My name is Julia Vincent. I live in Helena, Montana. My grandparents were Montana homesteaders. My mother's family homesteaded in Daniels County. My father's parents homesteaded along the north fork of the Flathead river. My grandfather, Ray Vincent, was acting superintendent of Glacier National Park. My father, John D. Vincent, was a foreman and a ranger in The Park.
In the 1800's, the Department of the Interior was complaining that Indians and Buffalo are taking grassland away from cattle. This mentality remains in control to this day. The attacks on genetically pure bison are fueled by fear, not by reality. Taxpayers' money continues to be misused to fund an archaic, racist war. Giving Yellowstone Bison to Ted Turner while refusing to give them to local indigenous nations was borne out of the livestock industry's fear that Indians are going to bring back the Buffalo. Now you are attempting to eradicate them by re-labeling the last remnant of genetically pure bison as livestock. Livestock are animals your ancestors brought to the western hemisphere when they emigrated to this foreign land. Genetically pure bison are indigenous wildlife, sacred to the First Nations.
And, as you already know, there is not even one documented case of bison giving brucellosis back to the cattle who brought it here to begin with. More taxpayers' money being spent on a lie.
Tatanka is not livestock! Let the genetically pure buffalo roam.
The meeting yesterday was the typical lack of respect and responsibility by Fish Wildlife & Parks and ranchers and the strong supportiveness of individuals and environmental groups.
At present there is a lawsuit filed by Western Watersheds Project, Gallatin Wildlife Association, Buffalo Field Campaign, and Yellowstone Buffalo Foundation against FWP over FWP giving Ted Turner Yellowstone bison which is nothing more than the privatization of the Yellowstone bison. This lawsuit has become an excuse for FWP to deny the tribes buffalo. FWP Director Joe Maurier said, "If we give them [buffalo] to another nation, it could be seen as the ultimate in privatization. So, until we can resolve that issue, I will not be able to do much. But it's still under consideration." Maurier has also said, "If the suit continues, we will fight it all the way. If the suit goes away we will continue to talk with our tribal friends. It's my understanding that we did make some promises and some tribes did what they said they would do with fencing. We need to get this little issue resolved and we are ready to go."
Mike Fox, Fort Belknap tribal council member has said, "If they go to the tribes it's not privatization because we have a government-to-government relationship. We are ready and willing to help with this project."
At the end of the meeting yesterday Maurier again restated to the tribes that buffalo cannot go on their land until the plaintiffs drop the lawsuit. He said when this happens they can move forward.
Mike Mease, co-founder of Buffalo Field Campaign, filmed this entire meeting. When the video is available I will post it.
The one thing that was lacking in the meeting was knowledge. FWP has alot of facts about the relative, but lacks knowledge--Vedic Science, the knowledge of Natural Law--how the universe works and organizes itself in perfect harmony. The tribes have this knowledge, making them more than capable of taking care of buffalo. When the knowledge of how nature works becomes the basis of all FWP's and the Department Of Interior's and Bureau of Land Management's decisions, then balance will be restored to Montana's environment.
I'll start off with that this was the day it was announced that ALL 88 buffalo who've been in quarantine since 2005, will go to Ted Turner. They won't be hunted.
Turner’s representatives said the Yellowstone bison are too valuable to hunt and will be mixed in with a herd being conserved on another ranch he owns in New Mexico. New Mexico?! No wonder the buffalo were given to Turner. He's removing them from the state. Exactly what Montana wants!
There were other options other than Turner of course, but these included sending the buffalo to Guernsey State Park in Wyoming, to the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation and to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. But, Wyoming is too close to Montana and the Reservations are in Montana.
Turner had said that if some of the animals went to Wyoming, Montana would get fewer bison back because he needed a certain number to justify his expenses. Those costs are estimated at $480,000 over five years, or about $2,500 for every bison he will keep.
Turner is going to keep the animals hostage for five years and in return wants 75 percent of their offspring, an estimated 188 bison. He already owns more than 50,000 beefalo but wants the Yellowstone animals because of their pure genetics. Montana would get an estimated 150 bison back. My question is what on earth would Montana do with them other than slaughter them for their heads and hides.
"There were a lot of people that wanted them on public lands. We're not ready," said Montana wildlife chief David Risley. "The Turner option, all it does is buy us time to come up with a long term solution."(More lies...)
Russell Miller with Turner Enterprises said, "We welcome the opportunity to be partners with FWP in the stewardship of these iconic bison." (and make a profit off of them)
Miller said the deal with the state is to (I love this) "conserves Yellowstone bison genetics and increases the number of bison available to populate public and tribal lands." What a bunch of B.S.!
In addition to all this, the MTDOL held a secret "public" IBMP meeting Tuesday. Thanks to BFC's commitment to the buffalo they were on the phone with Department of Livestock (DOL) and Yellowstone National Park officials to learn what's in store for the remaining buffalo in YNP.
What were some IBMP changes--Less tolerance.
begin hazing and capturing buffalo if more than 100 migrate out of the Park's western boundaries between February 15 and April 10.
DOL will erect the Horse Butte buffalo trap, and they fully intend to slaughter. When BFC asked if IBMP partners would need to come to consensus on these drastic management changes, Marty Zaluski said no. Montana can do whatever it wants. Period.
