Buffalo Allies at Northern Rockies Bioneers

Buffalo Allies of Bozeman (BAB) will be hosting a two-part workshop at the 2008 Northern Rockies Bioneers Conference on October 16-19. The workshops, entitled "Plight of the Yellowstone Buffalo" will include talks from Mike Mease of the Buffalo Field Campaign, Kristine Reed from the InterTribal Bison Cooperative (ITBC) Jason Baldes from Montana State University, and BAB members Jim Macdonald and Chris Klatt.

The first workshop session will take place on Saturday, October 18th from 4:45 to 6pm in the Down to Earth Yoga Studio at the Emerson Cultural Center. This session will focus on the "Past, Present, and Future" of Yellowstone's bison herd and how the history of these animals is inexorably linked to the history of people that have depended on them for their cultural survival. Jim Macdonald and Mike Mease will also discuss the current obstacles that face the Yellowstone buffalo herds today, especially in light of last winter's government-sponsored slaughter of more than 1600 buffalo, which is the largest slaughter since the 19th century.

Session Two, "What Now?" will take place the following Sunday, October 19th from 3-4:30 in the same room. Kristine Reed, a wildlife biologist with the InterTribal Bison Cooperative, will present ITBC's efforts in restoring these magnificent animals to their historic range and will speak to the cultural importance of buffalo to indigenous people. In addition, we'll hear from Jason Baldes, a student at Montana State who has been instrumental in bringing back the buffalo to the Shoshone reservation in Wyoming. Finally, Chris Klatt will speak to the use and mis-use of the latest scientific research that is being done with the Yellowstone buffalo herds. These topics will be followed by a group discussion on the necessity of local involvement in this issue, and how Bozeman residents can get involved to help restore bison as a wildlife species here in Montana.

To view other workshops that are occurring at the Northern Rockies Bioneers conference, visit the BORN website:
http://www.bornnetwork.org/

Please join us!