Defenders of Wildlife Blog

Photo Courtesy of Fort Peck Journal

In some happy news, some of the genetically pure bison that were transferred to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation last month have become proud parents.  As of today 13 newborns were reported among the herd with more reportedly expected soon.

According to the story in the Great Falls Tribune, the herd has taken to the newborns immediately and is doing a good job protecting them by huddling around them, keeping them close and not letting them drift too far away.

“The birth of the first bison calf at Fort Peck Reservation is the next positive step in wild bison restoration to the Great Plains with a new generation of pure bison starting their lives,” said Jonathan Proctor, Defenders’ Rocky Mountain region representative.

Photo Courtesy of Fort Peck Journal

Thanks to all our Defenders supporters for all your actions and donations that helped bring these wild bison home!

Read the full success story.

Learn more about what Defenders is doing to help bison.

You can check out Fort Peck Journal’s Facebook Page for more baby bison photos as they become available.

A herder and his dogs keep their eyes on a flock of sheep in central Idaho's Wood River Valley.

Just in time for Earth Day, Defenders announced today that it spent over $300,000 in 2011 to help ranchers and communities coexist with wildlife and maintain a healthy environment.

Through our Wildlife Coexistence Partnership program, Defenders implemented or provided incentives for more than 100 projects in nine states across the country, including Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming, as well as Mexico. Projects included hiring range riders, creating buffer zones for prairie dogs, paying for electric fencing, purchasing bear-proof food lockers and dumpsters, purchasing trail cameras to document panther activity and compensating ranchers for lost livestock. These projects benefited prairie dogs, bison, gray wolves, grizzly bears, jaguars, polar bears, Florida panthers and Florida black bears.

“The nonlethal tools that we’re testing in places like Idaho, Oregon and Montana are showing that people really can share the landscape with wolves with a little extra effort,” says Suzanne Stone, Defenders Northern Rockies representative in Boise, Idaho. “Fladry, guard dogs, range riders—these basic deterrents have all proven effective when they’re given a chance. We’ve demonstrated that losses to wolves can be dropped to near zero levels if appropriate, proactive steps are taken to prevent conflict. Ranchers are able to safeguard their livestock while helping to maintain healthy populations of native wildlife.”

A relocation project at Thunder Basin National Grassland in eastern Wyoming has helped save prairie dogs from shooting and poisoning.. Photo by Lacy Gray.

“We recognize that living in areas with grizzly bears or roaming bison isn’t always easy. That’s why we’re investing in projects that benefit people and wildlife,” says Jonathan Proctor, Defenders Rocky Mountain representative in Missoula, Montana. “For example, we helped pay for dozens of projects to keep grizzly bears out of chicken coops, beehives, and trash, primarily by installing electric fencing. These methods work and can prevent conflict with minimal upfront cost to individual property owners.”

“By working together, we are able to bring imperiled wildlife back from the brink of extinction and ease the burden on livestock owners and ranchers,” says Craig Miller, Defenders Southwest representative in Tucson, Arizona. “Our coexistence projects offer a bright future for rare and unique wildlife such as wolves and jaguars and also for ranchers and landowners who are taking steps to help make that possible.”

“The Florida panther’s downward spiral toward extinction has been reversed in recent years and the number of cats has been growing. But for the population to continue to recover, it’s essential the endangered cats avoid conflicts with ranchers and livestock as well as pets and farm animals,” says Laurie Macdonald, Defenders Florida director in St. Petersburg. “By exploring coexistence, compensation and incentive programs that work for both panthers and property owners, we can find effective, long-term solutions that protect the big cats and preserve the Florida rancher’s way of life.”

Click to see a larger map of our 2011 Wildlife Coexistnece Partnership projects.

