Dear AWHPC Supporter,
This week, we have both good and bad news to share with you, and we ask you to take two important actions on behalf of our wild horses and burros.
First, the sad news: the huge Twin Peaks, California roundup has ended, with 1,799 mustangs and burros captured and 15 dead so far. And Utah's Conger Complex roundup nears completion with 432 of 450 targeted mustangs captured and two reported dead. The death count from both roundups is sure to rise as the trauma and stress of capture and captivity begins to take its toll these formerly free-roaming horses.
On a happier note, two exciting plans by AWHPC coalition supporters to create wild horse preserves are proceeding . . . read the good news below. Each of these plans addresses a different aspect of the problem, and both are sure to be game changers for our government's wild horse management policy.
Finally, be sure to get your letters in by Thursday to oppose two more BLM roundups in Nevada. It's critically important that we get our letters in -- we are building a strong public record to demonstrate overwhelming opposition to the government's inhumane and wasteful wild horse program.
In future, sending these alerts through AWHPC will become much easier when we implement our new advocacy tool that will allow you to just "click and send" your letters. We ask for your patience as we set up this new system, which should be fully operational within the next month.
Thank you so much for your caring and support.
The AWHPC Team
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Two Quick Actions to Oppose Roundup of Wild Horses
So far this year, the Obama Administration has removed more than 10,000 wild horses from their homes on our public lands and the government isn't finished yet. Despite tens of thousands of Americans and more than 54 members of Congress calling for a halt to the roundups, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar - a fifth generation rancher - continues to push forward with the Administration's plan to remove thousands of additional horses.
Today we ask for your help to protest two Nevada roundups. Public comments on two upcoming roundups are due this Thursday, September 23, 2010. So please don't delay - click on the two links below to submit comments. Every public comment is so important - while the Interior Department continues business as usual, it is imperative that we have on the record thousands of Americans protesting these unjust, inhumane and unnecessary roundups that destroy wild horse families and remove them from their homes in the wild only to be warehoused in government holding facilities. Every voice counts: please submit your comments by Thursday and forward this alert to your friends and family.
Click here to oppose wild horse roundup in Nevada's Clan Alpine, Pilot Mountain, and Pine Nut Mountain Herd Management Areas.
Click here to oppose wild horse roundup in Nevada's Lahontan Herd Management Area.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Madeleine Pickens' Vision of Wild Horse Eco-Sanctuary to Become Reality
After two and one half years of work, AWHPC coalition supporter Madeleine Pickens announced on Friday that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has finally endorsed her plan to create an eco-sanctuary for wild horses. The project will begin with a pilot program for 1,000 horses, but eventually envisions providing a safe haven for many of the 38,000 wild horses, like those pictured at left , who are currently languishing in government holding pens and pastures.
Congratulations to Mrs. Pickens and her staff for their hard work and dedication to making the vision of an eco-sanctuary for our mustangs a reality. Read the official announcement here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Return to Freedom Rescues 19th Calico Stallion; 21 Captured Mustangs Begin New Life
This gorgeous buckskin stallion was acquired by Return to Freedom this month, after BLM shipped him to Oklahoma, where his online buyer declined to pick him up. Soon he will be joining 18 other captured Calico stallions and a Calico mare and her foal as they await their new life at a wild horse preserve created through a unique partnership between Return to Freedom and Soldier Meadows Ranch and Lodge.Read more about this pioneering project, which aims to re-establish family bands that were torn apart in the BLM's deadly Calico roundup earlier this year, and to create a pilot program for cost-effective and humane management of wild horses on the range, where they belong.
The American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign (AWHPC) is dedicated to preserving the American wild horse in viable free-roaming herds for generations to come, as part of our national heritage. Its grassroots efforts are supported by a coalition of over forty organizations.
Text MUSTANG to 44144 to get alerts by cell phone.
Thanks to our corporate sponsor and all our contributors for making our work possible.
American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign | PO Box 1048 | Hillsborough | NC | 27278
-----
Teresa Anahuy
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FirstPeoplesNews
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FirstPeoplesNews
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Ariz. mine plan at odds with Apache traditions
Rich copper deposit near Superior is under land tribe holds sacred
Ariz. mine plan at odds with Apache traditions
September 21, 2010
SUPERIOR - Dorothy Ross often journeys to this wooded area in the Tonto National Forest to pray, harvest acorns and pick medicinal plants. She's made the trip since she was a child.
Assembled at the Oak Flat Campground, east of Superior, Ross and other elders of the San Carlos Apache Tribe said this area of the Pinal Mountains is sacred. God created their people at this site and gave them the land, they said.
Speaking collectively in their native language through an interpreter, Ross, Delores Jordan, Gertrude Waterman and Audrey Johnson said spirits living in the crevices and canyons provide blessings to the Apaches.
Tribal leaders traditionally have preferred to have healing ceremonies and purification rituals here.
"God created this area for us," the interpreter said, distilling the thoughts of the four women. "Since the beginning of time, this area was never restricted to us."
But the area also holds what's been called the largest untapped reserve of copper in the U.S. and possibly in the world. In a plan that includes the wider Oak Flat area, Resolution Copper Co., a joint venture of Anglo-Australian mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, wants to mine a deposit that's more than a mile below the surface.
With legislation pending in Congress to swap 2,400 acres of public land in the Tonto National Forest, including the Oak Flat Campground, for land elsewhere in the state, the plan pits leaders of the San Carlos Apache Tribe against supporters who say the mine would create sorely needed jobs and boost the state's economy.
The tribe's concerns extend to Apache Leap, a ridge looming over Superior. Indian skepticism about non-indian motives is captured by the legend of the cliff, where Apache warriors are said to have leapt to their deaths rather than surrender to the U.S. troops.
Although the area where the mine is planned doesn't include Apache Leap, tribal leaders worry that the operation would undermine the area and damage the cliff. More than just Apache Leap, the elders said, the tribe's concerns extend to the welfare of a general area that members consider theirs in spirit, if not on paper.
"This was the home of the Apache people," said Wendsler Nosie Sr., chairman of the San Carlos Apache Tribe. "God blessed this site of the world and told us of the importance of returning back to this place where the acorn gives us the acorn powder, which feeds and nourishes us."
American Indians often view the entire area surrounding a sacred site as holy, said James Riding In, an associate professor of American Indian studies at Arizona State University. As a result, economic interests such as mining operations, ranching, ski resorts and tourism are often at odds with native beliefs.
"Non-Indians often don't understand Indian perspectives about sacredness of the land," he said. "Small Indian nations are often pitted against a government that protects economic interests, usually at the expense of Indian spirituality."
A spokesman said Resolution Copper has tried to address tribal concerns in its plan. He produced letters showing efforts to contact the San Carlos Apache leadership and other tribes in the region.
In a phone interview, Mary Lee Johns, senior adviser on tribal government for Rio Tinto, one of the companies with an ownership stake in Resolution Copper, said company officials have made tribal concerns paramount, even though by law the federal government is responsible for consulting with tribes.
"We have tremendous respect for sacred areas, demonstrated by the work we have done in other countries," Johns said. "We'd like to sit down with all the Arizona tribes to develop an agreement."
In April, the San Carlos Apache Tribe sent a letter asking the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to support its efforts to protect Oak Flat and Apache Leap.
