Yellowstone Buffalo

Some of you wanted to know why Horse Butte is important in saving the Yellowstone Buffalo.

I will be happy to answer that question for you.

First of all, Horse Butte is a very important part of the historic mirgratory bison range for the Yellowstone bison. These migratory patterns have been known to exist for at least 10,00 years.

The Yellowstone bison migrate into the Park during the mid to late spring for the summer season, because they would prefer to stay in the Park. A few never do leave the park, but a sizable number of the herd do prefer to leave the park in the late fall and winter seasons because the snow is too deep in the Park to get at the grasses and forage that the buffalo need to survive the long winter seasons in Yellowstone National Park. Most of the bison would prefer to save their energy they need to get food by obtaining it more easily outside the Park.

North of West Yellowstone, Montana and on the Church Universal and Triumphant property (CUT) is a lower elevation where the snow does not get as deep as in the Park. There is also good winter forage there and so the buffalo migrate outside of the Park, north of the Park, to get enough food for the winter to stay strong and so they will not starve to death. This helps to keep the herd healthy so that it can survive into perpetuity.

Horse Butte is vital to the survival of the buffalo. It is located on an arm of the Madison River just outside of Yellowstone National Park.

Horse Butte is very good habitat for the (buffalo)the popular name for the genetically-pure strain of the North American bison. It is good birthing habitat but not mating habitat because the bison go into the park for the rutting season and then mate in late summer.

Bison calves are often born on or near Horse Butte.

Horse Butte is also good habiat for a variety of birds and other mammals such as grizzly bear, coyotes, and a variety of other mammals native to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and Yellowstone National Park.

It is very vital that all wildlife, including the buffalo, are protected and are allowed to roam outside the Park for food and for their survival.

Horse Butte is such vital habitat that the Yellowstone buffalo should be protected from harassment by humans including hazing, capture, and slaughter which should not be happening anywhere in the historic bison range, and not near the world's Premier National Park.

There is one more reason why Horse Butte is important to protect the buffalo and should be free from human activity that would harm any of the wildlife of the Yellowstone region. It should be protected from harmful activity because the protection of Horse Butte is vital to protecting the human spirit.

The entire Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem should be protected from human destruction, and it is unconcienable that any kind of destruction is going on near Park borders. Yellowstone National Park should and must remain a sanctuary for the human spirit.

I have been up on the top of Horse Butte myself with a field group and the panorama up on the butte paralles with and is comparable to that in the movie "The Sound of Music". It is a very breathtaking view, but you must be with a field guide or field biologist to be premitted to go up there. You can ask Buffalo Field Campaign more about that.

You can see for quite a distance into Yellowstone National Park. But there is so much of the Park that this is only a small part of the Park. Not far from the Butte on the ground, in a campground, you can see a great view of the migratory route of the buffalo into Yellowstone National Park in the Canyon of the Madison River. You can also see the snowcapped mountains in the distance when I have been there and so the scenery in that area north of the Park is also very breathtaking.

But when you get to the top of Horse Butte, you can see in three directions -- mountains, the Madison River and forests which --if you have seen the movie The Sound of Music -- the parallel will become obvious.

You cannot see in four directions from the top of Horse Butte because a forest is in the back of the panorama, but it is an excellent sancturary for wildlife and provides cover for many kinds of birds including eagles and mammals such as bears and other native mammals.

If you are familiar with the story "The Sound Of Music", and you feel like I have felt, you begin to recoil inside when you know that the Yellowstone buffalo is persecuted in such a special area which scenery is excellent and spectacular. You might be aware that in the Sound of Music, Maria liked to climb mountains, be close to nature, and see the scenery. She also loved beautiful music. The combination of music and nature inspired the story of The Sound Of Music. To make a long story short, the Von Trapp family escaped into the mountains so that Captain Von Trapp would not have to be a part of the Nazi Tyranny under Hitler's Reign of Terror.

Yellowstone should not be a war zone, nor should Horse Butte. These area, in close promimity to each other, should be a sanctuary for both wildlife and humanity. It should be a sanctuary of peace in a troubled world.

For further imformation please feel free to contact Buffalo Field Campaign at:

buffalo@wildrockies.org

They will be happy to answer your questions about the importance of Horse Butte further.

If you need more imformation, I will be happy to help.

Thank you for your interest in Horse Butte and the Yellowstone Buffalo.

I am replying to my own question. The question should read "Why Does Horse Butte Play An Important Park In Saving The Buffalo?"