BFC’s Ken Cole at Montana Livestock Board meeting
Ken Cole gave a statement at the Montana Livestock Board meeting that authorized the slaughter of 300 wild bison near West Yellowstone:
I really wish I had the political power to back up my way of life that you ranchers have to back up your way of life. Nobody’s protecting my way of life. If I got fired from my job, it’s not a big deal, it’s not a front page story. If some rancher loses his way of life we’re all left to basically cry for them because, well, they’ve lost their way of life. Well, I have to adapt. I have to adapt to changes in the world, just like everybody else. Why should ranchers not have to adapt to it? Are you going to compensate me and the rest of the public for the loss of those wildlife that you are going to kill because of this issue that was originated by the livestock industry? This issue with buffalo… we only have 3,500 wild buffalo left in this country. The livestock industry killed the buffalo, the wolves, the grizzly bear, the Native Americans, so that they could run their cattle everywhere across this land. I’ve seen horrific abuses. You should go into Yellowstone Park and see how vibrant the ecosystem is… how much diversity of life there is all over the Park. I was there on Saturday and saw every kind of wildlife you can imagine, and it’s because there are no cows there. You think it’s funny? It’s not funny. [Wildlife diversity] is a good thing. We have thrown away the tools we could have used to feed this continent because of cows which have destroyed massive amounts of land and displaced many many species across this country. It’s a disgrace.
~ Ken Cole, BFC Board Member and long-time volunteer, giving his public comments at Tuesday’s Board of Livestock meeting.
June 2nd, 2007 at 10:49 pm
Good thoughts, very eloquently stated !
I’ll bet they never got a comment like that, that well stated, at any of their public meetings or hearings. I wonder how it was received ??
June 2nd, 2007 at 11:00 pm
I just re-read Mr. Cole’s statement, and found it more impressive and eloquent the second time.
I hope this doesn’t sound too melodramatic, but I thought it had some of the flavor and fatalistic resignation and understated outrage of both Chiefs Joseph’s and Seattle’s famous speeches.