2011 Totals

Minimum number of proactive projects and incentives by region:

• Northern Rockies – 60
• Southwest and Mexico – 20
• Southeast (Florida) – 21
• Great Plains (Kansas & Wyoming) – 3

Number of compensation payments by region:

• Northern Rockies – 38
• Southwest and Mexico – 2

Minimum number of projects and incentives by species:

• Wolf – 34
• Grizzly bear – 39
• Prairie dog – 3
• Bison – 5
• Jaguar – 2
• Florida panther – 10
• Florida black bear – 11

Number of compensation payments by species:

• Grizzly bear – 31
• Wolf – 9

This Florida panther was caught on camera as part of a monitoring study.

Minimum amount spent on various project and incentive types:

• Fladry –$20,497
• Range riders – $65,960
• Technical field assistance, workshops and information – $126,509
• Compensation for livestock depredation – $56,650
• Dumpsters, garbage bins and food lockers – $17,483
• Fencing and buffers – $18,650

Read our full press release.

On Wednesday, the first day of spring, we began a new chapter in bison restoration by celebrating an incredible victory for wildlife conservation with the tribal leaders of Fort Peck and Fort Belknap reservations, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, and state and federal officials.

Jamie looks on during the tribal ceremony, a reminder of the connections between the bison, the tribes and life on the Great Plains.

Watching the bison come storming off the stock trailers Monday night was a historic moment for wildlife conservation that I will never forget. But the heartfelt speeches and tribal ceremony I witnessed Wednesday were equally powerful and brought home for me the broader significance of the bison’s return.

Plains Indians refer to themselves as “The People of the Buffalo” to signify their intimate relationship with the animal, and for centuries their fates were intertwined. The Assiniboine, Sioux and Gros Ventre tribes that now live at the Fort Peck and Fort Belknap reservations once relied on the buffalo for food, clothing, and countless other materials. Tragically, as the herds of wild bison perished during the mass slaughters of the 1800s, so too did the Plains Indians.

As one of the tribal council members said at the celebration, we can’t change the past, but we can change the future. Returning genetically pure, wild bison to the Great Plains is a chance for a new beginning for the animals and a chance for the tribes to reconnect with an essential part of their culture and history. I take heart now knowing that the bison will once again roam the plains of northeast Montana and that future generations of Assiniboine, Gros Ventre and Sioux families will be able to live with bison as their ancestors did.

When it was my turn to say a few words to the community, my thoughts turned to my own family and in particular to my 12-year old son Carson. For the past few years, he has joined me on summer trips  to Yellowstone.  Each year he has asked about the bison stuck in quarantine just outside the park. He saw other bison roaming the grasslands of Yellowstone National Park and couldn’t reconcile why these animals were cooped up on the side of the road just standing around.  He repeatedly asked when we were going to find them a better home, and I’m so excited to tell him that it’s finally happened.

So much of what we do at Defenders is focused on the future and creating a better world for our kids and grandkids. Our legacy to them is saving, protecting and restoring as many of our native plants and animals as we can in their natural communities.

Saving 60 Yellowstone bison is a major accomplishment in itself, but more importantly, it paves the way for restoring bison to other areas across the region and revitalizing America’s vast prairie ecosystems in the years to come.

I’ve returned from Montana with a renewed sense of hope, and I’m looking forward to all the great work that still lies ahead!

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Gov. Schweitzer at the podium

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer delivers a passionate speech about returning bison to the tribes.

Jamie congratulates tribes

Jamies talks about the importance of restoring the bison to the Great Plains for future generations.

Tatanka Oyate

A tribal drumming group performs at Wednesday's celebration at Fort Peck Community College in Poplar, Montana.

A powerful moment

Jamie looks on during the tribal ceremony to honor the connections between the bison, the tribes and life on the Great Plains.

Bison at Fort Peck

On Monday, about 60 bison were safely relocated from Yellowstone National Park to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. They will be held temporarily in a corral until tribal wildlife managers complete fencing on a much larger pasture.

Talking bison with tribal leader

Jamie discusses the future of bison with a member of the Fort Peck tribal council.