"We've been kicked every which way, and this is why we are filing human-rights violations," Nosie said. "These important things that make a people are being undermined."
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Posted By: Anthony Jay Henhawk Jr.
To: Members in First Nations & Aboriginal Rights
OTTAWA—Native leaders are urging MPs to back efforts to improve aboriginal education programs.
They say native schools are short-changed by the federal government, with per-capita spending well below provincial levels.
The gap between what Ottawa spends and what is needed runs into hundreds of millions of dollars.
The lobbying efforts are part of a week-long advocacy program across the country.
Shawn A-in-chut Atleo, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, says better education is a priority.
He says he wants to see a first-ministers meeting which would concentrate on improving education for native children.
The aboriginal population is growing faster than any other segment of the population, he says, and these children deserve an education.
“Every First Nation child must have a guarantee to quality education,” he said.
“This means support for First Nations education through fair and equitable funding and First Nations control of First Nations education.”
Atleo said this is the key to the future.
“It is central to our drive to take greater control over our lives and communities and will make a stronger Canada for all Canadians.”
Now is the time to act, he said.
“We will not wait while the future of our children, communities and nations is at stake.”
The chief said it’s estimated that the gap between what should be spent on capital projects and operations for native education and what is actually spent amounts to more than $300 million a year.
“What we’re asking for is a funding guarantee for our kids.”
It’s not just money, he said, it’s fairness.
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Aboriginal Cultural Event is POSTPONED.
Mamidosewin CentreSeptember 22, 2010 at 12:23pm
Please note that the Algonquin College Aboriginal Cultural Celebration that was scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, Sepstember 23rd is now postponed. Unfortunately due to the rainy weather forecast, we are having to cancel our event which was to be held outside in the courtyard. New event date/times will be posted once we have our indoor location confirmed. Should you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me by telephone or email abele@algonquin college or (613) 727-4723 ext. 5127 Thank you for your understanding.
Corporate War Crimes: Prosecuting Pillage of Natural Resources
The illegal exploitation of natural resources has fueled and financed brutal conflicts around the world. Can the companies that traffic in conflict resources—and their staff—be held to account?
On October 29 and 30 in The Hague, the Open Society Justice Initiative will be co-hosting a public conference on the war crime of pillage, along with launching a manual showing how prosecutors around the world can use this law to help stop resource wars. Speakers include Luis Moreno-Ocampo, Abdul Koroma, and many other experts.
To register for a place, visitwww.pillageconference.org.
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Aim Santa BarbaraSeptember 22, 2010 at 2:30pm
Subject: Ancestor Walk which will be held in Orange County, Saturday, Oct. 2nd
Ancestor Walk which will be held in Orange County, CA. on Saturday, Oct. 2nd.
For more information contact:
Tamra@protectsacredsites.org
http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#!/event.php?
eid=154048077953437&ref=mf
http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#!/profile.ph
p?id=100001152962949
order of events are as follows:
PANHE 7:30Am
1.Panhe is an ancient village nestled on the banks of San Mateo
Creek. Throughout the years ceremony and reburials have taken
place here. The site continues to be an important ceremonial site.
This area is an irreplaceable spiritual and cultural site. We come together to pray for it's continued
protection.
PUTIIDHEM 8:30Am
2. Putiidhem, located in San Juan Capistrano is the mother village of
the Acjachemen people. Our leaders Oyison and Corrone lived here.
We remember and honor them. The area was heavily occupied with
eight signi_cant anthropological sites within 10minutes walk from
the mission. The site contains ancestor remains and dense artifact
concentrations documenting long periods of occupation as far back
as 2-3 thousand years ago.
KENYAANGNA 10:00Am
3. This site was a very ancient site. The village and ancestors were
over 9,500 years old, ancient when the Egyptian pyramids were
built. Over 600 ancestors were moved to build the Harbor Cove
hosing tract at Newport Back Bay. We pray that this kind of disruption
will never occur again.
BOLSA CHICA 12 & 1:30pm
4. We gather in the parking lot and walk across the Bolsa Chica Mesa
to the memorial gardens. Bolsa Chica is the home of the cog stonesthe
numerous disk shaped stones used for ceremonial rituals.
5. For decades tribal members and preservationists have worked to
preserve Bolsa Chica and protect this sancti_ed burial grounds. The
area is a sacred site. It is eligible for the National Register of Historic
Places. 174 ancestors were disturbed to build homes.
MOTUUCHEYNGNA 3:30pm
6. We visit the memorial gardens/walk and pray. Here, Native American
monitors stood in a circle to protect Ancestors from further
desecration while threatened by workers and heavy equipment
building homes here. The building was stopped- the housing
project was redesigned, four less houses were built. We honor and
remember all who worked to protect the Ancestors here.
PuvungnA 4:30pm
7. Join us at Puvungna "the gathering place." This is all that remains
of our creation site located on the campus of Cal State Long Beach.
The attempts to build a strip mall and housing on the last open 22
acres of this sacred site were blocked by a court order. Puvugna is
listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
For more information contact:
Tamra@protectsacredsites.org
http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#!/event.php?
eid=154048077953437&ref=mf
http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#!/profile.ph
p?id=100001152962949
order of events are as follows:
PANHE 7:30Am
1.Panhe is an ancient village nestled on the banks of San Mateo
Creek. Throughout the years ceremony and reburials have taken
place here. The site continues to be an important ceremonial site.
This area is an irreplaceable spiritual and cultural site. We come together to pray for it's continued
protection.
PUTIIDHEM 8:30Am
2. Putiidhem, located in San Juan Capistrano is the mother village of
the Acjachemen people. Our leaders Oyison and Corrone lived here.
We remember and honor them. The area was heavily occupied with
eight signi_cant anthropological sites within 10minutes walk from
the mission. The site contains ancestor remains and dense artifact
concentrations documenting long periods of occupation as far back
as 2-3 thousand years ago.
KENYAANGNA 10:00Am
3. This site was a very ancient site. The village and ancestors were
over 9,500 years old, ancient when the Egyptian pyramids were
built. Over 600 ancestors were moved to build the Harbor Cove
hosing tract at Newport Back Bay. We pray that this kind of disruption
will never occur again.
BOLSA CHICA 12 & 1:30pm
4. We gather in the parking lot and walk across the Bolsa Chica Mesa
to the memorial gardens. Bolsa Chica is the home of the cog stonesthe
numerous disk shaped stones used for ceremonial rituals.
5. For decades tribal members and preservationists have worked to
preserve Bolsa Chica and protect this sancti_ed burial grounds. The
area is a sacred site. It is eligible for the National Register of Historic
Places. 174 ancestors were disturbed to build homes.
MOTUUCHEYNGNA 3:30pm
6. We visit the memorial gardens/walk and pray. Here, Native American
monitors stood in a circle to protect Ancestors from further
desecration while threatened by workers and heavy equipment
building homes here. The building was stopped- the housing
project was redesigned, four less houses were built. We honor and
remember all who worked to protect the Ancestors here.
PuvungnA 4:30pm
7. Join us at Puvungna "the gathering place." This is all that remains
of our creation site located on the campus of Cal State Long Beach.
