Deal could limit killing of park bison. Purchase of grazing rights from CUT ranch would create corridor for migrating animals. By Matthew Brown. Associated Press.
Finally! This is a good thing. The questions is, is it a little bit good or really good?
by
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He was a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and was also its President for several years. For a long time he produced Ralph Maughan’s Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of “Hiking Idaho.” He also wrote “Beyond the Tetons” and “Backpacking Wyoming’s Teton and Washakie Wilderness.” He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.
Comments
“Initially, 25 bison that test negative for brucellosis would be allowed passage. In coming years, that could grow to 100 bison if the program proves successful.
Bison that wander outside Yellowstone’s northern boundary in excess of those numbers would still be subject to slaughter.
A tentative deal between the church and state negotiators was reached last July, but state and federal officials had previously been unable to come up with money to pay for it.
Montana Rep. Denny Rehberg, a Republican, blocked a Congressional amendment last year that would have urged the Department of Agriculture to commit $1.5 million to the deal.”
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The bison of Yellowstone National Park, AMERICA’S bison, are being held ransom by the cattle producers of Montana, represented by mouthpieces like Rehberg. I recently spoke with his office about his block of the amendment and all I heard was worthless crap from his staff.
So the cat’s out of the bag ~ we now know what the governor and the super will be announcing. We’ll see if they break their arms patting themselves on the back.
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Mack P. Bray
Wildlife Watchers
wildlifewatchers@bresnan.net
If this is it, I don’t know how it could possibly work because those bison tested and found to be “negative” would have to be prevented from moving back into Yellowstone Park as they naturally would do as late spring arrived and the grasses grew lush and deep.
Movement would be just as restricted as it is today with bison leaving the Park still mostly being killed, and those who have been approved to leave the Park not allowed back in.
There must be more to it than this. I sure hope so.
I seriously doubt that there is more to it than what you describe Ralph. I think the Governor is just pulling a political stunt that will only satisfy those who aren’t paying any attention… all the while using our taxes to do it.
If this deal is like described in the article then it is little different than what happens on Horse Butte. All of the buffalo that leave the Park there are fair game for hazing, capture, test, and slaughter if they test positive with their inaccurate antibody test. We all know what happens to buffalo on Horse Butte.
I would hardly call 25 cyberbison allowed out of the Park any kind of historic agreement. I call these bison cyber-bison because they will have already be captured and tested and then even if they test negative they’ll be fitted with vaginal transmitters.
Cyberbison are not wild, free-roaming wildlife, but just another form of domestic livestock.
This is just more of Brian Schweitzer and Suzanne Lewis’ fraudulent bullshit.
the more livestock are removed from the forest after this, the more leverage more bison will have to move further.
this seems to me to be an attempt at venting some of the tension that’s been building for quite some time. if folk working on behalf of bison can avoid the release of pressure – keep it building – many good things for buffalo.
what and how many more private cattle exist as obstacles after this ?
I’m curious about what the political motivation for Schweitzer fourth coming big Bison announcement. Perhaps the negative GOA report will threaten future funding for the IBMP plan. I’m expecting a repeat of something like this.
http://governor.mt.gov/news/pr.asp?ID=444
People read this hog wash and think, great, the Bison are finally saved for good.
Please keep in mind the only thing we know for sure is that a “historic” announcement will be made. All we can to do is merely speculate. I realize that history points to more of the same bullshit, but maybe… just maybe, this long running, shameful chapter of history will end today.
Maybe their best strategy to keep from being hounded to death by the DoL and others, before the announcement, is to keep it under wraps and then give the livestock industry the shock of their lives. And all they are left to do is “put up or shut up”. Anything is possible, and i refuse to give up.