Running bison

Bison run around the corral getting used to their new home.

Ceremonial drumming

Tatanka Oyate drummers perform during the celebratory pipe ceremony at the bison corral.

The last light was fading fast from the sky when the first three trailers arrived. Gale force winds were ripping through the high plains, and the thermometer had dropped well below  freezing. Still, I was incredibly excited and gratified to be part of the small gathering with Fort Peck tribal members  to witness a historic homecoming and tremendous win for wildlife.

It was so worth it to spend  almost the entire day yesterday traveling from Washington, D.C. to eastern Montana, for the return of wild bison to the Great Plains. I watched in awe last night as the tribal wildlife manager flipped the latch of the first trailer, opened the door, and out roared the first two wild bison from Yellowstone National Park, storming back onto the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.

One of the Yellowstone bison emerging from a trailer into a corral at Fort Peck Indian Reservation in eastern Montana.

The bison had spent all day as well, traveling  about 500 miles from a quarantine facility just outside Yellowstone, where some of them had been  for more than five years. But last night, they were finally set free where they truly belong in their new home.

In total, about 60 genetically pure, wild bison completed the journey. These are some of the only descendants of the historic herds that once roamed the Great Plains by the millions, and they are the first Yellowstone bison ever to be relocated to the Great Plains—the heart of their historic range– to start new herds.

Half of them will soon be moved to the nearby Fort Belknap Reservation once fencing is completed there. Both reservations will manage their new herds sustainably as a valuable cultural resource for the tribes.

Defenders has been able to work closely with the tribes to help bring Yellowstone bison to Fort Peck and Fort Belknap Reservations. Over the last few years, we’ve helped the tribes secure grazing permits to convert tribal land from cattle grazing to bison, paid for wildlife-friendly fencing, and lobbied with them against bad bills in the state legislature. We even chipped in for trailers to help transport the bison from Yellowstone.

But our work here isn’t finished yet. We’ve already committed resources to help the tribes at Fort Belknap, hopefully the next release site, put up fencing around their bison pastures this spring and summer. And in coming years, we’ll be helping the tribes set aside more of their lands  to expand the areas where bison can roam free.

Mike Leahy, Jonathan Proctor, Fort Peck Fish & Game Director Robbie Magnan and Jamie Rappaport Clark at the bison corral (left to right).

Incredible wildlife moments like these leave an indelible mark that will stay with me forever. As I listened to those bison hooves cantering around  on the prairie last evening,  I was reminded how fortunate I am to lead an organization like Defenders. I am also gratified and thankful for the many Defenders donors who have been with us on this long journey to restore bison to their native lands in northeast Montana and have so generously supported us along the trail.

I feel truly honored to have been able to share this incredible conservation achievement with the Assiniboine, Gros Ventre, and Sioux tribes of Fort Peck and Fort Belknap. I also want to thank Gov. Schweitzer and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks for their leadership with bison restoration. Their persistence and perseverance has ensured that future generations of Americans will be able to witness magnificent wild bison out on the range once again.

It’s been slow but steady progress lately for bison conservation in Montana.

Tribal wildlife managers at Fort Peck and Fort Belknap Indian reservations are busy making preparations to receive 65 disease-free, genetically pure bison from a quarantine facility near Yellowstone National Park—a move that was approved late last year by the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission. Litigation from a handful of local private landowners threatens to stop the move, which could occur any day.

Meanwhile, the state has agreed to open more land outside the park for bison to use during the winter when heavy snow sends them in search of food at lower elevations. Last week, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks released its updated interagency bison management plan that will allow bison to continue roaming north of Yellowstone National Park into Gardiner Basin during winter months.

The revised plan is not perfect, but it is a step in the right direction for Yellowstone bison, the most important bison population in the United States. These genetically pure wild bison are essential to the ecological restoration of the species, and there is no better place than Gardiner Basin for Montana to learn how to live with free-roaming bison.