The attempts to build a strip mall and housing on the last open 22
acres of this sacred site were blocked by a court order. Puvugna is
listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Vegas 'Peace DignityRespect' WalksSeptember 23, 2010 at 3:19am
Subject: World Peace Walkers to join Long Walkers on the Longest Walk 3
The "Trail of Dreams" World Peace Walkers will be walking in solidary with the mission & efforts of the Longest Walk 3. The "13 Moon Walk 4 Peace" Walk Across America will begin on October 10, 2010 (10/10/10), and end on November 11, 2011 (11/11/11). Their walk along the gulf states is a similar route to the Longest Walk 3. They will come from the East, and the Long Walkers will come from the West. In February 2011, the World Peace Walkers will unite and walk with the Long Walkers for several days as both walks converge in Arizona. http://www.facebook.com/l/c0d0fjPrpF68eK_JgR5s5N4y
RmA;www.13MoonWalk4Peace.org
The 13 Moon Walk for Peace will begin in Atlanta, GA, where the Sacred Fire of Thunder, honoring the Great Law of Peace, from Six Nations will be passed to the Walkers by Diana Stone President of the Center for Spiritual Democracy. The Sacred Fire of Thunder will journey from Six Nations (for more info, see: Soul of the Mother, whose mission is to offer Ancient Indigenous wisdom as a means of awakening the true loving essence of the human spirit) to The King Center, in Atlanta through communities to reach Atlanta in time for the walk.
Walkers from diverse cultures, ancestry, genders, and faiths, with a national coordinating team, will engage with grassroots groups across the country (42 cities and Native American reservations) to raise awareness of issues affecting our communities, and to highlight grassroots groups and organizations that are making a difference in their communities. We will help bring healing, happiness and peace to the heart of America, while giving visibility to the invisible and voice to the voiceless…
Audri Scott Williams
VisionKeeper for the Trail of Dreams World Peace Walk
****************************************************************************************************************
****************************************************************************************************************
eMail excerpts from the Trail of Dreams WORLD PEACE WALKERS:
Thank you so much "Long Walkers" for sending me your video email presentation. I want you to know that after reviewing your video, the Trail of Dreams World Peace Walkers, who left home from Atlanta, GA nearly three years ago, and are currently in Morocco, North Africa, to walk around the world for peace, have decided that each day beginning on April 14th, 2008, we will walk in solidarity with the mission and efforts of the Longest Walk.
We will be with you in the Spirit of Peace, and on July 11, 2008, we will be in Ghana, West Africa, where we will hold a peace ceremony at the Slave Dungeons of Elmina and Cape Coast for peace and reconciliation of all the spirits of our ancestors who were savagely stolen from Africa during the Atlantic Slave Trade.
On August the 8th we will be beginning our preparations to cross the Atlantic for South America. Again, we will be with you in the Spirit of Peace. Just as you have said, all of us on this walk sold or gave away all of our possessions to embark on this journey of Spirit. So we walk each day in the knowing that Great Spirit has already taken care of all our needs. We will make a contribution to your efforts. Though it may be small, it comes with many prayers that all you need is already there for you. Please continue forward.
We invite you to join us in NYC on January 21, 2009, when we return to the USA and invite the entire world to walk the final leg of the Trail of Dreams World Peace Walk with us in what we call the Trail of Dreams World Peace Walk-A-Long:http://www.facebook.com/l/c0d0fkGLwlo4kRu8M3e1DK_h
teg;WorldPeaceWalk.orgThe walk will go from NYC to Atlanta, GA arriving in Atlanta on April 21, 2009. Join us as a peace partner and let us bring our walks together on this final leg.
----
I am so inspired to hear of all the great peace initiatives that are going on simultaneously. We are now in the Caribbean and will soon be headed to Cusco, Peru for a very special ceremony honoring the coming together of the Eagle and the Condor. I will be carrying the sacred pipe that has gone around the world with us, and we will be in various ceremonies from Nov 15 - 19th.
We celebrated 3 years on the Trail on October 21, 2008. What a feeling, we are so close to completing the walk. I am humbled by this experience in so many ways and to know that we are all doing this together and connecting all the dots...what can I say? It is NOWTIME.
Peace Be With You and All of Our Family on the Trail to Peace,
Audri
----
The Trail of Dreams World Peace Walkers thank all of our families and friends who walked with us, stood by us and supported us over the last three and a half years as we completed our journey for peace around the world. We are now preparing for our next steps and will be sharing our future goals with you soon.
In Peace,
Audri, Mama Natalie, Karen, Tony, Chandelle, Brenda, Paul, Rahfiya and Zenobia
----
For more information, please call:
Audri Scott Williams: 404-374-1162
Karen Watson: 770-885-0461
Tony Shina: 404-769-8237
http://www.facebook.com/l/c0d0ft1X9mOAbXoz0MnJ8u8F
c-Q;www.WorldPeaceWalk.org
RmA;www.13MoonWalk4Peace.org
The 13 Moon Walk for Peace will begin in Atlanta, GA, where the Sacred Fire of Thunder, honoring the Great Law of Peace, from Six Nations will be passed to the Walkers by Diana Stone President of the Center for Spiritual Democracy. The Sacred Fire of Thunder will journey from Six Nations (for more info, see: Soul of the Mother, whose mission is to offer Ancient Indigenous wisdom as a means of awakening the true loving essence of the human spirit) to The King Center, in Atlanta through communities to reach Atlanta in time for the walk.
Walkers from diverse cultures, ancestry, genders, and faiths, with a national coordinating team, will engage with grassroots groups across the country (42 cities and Native American reservations) to raise awareness of issues affecting our communities, and to highlight grassroots groups and organizations that are making a difference in their communities. We will help bring healing, happiness and peace to the heart of America, while giving visibility to the invisible and voice to the voiceless…
Audri Scott Williams
VisionKeeper for the Trail of Dreams World Peace Walk
****************************************************************************************************************
****************************************************************************************************************
eMail excerpts from the Trail of Dreams WORLD PEACE WALKERS:
Thank you so much "Long Walkers" for sending me your video email presentation. I want you to know that after reviewing your video, the Trail of Dreams World Peace Walkers, who left home from Atlanta, GA nearly three years ago, and are currently in Morocco, North Africa, to walk around the world for peace, have decided that each day beginning on April 14th, 2008, we will walk in solidarity with the mission and efforts of the Longest Walk.
We will be with you in the Spirit of Peace, and on July 11, 2008, we will be in Ghana, West Africa, where we will hold a peace ceremony at the Slave Dungeons of Elmina and Cape Coast for peace and reconciliation of all the spirits of our ancestors who were savagely stolen from Africa during the Atlantic Slave Trade.
On August the 8th we will be beginning our preparations to cross the Atlantic for South America. Again, we will be with you in the Spirit of Peace. Just as you have said, all of us on this walk sold or gave away all of our possessions to embark on this journey of Spirit. So we walk each day in the knowing that Great Spirit has already taken care of all our needs. We will make a contribution to your efforts. Though it may be small, it comes with many prayers that all you need is already there for you. Please continue forward.
We invite you to join us in NYC on January 21, 2009, when we return to the USA and invite the entire world to walk the final leg of the Trail of Dreams World Peace Walk with us in what we call the Trail of Dreams World Peace Walk-A-Long:http://www.facebook.com/l/c0d0fkGLwlo4kRu8M3e1DK_h
teg;WorldPeaceWalk.orgThe walk will go from NYC to Atlanta, GA arriving in Atlanta on April 21, 2009. Join us as a peace partner and let us bring our walks together on this final leg.
