In early December, members of the Montana-based Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) in Montana met with Yellowstone National Park administrators and also attended the Interagency Bison Management Plan open house. At both meetings the news from the agencies wasn't good. BFC was told that it will likely be a very bad winter for the buffalo.

One of the reasons given by the government agencies is the increased paranoia instilled in Montana's cattle producers since brucellosis was detected in a Montana cattle herd last spring. While it is widely known that wild buffalo were not responsible for this transmission, and while there is no substantial evidence that the source wasn't domestic cattle, the cattle industry is looking to blame Yellowstone wildlife, in particular the elk and buffalo.

The agencies are also prepared to heavily haze, capture and slaughter buffalo this year based on Yellowstone's estimate of 4,700 individual buffalos. Though Yellowstone biologists have stated time and again that the Park could sustain well over 5,000 buffalo, the Interagency Bison Management Plan's politically derived population cap for wild buffalo living in Yellowstone is 3,000. Based on this, the agencies could capture and kill upwards of 1,700 buffalo. Read More and Listen to an Interview with BFC's Stephanie Seay

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