Yellowstone bison were first allowed to roam Gardiner Basin last year when deep snow pushed hundreds of bison to leave the park in search of food. In previous years, bison that strayed beyond park boundaries were promptly hazed back into the park, shipped to slaughter, or held in captivity. But the new policy allows bison to remain in the area until May 1 each year. Just as with the proposed move to tribal lands, litigation threatens to end this progress as well.

Montana Governor Schweitzer has also weighed in, once again prohibiting the shipment of Yellowstone bison to slaughter, thereby forcing the state and federal agencies involved to seek alternatives. Defenders supports this move to prohibit needless slaughter and will continue to help in the effort to find alternatives. In 2011 Defenders contributed $7,000 to pay for fencing to keep bison off private property in Gardiner Basin where they are not wanted. This new effort, managed by the state wildlife department, increases tolerance for bison by allowing local landowners and bison to coexist.

The revised plan for Gardiner Basin is not all that these bison deserve, as some bison will continue to be hazed and held in captivity should more than 300 or so roam the basin at any one time. Ultimately, we believe bison should be allowed to roam year-round in Gardiner Basin – and other locations around Yellowstone – without confinement. Still, this is a start, and our hope is that we will see greater tolerance in the near future based on the success of coexistence projects.

The FWP Commissioners listen to Fort Peck Tribal Chairman Floyd Azure’s testimony.

A meeting to remember

Attending day-long meetings of the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission isn’t usually at the top of my list of favorite things to do. But last Friday was one meeting that I simply couldn’t miss. The Commission was finally considering a proposal to relocate 68 bison from a quarantine facility near Yellowstone National Park where they’ve been held for more than five years to two tribal reservations in northeast Montana.

For years, Defenders has been pushing state wildlife managers to give the bison to the tribes, and this was our last chance to show our support. When it was my turn to testify, I told the commission that although we cannot return to the past when tens of millions of bison roamed the Great Plains, surely there are at least a few places to restore genetically pure wild bison. These two reservations stand ready and willing; this is an offer we should not refuse.

The bison of Yellowstone National Park are some of the only genetically pure wild bison left, and the Assiniboine, Gros Ventre and Sioux tribes of these two reservations have long wished for their return. Giving the bison to the tribes would mark the beginning of efforts to restore new conservation herds of these important bison to the heart of their historic range in the Great Plains.

Although we cannot return to the past when tens of millions of bison roamed the Great Plains, surely there are at least a few places to restore genetically pure wild bison.

Several Defenders’ Montana members spoke in support of the plan too, as did other local Montanans and tribal members as well.

“These majestic animals have played a very significant part in the history, religion, and the culture of our native people of the fort peck reservation,” said Floyd Azure, Fort Peck Reservation Tribal Council Chairman, as reported by the Associated Press. “These bison have sustained our ancestors for thousands of years and they are in need of us of returning the favor. We are here to make sure they will always be here for our children.”

The proposal seemed like a no-brainer to us, and the majority of people testifying supported the move. But some came to testify in opposition, including commissioners from counties near the reservations and some local landowners who fear the bison will escape and damage their fences and property. Despite these objections, the Commission voted unanimously to approve the plan.

The 22,000-acre bison reserve at Fort Belknap awaits genetically pure bison. In 2012, Defenders will assist the tribe with improvements to fencing in preparation for these bison.

Over the past several years, Defenders has helped Fort Peck and Fort Belknap expand the size of their designated bison reserves (currently 4,800 acres and 22,000 acres, respectively) and purchase the required fencing in preparation for return of these bison. We continue to raise funds to help finish the job, and will continue to help expand the bison reserves as opportunities arise in the future.

The next step is for the state and tribal governments to complete and sign agreements. This could take a few weeks to a few months. Then, the tribes are planning a “welcome home” ceremony for their return.

When that happens, we’ll be one step closer to the true restoration of wild bison to their historic stomping grounds.