----
I am so inspired to hear of all the great peace initiatives that are going on simultaneously. We are now in the Caribbean and will soon be headed to Cusco, Peru for a very special ceremony honoring the coming together of the Eagle and the Condor. I will be carrying the sacred pipe that has gone around the world with us, and we will be in various ceremonies from Nov 15 - 19th.
We celebrated 3 years on the Trail on October 21, 2008. What a feeling, we are so close to completing the walk. I am humbled by this experience in so many ways and to know that we are all doing this together and connecting all the dots...what can I say? It is NOWTIME.
Peace Be With You and All of Our Family on the Trail to Peace,
Audri
----
The Trail of Dreams World Peace Walkers thank all of our families and friends who walked with us, stood by us and supported us over the last three and a half years as we completed our journey for peace around the world. We are now preparing for our next steps and will be sharing our future goals with you soon.
In Peace,
Audri, Mama Natalie, Karen, Tony, Chandelle, Brenda, Paul, Rahfiya and Zenobia
----
For more information, please call:
Audri Scott Williams: 404-374-1162
Karen Watson: 770-885-0461
Tony Shina: 404-769-8237
http://www.facebook.com/l/c0d0ft1X9mOAbXoz0MnJ8u8F
c-Q;www.WorldPeaceWalk.org
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Caligula's Horse
A formidable challenger. BFC file photo by Darrell Geist. Click here for larger image.
With powerful and endearing images, interesting facts, historic quotes and words from BFC volunteers in the field, BFC's Wild Bison 2011 Calendar has been a huge hit and they are going fast. We are nearly out of them and do not have plans to order more. Celebrate wild buffalo 365 days a year!
ROAM FREE! 
--
"When crazy people call you crazy, you know you're sane.
When evil people call you evil, you know that you are a good person.
This is health reform
Quote of the Week
Government's Menu: More Transgenic Fish, Less Wild Fish
Action of the Week
Stop Genetically Engineered Salmon from Coming to Market!
Please Donate
Support the OCA! Save the Oceans and Our Fragile Climate!
Please consider joining OCA staff on one or both of our 5-6-day delegations to the Global Climate Summit in Cancun, Mexico November 29-December 10. Details follow below.
Climate Change From Copenhagen to Cancun: Join the OCA & Via Organica at the Historic Global Climate
Crisis Summit
Take Action on Climate Change
Video of the WeekStop Frankenfish! By Food & Water Watch
Little Bytes
LOCAL GA NEWS OF THE WEEK
GA - Get Involved Locally
Message from our SponsorsHelp Wild Tigers: Tell Congress to Support the
Global Conservation Act of 2010
Become an OCA Sponsor!
After a century of struggle and a year of debate, health insurance reform became law six months ago today -- and this week, key provisions of the Affordable Care Act take effect.
This is possible only because you -- and millions of Organizing for America supporters and volunteers -- stood up and said, enough. Even when the fight seemed all but lost, we continued to organize, call Congress, knock on doors, and do everything we could to keep reform alive.
But behind these historic changes are real people and real families. Their stories are important reminders that health reform couldn't wait -- and we can't give up on moving this country forward. Too much is at stake.
Meet Patrick, Kay, and Kristin:
Patrick is a single dad in Rockport, Maine. When he lost his job as a boat builder, he lost his health coverage, and paid out of pocket when his 14-year-old daughter required surgery for scoliosis. Pat has since found a new job, and because insurance companies can no longer deny coverage to children on the basis of pre-existing conditions, his daughter Katie is now insured. "If it wasn't for proper medical insurance, we never would have had the doctors she had. I feel like President Obama did it just for us." Now, Pat can take Katie to the doctor without worrying about falling deeper into debt. "It's about time someone, anyone, stood up for the things that mattered."
Kay is a small business owner in Evansville, Indiana. Every year she sees premiums soar and searches for more affordable options. "Even with us paying half the premiums, we have employees who cannot afford the health insurance and go without. They feel like they are constantly living on the edge -- hoping that neither they nor their children will face an illness or injury that will bankrupt them." The small business tax credit in the Affordable Care Act will help Kay continue to ensure her employees can get the coverage they need.
Kristin is a recent grad living in Scottsdale, Arizona. Last year, she was told that the cost of staying on her parents' plan after graduating would skyrocket to $500 a month. "Staying on my mother's plan would have been a great option now! But that was in the spring of last year, before any health reform had passed." Now, young people like Kristin will be able to remain on their parents' insurance at the same rate until finding work or turning 26 -- eliminating what can be a costly gap in coverage.
Today, we also celebrate an end to some of the worst insurance company abuses, like rescinding coverage when someone needs it most. Those previously considered uninsurable because of a pre-existing condition -- 400,000 Americans -- now have access to insurance through the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan. And all new health plans must now provide free preventive care, like mammograms, colonoscopies, immunizations, and pre-natal care.
Millions will see expanded benefits -- and more control over the care they receive.
This is real change. And there are stories like these all over America. Check out a few more -- including a video of one woman's surprise call from the President -- at the White House's site:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform
Thanks for all you do,
Mitch
Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America
This is possible only because you -- and millions of Organizing for America supporters and volunteers -- stood up and said, enough. Even when the fight seemed all but lost, we continued to organize, call Congress, knock on doors, and do everything we could to keep reform alive.
But behind these historic changes are real people and real families. Their stories are important reminders that health reform couldn't wait -- and we can't give up on moving this country forward. Too much is at stake.
Meet Patrick, Kay, and Kristin:
Patrick is a single dad in Rockport, Maine. When he lost his job as a boat builder, he lost his health coverage, and paid out of pocket when his 14-year-old daughter required surgery for scoliosis. Pat has since found a new job, and because insurance companies can no longer deny coverage to children on the basis of pre-existing conditions, his daughter Katie is now insured. "If it wasn't for proper medical insurance, we never would have had the doctors she had. I feel like President Obama did it just for us." Now, Pat can take Katie to the doctor without worrying about falling deeper into debt. "It's about time someone, anyone, stood up for the things that mattered."
Kay is a small business owner in Evansville, Indiana. Every year she sees premiums soar and searches for more affordable options. "Even with us paying half the premiums, we have employees who cannot afford the health insurance and go without. They feel like they are constantly living on the edge -- hoping that neither they nor their children will face an illness or injury that will bankrupt them." The small business tax credit in the Affordable Care Act will help Kay continue to ensure her employees can get the coverage they need.
Kristin is a recent grad living in Scottsdale, Arizona. Last year, she was told that the cost of staying on her parents' plan after graduating would skyrocket to $500 a month. "Staying on my mother's plan would have been a great option now! But that was in the spring of last year, before any health reform had passed." Now, young people like Kristin will be able to remain on their parents' insurance at the same rate until finding work or turning 26 -- eliminating what can be a costly gap in coverage.
Today, we also celebrate an end to some of the worst insurance company abuses, like rescinding coverage when someone needs it most. Those previously considered uninsurable because of a pre-existing condition -- 400,000 Americans -- now have access to insurance through the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan. And all new health plans must now provide free preventive care, like mammograms, colonoscopies, immunizations, and pre-natal care.
Millions will see expanded benefits -- and more control over the care they receive.
