source of conflict in the buffalo war.

Solutions
On the other side of Yellowstone National Park, bison and cattle use public lands at different times of the year. Bison graze on Horse Butte winter and cattle use this land in summer; according to conservationists, there should be no conflict.

"Both livestock and wildlife have been sharing the lands in the Jackson [Wyoming] area for a long time — for many decades — no transmission has occurred. There's no reason why bison and cattle can't use some of those same lands. The conservationists are not looking for cattle to be thrown off the public lands, nor are ranchers saying the bison can't use the public lands."
Jeanne-Marie Souvigney, conservationist, Greater Yellowstone Coalition

Separation, Not Slaughter
The federal government is now certain that it can keep buffalo and cattle safely separated. As further insurance, it is offering to pay for vaccination of cattle that graze near Yellowstone. It is also pledging to vaccinate buffalo when a safe and effective vaccine is developed. It is assuring that it will defend Montana, even in court if necessary, if other states threaten to impose sanctions against Montana over brucellosis. Although the country's national government offers alternatives, the state's insistence on slaughter continues.

"We've had numerous discussions with Montana about how to minimize the need for lethal control of bison. In large measure we've found Montana consistently backs away."
Patrick Collins, U.S. Department of Agriculture

The Citizens' Plan
The Greater Yellowstone Coalition, in conjunction with regional business owners, conservationists, Native Americans, sportsmen, ranchers, scientists and others are endorsing the "Citizens' Plan to Save Yellowstone Buffalo."

This plan, if adopted, would:

maintain wild, free-roaming buffalo by ensuring that herds have access to public lands outside the park
put wildlife professionals in charge of crucial decisions about wild buffalo instead of leaving that authority with the Montana Dept. of Livestock
direct government agencies to work with private landowners adjacent to the park to protect both landowners' and buffalo's best interests
manage buffalo by relocating them to Indian reservations and public lands, or through a regulated harvest
create incentives that encourage landowners to change their grazing practices in ways that reduce contact between cattle and buffalo
work to compensate private landowners when natural buffalo migration damages fences and other property

A Change of Focus
As time marches on and industries change, some ranchers are switching from raising cattle to buffalo, and prospering financially and ecologically. Membership in the National Bison Association, an organization for buffalo professionals, has risen steadily, and Montana State University has created a Center for Bison Studies to conduct research on bison and to aid buffalo enterprises.

The revered white buffalo calf with mother

Hope for Change
If you've walked in the shoes of the Lakota Sioux, the rancher and the environmental activist, you know how complex this issue can be. It's a battle between government and industry, but also a struggle between passionate individuals - all with something to gain or lose.

"At the center of the battle is the buffalo, an animal that, in its silence, manages to tell us a great deal about how we see the world.... With more discussion, awareness and thought, maybe the buffalo war can be settled."
Matthew Testa, filmmaker, THE BUFFALO WAR

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