Memorandum of Understanding between the National Wildlife Federation and the InterTribal Bison Cooperative

This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) describes the areas of agreement between the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and the Member Tribes of the InterTribal Bison Cooperative (ITBC) regarding re-populating tribal lands with North American Bison (Bison bison) and specifically regarding management of the bison population inhabiting the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA) and the ability of the member Tribes to acquire bison from the Yellowstone populations.

The ITBC is an organization of 40 Native American Tribes dedicated to the restoration of bison in a manner compatible with the spiritual and cultural beliefs and practices of Native American people. At the core of this belief is the knowledge that bison have provided for the needs of Native American peoples since the beginning of time and are to be treated with the utmost respect in all actions. Bison populations must be maintained and enhanced as wild and free-roaming and should be repopulated wherever possible to insure the continued viability of the species as well as continued and expanded access by native Americans for cultural and subsistence use.

The National Wildlife Federation is the nation's largest conservation organization. Founded in 1936, NWF works to educate, inspire, and assist individuals and organizations of diverse cultures to conserve wildlife and other natural resources and to protect the Earth's environment in order to achieve a peaceful, equitable and sustainable future. The National Wildlife Federation's main goal regarding this MOU is to restore bison in those habitats that will support the long-term propagation and enhancement of bison as one of the pre-eminent wildlife species in North America. NWF is adamant that bison must be considered and managed as wildlife by wildlife agencies with all the authorities and respect associated therein.

The signatories understand the bison populating the greater Yellowstone ecosystem are exposed to Brucellosis abortus and some bison test positive for exposure to the disease. At the current time, bison migrating out of Yellowstone National Park are indiscriminately killed by the Montana Board of Livestock under the guise of brucellosis control. We abhor this present practice, and the underlying contention that bison, or any other wildlife species, should be managed under the jurisdiction of livestock interests.

The signatories are opposed to extreme and unnecessary control actions and believe there are many other alternative methods to manage the risk of disease transmission to domestic livestock. NWF supports and endorses the ITBC proposal for the capture and quarantine of bison under accepted disease management protocols. Bison that pass quarantine will then be made available to the tribes for reintroduction to tribal lands. This strategy, coupled with limited sport and subsistence hunting conducted on lands outside the park, and the adoption of a risk-management profile to delineate times and places of unacceptable risk of transmission to domestic livestock, will eliminate the reasons used to justify the present indiscriminate control actions by the Montana Board of Livestock.

NWF and ITBC recognize that bison was the central point of the culture, spirituality, and physical existence of Native Americans. This relationship continues to this day. NWF recognizes the special historical and cultural relationship Native Americans have with bison and believes that the Tribes should have special access to Greater Yellowstone Area bison, as a result of a millennium of inter-dependency, treaties made with the U.S. government, and the trust responsibilities of the U.S. government to Indian Tribes.

NWF agrees that appropriate bison from Yellowstone National Park (YNP) and any wild bison declared nuisance on private lands surrounding the YNP should be captured by the responsible agencies in coordination with ITBC for testing and possible quarantine. Those bison that pass the quarantine protocol should be released for transfer to tribal lands. Bison failing the quarantine should be slaughtered and distributed to Indian Tribes. ITBC and NWF agree to work together to develop and implement the quarantine procedures, the hunting options, and risk-assessment procedures. ITBC and NWF agree to jointly support each other in efforts to acquire the external funding resources necessary to accomplish these tasks.

The Tribes and the NWF support the re-population of public lands with bison. In order to support this effort the Tribes agree that a percentage of the bison which successfully complete the quarantine will be made available for release on appropriate lands, subject to mutual agreement with the appropriate land management agencies.

NWF and the tribes support ethical hunting of bison on public lands outside of National Parks. These hunts must be conducted according to the accepted rules of fair chase and sportsmanship and consistent with standard wildlife management techniques and goals of state or tribal wildlife management agencies. These hunts must not conflict with, or impinge upon in any manner, existing tribal subsistence buffalo hunting activities, and the general hunts will be designed taking this into account.

By their signatures below, the National Wildlife Federation and the InterTribal Bison Cooperative affirm the agreements set forth above.

This MOU may be withdrawn by any signatory 30 days after written notification by that signatory. Any individual member tribe may withdraw participation in this agreement with a 30-day written notice to ITBC but such notice will not affect participation by ITBC in this agreement.

Signed and Affirmed this 22nd day of January, 1997

Fred DuBray
President
InterTribal Bison Cooperative

Mark Van Putten
Chief Executive Officer
National Wildlife Federation