This is real change. And there are stories like these all over America. Check out a few more -- including a video of one woman's surprise call from the President -- at the White House's site:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform
Thanks for all you do,
Mitch
Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America
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Quote of the Week
Government's Menu: More Transgenic Fish, Less Wild Fish"While the government seeks to boost farmed salmon supplies through transgenics, it is simultaneously letting wild salmon go to pot. At the headwaters of Bristol Bay, Alaska, the spawning grounds of the most productive wild salmon runs left on earth, the international mining giant, Anglo-American, plans to construct 'Pebble Mine,' the largest open-pit copper and gold mine in the U.S. Mines of this nature are notoriously bad for fish. Just two months ago a copper mine failure in China's Ting River killed millions of fish. A similar disaster in the Bristol Bay fishery could mean the destruction of around a quarter of a billion pounds of salmon, curiously, about the same amount of salmon that Aqua Bounty hopes to produce with its transgenic fish. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has the power to stop Pebble Mine through the Clean Water Act but has so far failed to act. More transgenic fish, less wild fish. You have to scratch your head at a government that's planning that kind of seafood menu for its citizens. Instead of endorsing a risky experiment in genetic salmon modification wouldn't it be better if our leaders protected wild salmon habitat? In the end we'd have just as much fish on our plates and a safer environment to boot."
- Paul Greenberg, author of the new book "Four Fish," on the radio show Living on Earth, September 17, 2010
Action of the Week
Stop Genetically Engineered Salmon from Coming to Market!We stand at a pivotal moment on Earth. The ocean's are heating up and becoming more acidic because of human-induced global warming. Phytoplankton, the irreplaceable foundation of the ocean's food chain are dying off. Wild fish populations are crashing, not only because of global warming, but because we are allowing out-of-control, "profit at any cost" industrial fishing corporations to wreck havoc. And now the coup de grace. The Obama Administration is poised to approve the first genetically engineered fish for human consumption, GE salmon, while the FDA is still aiding and abetting the force-feeding of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to the public, wielding the fouled Bush-Quayle Era doctrine of "substantial equivalence" of GMO and natural foods like a club, legally blocking adequate safety testing and labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
We need to take action now, before the so-called FDA "review" of genetically engineered salmon is finished. It's unlikely the Obama Administration will ban GMO foods or fish, even though they are inherently hazardous. But if massive public pressure can force the FDA to require mandatory labels on Genetically Engineered fish, polls indicate that most consumers will boycott these GE fish and force them off the market. We have until November 22, 2010, to submit public comments calling for labeling genetically engineered salmon. In addition the FDA still needs to do an Environmental Assessment before approving the GE salmon. The FDA Environmental Assessment will include a 30 day public comment period. How many letters can Organic Consumers Association members generate in the next two months?
You sent 100,000 letters in opposition to Tom Vilsack for USDA Secretary because of his pro-biotech, pro-Monsanto politics. We need to send that many or more to stop genetically engineered salmon. Direct action is going to be necessary, too. If the Obama Administration stubbornly continues to hide behind the scientifically discredited Bush-Quayle doctrine of "substantial equivalence" claiming there isn't a "material" difference between genetically engineered and normal salmon, then we'll have no choice but to use every tactic we can muster to throw a wrench into the gears of the Frankenfoods Express. Please help us save the wild fish and the oceans instead of allowing the biotech industry to brainwash us into believing that industrial fish farms and genetic engineering represent the future of food. Write to the FDA to demand labels and adequate pre-market safety-testing of GMOs. And please forward this Action Alert to everyone you know.
Please Donate
Support the OCA! Save the Oceans and Our Fragile Climate!We depend on your donations to fight against Monsanto and GMOs, to pressure the FDA and elected public officials, and to build a global climate justice movement based upon organic food and farming. Please send us a tax-deductible donation today and we'll send you a free "Millions Against Monsanto" bumper sticker so you can help spread the word in your community. Please be sure to put "sticker" in the comments field of your donation.
Any donation $100 and over will get a free Millions Against Monsanto t-shirt. Please specify your interest and size in the comments field. Help OCA and spread the word about the Millions Against Monsanto Campaign!
Please consider joining OCA staff on one or both of our 5-6-day delegations to the Global Climate Summit in Cancun, Mexico November 29-December 10. Details follow below.
Climate Change From Copenhagen to Cancun: Join the OCA & Via Organica at the Historic Global Climate Crisis Summit
Please join OCA Director Ronnie Cummins and other OCA staff on an escorted delegation to the historic teach-ins and rallies for climate justice and organic agriculture at Global Climate Crisis Summit in Cancun, Mexico.
The OCA delegation, limited to 100 people, will include international experts on organic agriculture and climate justice, including OCA Directors Ronnie Cummins and Alexis Baden-Mayer, organic farm leader and author, Will Allen, and noted blogger and food activist Jill Richardson.
OCA will be hosting two tours:
6-Day Tour: November 29th- December 5th, 2010 : Hostel $750, Ramada $950
5-Day Tour: December 5th-11th, 2010: Hostel $700, Ramada $900 It is also possible to stay for the entire 11 day even from November 29th through December 11th, 2010
Global scientists and activists including Vandana Shiva, James Hansen, Bill McKibben, Pat Mooney, and Maude Barlow are expected to make presentations at the Grassroots Summit, which will take place simultaneously with the global negotiations of leaders from every nation in the world.
Take Action on Climate ChangePlease Join OCA and 350.org in
our Upcoming Actions
our Upcoming Actions
On 10/10/10, OCA's climate justice ally, 350.org is organizing a Global Work Party to involve people in positive actions in their local communities to demonstrate how we can sharply reduce and sequester climate-destabilizing greenhouse gases and move back below the dangerous tipping point of 350 parts per million of CO2 in our atmosphere.
A worldwide shift of agriculture from chemical-intensive factory farms and industrial monocultures to organic practices could drastically reduce CO2, nitrous oxide, and methane emissions, and sequester a critical mass of carbon back in the soil, where it belongs. That's why OCA and 350.org are encouraging people to spend 10/10/10 working on a community garden or an organic farm in your local area.
Please click on 350.org to find out what other organic consumers and climate justice activists in your community have planned for 10/10/10. If there's not something already planned, then please organize your own 10/10/10 Work Party.
Video of the WeekStop Frankenfish! By Food & Water Watch
"From the agency that brought you the largest egg recall in history, tainted peanut butter, and E. coli infested spinach, it's the Frankenfish!"
Little BytesApocalypse Now: Arctic Ice in Death Spiral
READ MORE
READ MORE
Why Your Natural, Organic Soap, Cosmetics and Other Personal Care Products May Be Bad for You
READ MORE
READ MORE
The 10 Best Peace Songs
READ MORE
READ MORE
Groundbreaking Study Shows Roundup Link to Birth Defects
READ MORE
READ MORE
Scientists Question Thoroughness of Gulf Seafood Testing
READ MORE
READ MORE
LOCAL GA NEWS OF THE WEEK
GA - Get Involved LocallyMessage from our SponsorsHelp Wild Tigers: Tell Congress to Support the
Global Conservation Act of 2010
Become an OCA Sponsor!
Every issue of Organic Bytes now goes to 250,000 organic consumers with a thousand new subscribers each week. Please help us and your business by letting our subscribers know who you are and that you support the work of the OCA. Please contact us if you want more information! (Note: select "Sponsorship Coordinator" from the dropdown menu)
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Friends, Don't worry I'm not endorsing Alan Grayson or saying to donate. I just like the Horse thing and thought you might also.
