BFC: don't blame tribes for bison slaughter

In Montana, the Department of Livestock is the governing arm for bison that leave the protections of Yellowstone National Park. Dallas Gudgel is a citizen of the Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes and sits on the Board of the Buffalo Field Campaign.

Sensationalized smearing of dozens of Tribal Nations who enjoy ancient sacred relationships with the natural world and our four-legged relatives, with gory depictions of Tribal harvest of Yellowstone Bison, conveniently avoids the real issue of an irredeemably broken management regime and the Montana livestock industry’s decades-long stranglehold on bison management. Playing along with Montana’s strategy to demonize the Tribes for the sins of the settlers also serves to undermine the legal authority retained in nearly a dozen treaties - sovereign promises between the federal government and nearly 30 Tribal Nations. 

At the end of the day, the race-based genocide and near-eradication of the traditional food source of Tribal Nations, now beloved by all, disqualifies the livestock industry and the legislatures it controls from any say in how Yellowstone Bison should recover. As the global scientific community and the Biden administration now recognize, it’s up to the Tribes to determine how wild bison should be managed, working cooperatively with federal wildlife biologists and ecologists. [excerpt, Gudgel]

Jon Marvel retired from the Western Watersheds Project in 2014. He has been stalwart in withering lawsuit fire against long-held sheep and cattle grazing permits on public lands. 

Yes, Montana's Earth haters are wielding the power of government to stifle free enterprise in a state where freedom is paramount. Realtors in Montana and Idaho are even capitalizing on racist paranoia amid Donald Trump’s calls for the End Times.

Shaina Clifford is the new director of Marketing & Public Relations for the InterTribal Buffalo Council. “This is an amazing opportunity & platform to bring awareness for the people, to be able to help bring healing to the people through the buffalo is a good thing. The InterTribal Buffalo Council is moving in a good direction and making good progress,” said Clifford. [Lakota Times]

Learn more at the Buffalo Field Campaign.

May marks the height of calving season. Red-tailed hawks, white pelicans, osprey, and bluebirds abound. Shoots of new green grass, buttercups, and yellow-budding red willows all blossom. Ice dissolves on lakes and ponds and otters come out to play. Photo by: Joanne Murphy pic.twitter.com/ji42eZUDRH

— Buffalo Field Campaign (@BuffaloField) May 9, 2023