Groups trying to save bison from Montana riflemen

1,100 bison were killed by the state of Montana last year

In this story:

• 1,100 slaughtered last year
• Church, coalition propose land swap
• 'We'd like to see this land remain open'

April 22, 1998
Web posted at: 12:04 a.m. EDT (0404 GMT)

From Correspondent Jack Hamann

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Montana (CNN) -- Montana environmentalists have aligned with an unconventional church in an attempt to prevent hundreds of wild bison from being slaughtered.

Yellowstone is home to so many bison that at times food becomes scarce, and the big mammals venture out of the park to find better pastures.

The problem is that cattle roam some of those pastures, and Montana cattlemen fear the bison will infect their cattle with a disease called brucelosis.

CNN's Jack Hamann reports on a land swap deal to help save Yellowstone's bison
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As a result, 1,100 bison who wandered out of the park in search of forage last year were slaughtered as part of a state-managed campaign to protect the cattle.

"There were more bison killed in these fields last year than have been killed since the 1870s (and the) slaughter of the bison on the Great Plains," says Mike Clark of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. "There were more killed right here by the state of Montana."

Clark and others say there is no proof that diseased bison pose a threat to cattle.

"There is no evidence, no scientific evidence, that a bison has ever given cattle in the wild that disease," Clark says. "It is one of these inexplicable things which the state is insisting on."

The coalition has been waging a relentless campaign to convince Montana's ranchers that their fears about bison are unfounded. And they have put together a deal that they believe will spare the bison and give ranchers the reassurance they require.

Harsh winters drive bison in search of better pastures

Church, coalition propose land swap

The killing takes place on a small section of the Royal Teton Ranch just north of the park's boundary, against the wishes of the landowners.

"We are really not in favor of the shooting, and we would really like to see it resolved in a much better, more humane way," says Murray Steinman of the Church Universal & Triumphant.

The church found itself in the national spotlight 15 years ago when it bought the 13,000 acre ranch from industrialist Malcolm Forbes. Elizabeth Clare Prophet, the head of the church, encouraged her followers to build bomb shelters on the property in preparation for her prediction of impending nuclear war.

For a time, the church fought with environmentalists over plans to build a permanent community just outside Yellowstone's boundary. But Clark says the church has abandoned those plans.

"When you look at how they've actually used the land here," Clark says, "they've not been that bad."

During the past year, environmentalists and the church have been hammering out a plan that might slow or stop the slaughter. The church would swap 7,000 acres along the park border for 1,000 acres of more remote Forest Service land, plus $13 million.

The mild winter was a blessing to the park's remaining bison

"Essentially what we would try to do," says Steinman, "is to create ... a user-friendly zone for wildlife."

'We'd like to see this land remain open'

The land swap and easement should give bison enough room, except in the worst of winters, to stay out of valleys where cattle graze.

But even if the U.S. government manages to buy this piece of land, it doesn't necessarily mean that the state won't keep killing bison when they leave the park. It has long been the practice that states have the right to regulate wildlife, even on federal land.

"And," says Clark, "they can come in now, even if this exchange goes through, and kill those animals."

Congress and the Clinton administration are not keen on spending $13 million if bison are still mowed down miles from any cattle. And the church is feeling pressure to develop its land if it can't get fair compensation.

"We have said that's not a good idea there," Clark says, "because this is one of the great wildlife migration corridors in the lower 48 states. And we'd like to see this land remain open."

Clark figures the window of opportunity may close before summer. If the state doesn't agree to pull back its riflemen, he expects the deal to fall through and more bison will die when the snows return next winter.

Related stories:

• Yellowstone may limit where buffaloes can roam - January 6, 1998
• Texas bison roam to a new home - December 16, 1997

Related sites:

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• American Veterinary Medical Association article
• Greater Yellowstone Coalition
• Church Universal and Triumphant

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