Dave
Caligula's Horse
Here is a short, and very relevant, history lesson.
The Roman Senate governed Ancient Rome for five centuries. It looked much like the Congress today. The purpose of the Roman Senate was to rule in accordance with the wishes of the Roman People. The building in which the Roman Senate met, the "Curia Julia," still stands in Rome today.
In 27 B.C., Augustus Caesar formally took control of Rome, and established the Roman Empire. But the Roman Emperors didn't abolish the Senate. Instead, the Roman Senate continued to meet, for five more centuries, doing pretty much nothing.
Sound familiar?
During the Roman Empire, the Emperor held all the power. The Senate was simply a debating society, chosen by the Emperor, and serving at his pleasure. To prove this point, in 39 A.D., Emperor Caligula appointed his horse, Incitatus, to the Roman Senate.
What we are heading for, here in America, is something very much like that. The way things are going,Big Money will choose our "leaders" in Congress, and they will serve at Big Money's pleasure.
Big Money doesn't put horses in Congress. Just the hind-quarters of horses.
For the past few weeks, we have shown how Big Money is trying to select - not elect, select -- the Congressman from my district. Big Money has now spent three times as much in lying TV attack ads as all of the money that my Republican opponent has raised. Big Money is going all out to replace me in Congress, because I can't be bought.
Big Money doesn't care who replaces me, as long as he's pliant. It might as well be Caligula's horse.
We are at a turning point in our own history. What will we be? A government of the people, by the people, and for the people? Or a dictatorship, ruled by the Empire of Money?
Truth,
Alan Grayson
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Bison Lawsuit Heard, Vaccine Comments Due Friday
BFC is the only group working in the field every day
in defense of the last wild buffalo population in the U.S.
------------------------------
------------------------------
* Update from the Field: Bison Lawsuit Heard in U.S. Federal Court
* BFC West Coast Road Show Underway!
* LAST CHANCE to Urge Yellowstone Against Vaccinating Wild Buffalo!
* Don't Miss These Two New Films About Wild Bison
* Almost Gone: Wild Bison 2011 Calendars
* Last Words ~ Rosalie Little Thunder
* Kill Tally
* Important Links
------------------------------
* Update from the Field: Bison Lawsuit Heard in U.S. Federal Court
in defense of the last wild buffalo population in the U.S.
------------------------------
------------------------------
* Update from the Field: Bison Lawsuit Heard in U.S. Federal Court
* BFC West Coast Road Show Underway!
* LAST CHANCE to Urge Yellowstone Against Vaccinating Wild Buffalo!
* Don't Miss These Two New Films About Wild Bison
* Almost Gone: Wild Bison 2011 Calendars
* Last Words ~ Rosalie Little Thunder
* Kill Tally
* Important Links
------------------------------
* Update from the Field: Bison Lawsuit Heard in U.S. Federal Court
A formidable challenger. BFC file photo by Darrell Geist. Click here for larger image.On Tuesday, 9/21, Buffalo Field Campaign, Western Watersheds Project, Tatanka Oyate and other plaintiffs brought our lawsuit to protect wild bison and their habitat before federal judge Charles C. Lovell.
The suit, heard in federal district court in Helena, MT, claims:
The suit, heard in federal district court in Helena, MT, claims:
U.S. Forest Service decisions are precluding native bison and associated species from occupying and using habitat on Gallatin National Forest.
U.S. Forest Service is not providing for diversity of plant and animal species on the Gallatin National Forest, is not managing habitat for bison, and is not ensuring that viable populations of bison and associated species exist on the Forest.
National Park Service decisions are causing impairment or unacceptable impacts to native bison populations by allowing the wanton destruction of wild bison and not conserving the wildlife species and related resources in the Yellowstone ecosystem.
Western Watersheds Project Montana attorney Summer Nelson ably presented our arguments that:
The federal agencies do not know the true consequences of their actions which impair wild bison, other native wildlife and their habitat, actions which currently threaten the viability of wild bison and their evolutionary potential as a wildlife species;
The law requires the U.S. Forest Service to take a hard look at the changed circumstances favoring wild buffalo on Gallatin National Forest;
Yellowstone National Park is wantonly slaughtering buffalo, ignoring their Congressional mandates to prevent impairment and conserve wild buffalo;
Gallatin National Forest is not providing habitat to support populations of buffalo and associated species on the Forest;
The science has changed and the agencies involved have not adapted management actions to prevent harm to wild buffalo and the ecosystem they inhabit;
Cattle grazing allotments within Gallatin National Forest, such as Horse Butte, have been permanently closed, while private land has been acquired by buffalo friendly people on Horse Butte, demonstrating that strong local support exists for buffalo to be there year round;
New science indicates that more habitat can be opened to wild bison at a fraction of the cost the Interagency Bison Management Plan (IBMP) currently wastes to harm and kill migrating bison;
The IBMP has failed to protect Montana's brucellosis status, and that the wild buffalo were not the cause of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming each losing their brucellosis-free status since 2000.
Summer made a persuasive case for why these federal agencies need to re-open the public process and draft a new Environmental Impact Statement based on the changing scientific and land-based circumstances. She asked that the court review of both agencies' refusal to analyze and disclose new information and changed circumstances relating to bison management and brucellosis.
Judge Lovell, who has ruled several times previously on wild buffalo in Montana, and indeed was one of the architects to rule permitting the ongoing bison slaughter, observed that wild bison are supposedly "thriving" under the Interagency Bison Management Plan, while federal attorney Paul Barker claimed that 3,000 buffalo would be sufficient to maintain genetic diversity. Summer countered these statements with the Park Service's own language from a 2009 assessment by a Park biologist that said continued management actions [under the IBMP] "could diminish the ecological role of the largest remaining free-roaming bison population in the world..." In addition, the government attorneys had a difficult time explaining to Judge Lovell why Gallatin National Forest had never bothered to amend their 1987 Forest Plan to address and include bison.
The arguments of the federal agencies mainly fell along the highly contentious and surface lines of claiming 1) Gallatin National Forest does not need to manage every acre of habitat available on the Forest for native species; 2) The state manages wildlife on National Forest lands; 3) The Park is not impairing the buffalo (see how they've rebounded from the big slaughter of 2008?).
WWP attorney Summer Nelson had done her homework; she did an outstanding job. The evidence presented to the Court strongly demonstrates the integrity of the plaintiffs' claims that the the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service are breaking their own laws and causing irreparable and unnecessary harm to America's last wild buffalo population, and that the law requires these federal agencies to make significant changes that will benefit wild buffalo and their habitat.
Summer did a great job of presenting her case over the course of the three hour hearing. Afterwards, Chief Jimmy St. Goddard of the Blackfeet Confederacy who was in attendance with his family, bestowed her with a Blackfeet name, "eek sah gah pee," that translates to "REAL GOOD!" Jimmy and his family traveled from Great Falls, Montana, to show their support for the plaintiffs and the action we are taking on behalf of wild buffalo. Jimmy brought with him a huge banner of the 1855 Blackfeet Treaty of Fort Benton, that his ancestors were signatories to. Jimmy reminded us that the roots of the current conflict have a long, rich history; that lands within what is now called the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem was shared territory, aboriginal hunting grounds. Jimmy said the Blackfeet used to run buffalo along sacred stone lines in the hunt, and that one day, a bull buffalo would emerge from the herd carrying a sacred stone in his belly.... The buffalo, or "ee-nee" means everything in his native language.
