Some dedicated environmentalists from the
Buffalo Field Campaign stumbled into an
effort from the Montana Legislature to put the
USDA in charge of all animal life inside Yellowstone National Park (think slaughterhouse management).
On Tuesday, Josh and I ventured to Helena to defend the buffalo against some insane ideas coming from lawmakers at the state capitol. Joined by two other buffalo soldiers, Darrell and George, we stood before the Montana House Agricultural Committee to speak in opposition to recently introduced House Joint Resolution 22, which urges federal agencies to "expedite the elimination of brucellosis in the Yellowstone National Park bison and elk herds and urges the president.... to name the USDA as the lead agency in an elimination plan." Though the resolution isn't legislation that would become a state law, it would set a very scary precedent because it essentially states that agriculture takes precedence over wildlife no matter what. If adopted, it would mean Montana agrees with removing the National Park Service as the lead agency in charge of wildlife within Yellowstone National Park, placing the USDA-Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in that position. APHIS will do whatever it takes to protect livestock over wildlife (see below for a full description of APHIS) and allowing them to take charge *inside* the park opens the doors that nightmares are made of. It was no surprise to hear DOL, the MT Cattlemen's Association, and the MT Farm Bureau speak in favor of it, but we were shocked and disheartened to hear Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks speak as a proponent of the resolution. This is the agency we would have in charge of a buffalo hunt? This is the agency in charge of protecting and managing Montana's wildlife? The resolution was written by a cattleman, and it reflects this segment's ignorance and prejudice. For the full text of the resolution go to http://data.opi.state.mt.us/bills/2005/billhtml/HJ0022.htm. Montana residents should contact their House Representatives (http://leg.state.mt.us/css/house/default.asp); folks both in and out-of-state should contact Governor Schweitzer (governor@mt.gov).
The quick rundown is that brucellosis is a threat to the cattle industry because it kills cows. Roughly half of the bison in Yellowstone test positive for brucellosis. When they follow natural, ancient migration routes out of the park, they may cross paths with cows and there is a (low) risk of disease transmission. Cattle folks have managed to get the state of Montana to spend millions hazing buffalo back into the park and frequently simply executing them. But wait, almost all ELK TEST POSITIVE but no one is making any effort to kill them- because the hunting industry (guides, rifle shops, etc) would never stand for it.
All that aside- the USDA is an ag function. It has no knowledge, experience or skill at habitat science, wildlife ecology, park management, etc. But it exels at regulating slaughterhouses. Ag is a major Repub support structure...and and with a Repub majority in the House, any bizarre idea can get a hearing.