Comment from Nitz, Jennifer

Jennifer NitzSupportOther

Summary: The commenter argues that the State of Montana's management of wild buffalo is irresponsible and harmful to the species due to habitat destruction, excessive hunting, and the influence of the livestock industry. They advocate for the protection of migratory buffalo by highlighting the need to address threats like invasive cattle, climate change, and inadequate infrastructure.

The State of Montana, dominated by the cattle industry, has an unreasonable, irresponsible and inhumane intolerance for native wild buffalo. The Interagency Bison Management Plan, a joint state/tribal/federal plan has continued and expanded the destruction of wild, migratory buffalo through capture-for-slaughter and -quarantine (domestication), excessive hunting, hazing, and unnecessary and harmful scientific experimentation, all to benefit Montana’s livestock industry. Excessive hunting along Yellowstone’s North and West boundaries that blocks migration to available habitat, prevents restoration, and results in numerous pregnant buffalo being killed. The presence of invasive cattle along with excessive fencing robs native buffalo of their critical habitat. Cattle have passed their diseases to wild buffalo. Human developments such as agricultural lands, sub-divisions, roads, etc., have all but destroyed migration corridors, habitat connectivity and food sources. Government-created “drop dead zones” and “intolerance zones” prevent wild, migratory bison from accessing public and private lands. The lack of safe passage infrastructure along dangerous highways, specifically U.S. Hwy. 191, which cut through a critical migration corridor in Montana’s Hebgen Basin has resulted in numerous traffic accidents and buffalo fatalities. The decision by the USNF Gallatin National Forest denied wild, migratory buffalo Species of Conservation Concern status and t law, MCA 81-2-120, that gives authority over wild, migratory bison to the Montana Department of Livestock has resulted in an unsustainable high number of bison deaths. Climate changes resulting in accelerated rises in temperature and less precipitation impairs these mammals ability to survive, by threatening their ability to adapt to increased and prolonged heat and reducing access to their traditional food sources which is also struggling to survive. Climate change is also altering the composition of grasses and sedges rendering them less nutritious. The failure of of state, tribal, and federal managers to consider how their management decisions will affect buffalo, has negatively impacted them. The State of Montana continues to refuse to allow buffalo to migrate onto buffalo-friendly private lands. The massive fence and cattle guard at Yankee Jim Canyon, north of the Gardiner Basin, prevents wild, migratory buffalo from accessing ancestral home ranges while bison exist on less than 1% of their historic ancestral home ranges. The bison ranching industry has given the false impression that bison have been “recovered” throughout their native range. These buffalo have been mixed with cattle genes and must not be considered native or considered in this petition.

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