It is uncertain when Judge Lovell will issue his decision on the merits of our case. Given his past decisions, we are cautious in our optimism as we await his ruling. However, we are very encouraged by how the briefing went in the lower court. Summer, with the able assistance of a team of attorneys that includes BFC Board Member Rebecca Smith, has done a great job of plumbing the administrative record in support of our arguments and we have every intention of pressing on to the Circuit Court of Appeals in the event Judge Lovell once again sides with the agencies.
For the Buffalo,
Tom Woodbury
Montana Director
Western Watersheds Project
Darrell Geist
Habitat Coordinator
Buffalo Field Campaign
Judge Lovell, who has ruled several times previously on wild buffalo in Montana, and indeed was one of the architects to rule permitting the ongoing bison slaughter, observed that wild bison are supposedly "thriving" under the Interagency Bison Management Plan, while federal attorney Paul Barker claimed that 3,000 buffalo would be sufficient to maintain genetic diversity. Summer countered these statements with the Park Service's own language from a 2009 assessment by a Park biologist that said continued management actions [under the IBMP] "could diminish the ecological role of the largest remaining free-roaming bison population in the world..." In addition, the government attorneys had a difficult time explaining to Judge Lovell why Gallatin National Forest had never bothered to amend their 1987 Forest Plan to address and include bison.
The arguments of the federal agencies mainly fell along the highly contentious and surface lines of claiming 1) Gallatin National Forest does not need to manage every acre of habitat available on the Forest for native species; 2) The state manages wildlife on National Forest lands; 3) The Park is not impairing the buffalo (see how they've rebounded from the big slaughter of 2008?).
WWP attorney Summer Nelson had done her homework; she did an outstanding job. The evidence presented to the Court strongly demonstrates the integrity of the plaintiffs' claims that the the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service are breaking their own laws and causing irreparable and unnecessary harm to America's last wild buffalo population, and that the law requires these federal agencies to make significant changes that will benefit wild buffalo and their habitat.
Summer did a great job of presenting her case over the course of the three hour hearing. Afterwards, Chief Jimmy St. Goddard of the Blackfeet Confederacy who was in attendance with his family, bestowed her with a Blackfeet name, "eek sah gah pee," that translates to "REAL GOOD!" Jimmy and his family traveled from Great Falls, Montana, to show their support for the plaintiffs and the action we are taking on behalf of wild buffalo. Jimmy brought with him a huge banner of the 1855 Blackfeet Treaty of Fort Benton, that his ancestors were signatories to. Jimmy reminded us that the roots of the current conflict have a long, rich history; that lands within what is now called the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem was shared territory, aboriginal hunting grounds. Jimmy said the Blackfeet used to run buffalo along sacred stone lines in the hunt, and that one day, a bull buffalo would emerge from the herd carrying a sacred stone in his belly.... The buffalo, or "ee-nee" means everything in his native language.
It is uncertain when Judge Lovell will issue his decision on the merits of our case. Given his past decisions, we are cautious in our optimism as we await his ruling. However, we are very encouraged by how the briefing went in the lower court. Summer, with the able assistance of a team of attorneys that includes BFC Board Member Rebecca Smith, has done a great job of plumbing the administrative record in support of our arguments and we have every intention of pressing on to the Circuit Court of Appeals in the event Judge Lovell once again sides with the agencies.
For the Buffalo,
Tom Woodbury
Montana Director
Western Watersheds Project
Darrell Geist
Habitat Coordinator
Buffalo Field Campaign
Read the legal complaint, about the plaintiffs, and more here.
------------------------------
* BFC West Coast Road Show Underway!
Click here to download posters you can place around your community.
------------------------------
* BFC West Coast Road Show Underway!
Click here to download posters you can place around your community. BFC's Mike and Noah, along with the incredible musicians Good Shield and Phoenix After Buffalo have been making their way down the west coast. Today, BFC will be in Bend, Oregon, and tomorrow, in Williams, Oregon. There are still quite a number of shows scheduled, so please check our Road Show Schedule to see if BFC is coming to an area near you!
Did you attend a Road Show event and have a review or story you'd like to share? If so, please email Stephany. We'd love to hear your feedback!
------------------------------
* LAST CHANCE to Urge Yellowstone Against Vaccinating Wild Buffalo!
Below are two very important actions you can take that will make a tremendous difference for the buffalo:
1. Tomorrow, September 24, is the last day Yellowstone National Park will be accepting comments on their misguided proposal to vaccinate wild buffalo. Encourage Yellowstone to instead support "Wild Buffalo Trust Alternative D" which addresses the so-called brucellosis risk by removing cattle from wild bison habitat. "Wild Buffalo Trust Alternative D" was developed by Buffalo Field Campaign and strongly supported by our allies at Western Watersheds Project. Yellowstone must hear from you by September 24, 2010. Take Action Now! Many thanks to everyone who has already sent in comments and spread the word to friends!
2. Urge Gallatin National Forest to close cattle grazing allotments and open habitat to wild buffalo! Please contact Gallatin National Forest Supervisor Mary C. Erickson and urge her to perform a suitability analysis to close the Slip & Slide, the South Fork and Watkins Creek grazing allotments and manage this habitat so it serves the needs of native animals. Learn more and send a letter right now, or contact Supervisor Erickson directly at mcerickson@fs.fed.us&
Did you attend a Road Show event and have a review or story you'd like to share? If so, please email Stephany. We'd love to hear your feedback!
------------------------------
* LAST CHANCE to Urge Yellowstone Against Vaccinating Wild Buffalo!
Below are two very important actions you can take that will make a tremendous difference for the buffalo:
1. Tomorrow, September 24, is the last day Yellowstone National Park will be accepting comments on their misguided proposal to vaccinate wild buffalo. Encourage Yellowstone to instead support "Wild Buffalo Trust Alternative D" which addresses the so-called brucellosis risk by removing cattle from wild bison habitat. "Wild Buffalo Trust Alternative D" was developed by Buffalo Field Campaign and strongly supported by our allies at Western Watersheds Project. Yellowstone must hear from you by September 24, 2010. Take Action Now! Many thanks to everyone who has already sent in comments and spread the word to friends!
2. Urge Gallatin National Forest to close cattle grazing allotments and open habitat to wild buffalo! Please contact Gallatin National Forest Supervisor Mary C. Erickson and urge her to perform a suitability analysis to close the Slip & Slide, the South Fork and Watkins Creek grazing allotments and manage this habitat so it serves the needs of native animals. Learn more and send a letter right now, or contact Supervisor Erickson directly at mcerickson@fs.fed.us&
------------------------------
* LAST CHANCE to Urge Yellowstone Against Vaccinating Wild Buffalo!
Below are two very important actions you can take that will make a tremendous difference for the buffalo:
1. Tomorrow, September 24, is the last day Yellowstone National Park will be accepting comments on their misguided proposal to vaccinate wild buffalo. Encourage Yellowstone to instead support "Wild Buffalo Trust Alternative D" which addresses the so-called brucellosis risk by removing cattle from wild bison habitat. "Wild Buffalo Trust Alternative D" was developed by Buffalo Field Campaign and strongly supported by our allies at Western Watersheds Project. Yellowstone must hear from you by September 24, 2010. Take Action Now! Many thanks to everyone who has already sent in comments and spread the word to friends!
2. Urge Gallatin National Forest to close cattle grazing allotments and open habitat to wild buffalo! Please contact Gallatin National Forest Supervisor Mary C. Erickson and urge her to perform a suitability analysis to close the Slip & Slide, the South Fork and Watkins Creek grazing allotments and manage this habitat so it serves the needs of native animals. Learn more and send a letter right now, or contact Supervisor Erickson directly at mcerickson@fs.fed.us or call her at 406-587-6703.
------------------------------
* Don't Miss These Two New Films About Wild Bison
1. Facing the Storm: Story of the American Bison. Learn more and check for screenings.
2. WISENT, a new film by Gene Bernofsky. Can Poland help save American bison? Watch WISENT.
Buffalo Field Campaign is honored to have helped supply footage and interviews for the making of these films.
* LAST CHANCE to Urge Yellowstone Against Vaccinating Wild Buffalo!
Below are two very important actions you can take that will make a tremendous difference for the buffalo:
1. Tomorrow, September 24, is the last day Yellowstone National Park will be accepting comments on their misguided proposal to vaccinate wild buffalo. Encourage Yellowstone to instead support "Wild Buffalo Trust Alternative D" which addresses the so-called brucellosis risk by removing cattle from wild bison habitat. "Wild Buffalo Trust Alternative D" was developed by Buffalo Field Campaign and strongly supported by our allies at Western Watersheds Project. Yellowstone must hear from you by September 24, 2010. Take Action Now! Many thanks to everyone who has already sent in comments and spread the word to friends!
2. Urge Gallatin National Forest to close cattle grazing allotments and open habitat to wild buffalo! Please contact Gallatin National Forest Supervisor Mary C. Erickson and urge her to perform a suitability analysis to close the Slip & Slide, the South Fork and Watkins Creek grazing allotments and manage this habitat so it serves the needs of native animals. Learn more and send a letter right now, or contact Supervisor Erickson directly at mcerickson@fs.fed.us or call her at 406-587-6703.
------------------------------
* Don't Miss These Two New Films About Wild Bison
1. Facing the Storm: Story of the American Bison. Learn more and check for screenings.
2. WISENT, a new film by Gene Bernofsky. Can Poland help save American bison? Watch WISENT.
Buffalo Field Campaign is honored to have helped supply footage and interviews for the making of these films.
------------------------------
* ALMOST GONE! Wild Bison 2011 Calendars
* ALMOST GONE! Wild Bison 2011 Calendars
With powerful and endearing images, interesting facts, historic quotes and words from BFC volunteers in the field, BFC's Wild Bison 2011 Calendar has been a huge hit and they are going fast. We are nearly out of them and do not have plans to order more. Celebrate wild buffalo 365 days a year!
Order your Wild Bison 2011 Calendar before they are gone!
------------------------------
* Last Words ~ Rosalie Little Thunder
"By the standards of American culture, the Tatanka is regarded as a mere commodity. In the Yellowstone area, it is regarded as an inconvenience to the cattle industry, but they are the last of the great ancestors, with their genetic integrity uncompromised and instinctive wisdom intact.
It is unfortunate that we must seek remedies from those that may not have a similar cultural foundation or the wisdom of their ancestors, who may not have the necessary disciplines to guide their thinking or behaviors, but on whom rests the fate of the Yellowstone buffalo herd.
We seek to hold accountable those that are entrusted stewards of the land and the true and rightful inhabitants. Lack of stringent oversight can sometimes distort the necessary standards of accountability. I believe that we must bring about this scrutiny to protect the rights of a sacred species. And so, as tribal people, our challenge is to develop further strategies to preserve the core of our culture, that viable populations of wild buffalo are maintained."
~ Declaration of Rosalie Little Thunder, Western Watersheds Projects et al. vs. U.S. National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service.
------------------------------
* Kill Tally
AMERICAN BUFFALO ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S.
2009-2010 Total: 7
2009-2010 Slaughter: 0
2009-2010 Hunt: 4
2009-2010 Quarantine: 0
2009-2010 Shot by Agents: 3*
2009-2010 Highway Mortality: 0
*Two bulls that were drugged by APHIS on 5/4/10 were shot by DOL
later that evening. One was shot by DOL on 7/13/10 for trying to free his imprisoned relatives at the Corwin Springs quarantine facility.
2008-2009 Total: 22
2007-2008 Total: 1,631
Total Since 2000: 3,709*
*includes lethal government action, quarantine, hunts, highway mortality
-----------------------------
Media & Outreach
Buffalo Field Campaign
P.O. Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-0070
bfc-media@wildrockies.org
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org
BFC is the only group working in the field every day
in defense of the last wild buffalo population in the U.S.
KEEP BFC ON THE FRONTLINES WITH A TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION TODAY
Join Buffalo Field Campaign -- It's Free!
Tell-a-Friend
Take Action!
------------------------------
* Last Words ~ Rosalie Little Thunder
"By the standards of American culture, the Tatanka is regarded as a mere commodity. In the Yellowstone area, it is regarded as an inconvenience to the cattle industry, but they are the last of the great ancestors, with their genetic integrity uncompromised and instinctive wisdom intact.
It is unfortunate that we must seek remedies from those that may not have a similar cultural foundation or the wisdom of their ancestors, who may not have the necessary disciplines to guide their thinking or behaviors, but on whom rests the fate of the Yellowstone buffalo herd.
We seek to hold accountable those that are entrusted stewards of the land and the true and rightful inhabitants. Lack of stringent oversight can sometimes distort the necessary standards of accountability. I believe that we must bring about this scrutiny to protect the rights of a sacred species. And so, as tribal people, our challenge is to develop further strategies to preserve the core of our culture, that viable populations of wild buffalo are maintained."
~ Declaration of Rosalie Little Thunder, Western Watersheds Projects et al. vs. U.S. National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service.
------------------------------
* Kill Tally
AMERICAN BUFFALO ELIMINATED from the last wild population in the U.S.
2009-2010 Total: 7
2009-2010 Slaughter: 0
2009-2010 Hunt: 4
2009-2010 Quarantine: 0
2009-2010 Shot by Agents: 3*
2009-2010 Highway Mortality: 0
*Two bulls that were drugged by APHIS on 5/4/10 were shot by DOL
later that evening. One was shot by DOL on 7/13/10 for trying to free his imprisoned relatives at the Corwin Springs quarantine facility.
2008-2009 Total: 22
2007-2008 Total: 1,631
Total Since 2000: 3,709*
*includes lethal government action, quarantine, hunts, highway mortality
-----------------------------
Media & Outreach
Buffalo Field Campaign
P.O. Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-0070
bfc-media@wildrockies.org
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org
BFC is the only group working in the field every day
in defense of the last wild buffalo population in the U.S.
KEEP BFC ON THE FRONTLINES WITH A TAX DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION TODAY
Join Buffalo Field Campaign -- It's Free!
Tell-a-Friend
Take Action!
ROAM FREE! "When crazy people call you crazy, you know you're sane.
When evil people call you evil, you know that you are a good person.
When lairs call you a liar, you know that you are truthful.
Know who you are and don't let others tell you who you are." - Dave Kitchen
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