Buffalo Council Inc

EXPANSION OF MARKETS FOR AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS; PRIORITIZING NEW MARKETS, IMPROVING SUPPLY CHAINS, AND ENABLE DIRECT-TO CONSUMER SALES, THEREBY IMPROVING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR FARMERS; AND PRIORITIZE METHODS TO IMPROVE FARMERS COLLECTIVE RESOURCE SHARING, ACCESS TO MARKET INFRASTRUCTURE, AND PROMOTION OF LONG TERM ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY WITHIN THE AMPLIFICATION OF MARKET EXPANSION.

REVITALIZING AND ENHANCING ACCESS TO A TRADITIONAL FOOD OF OUR ANCESTORS THE BUFFALO

THE PURPOSE OF THIS AGREEMENT IS TO IMPROVE BIOSECURITY OF TRIBAL BUFFALO (BISON BISON) HERDS IN RESPONSE TO MYCOPLASMA BOVIS OUTBREAKS AND ASSESS SAFE TIMELINES FOR LIVE TRANSLOCATIONS OF BUFFALO FROM PREVIOUSLY INFECTED HERDS. INTERTRIBAL BUFFALO COUNCIL (ITBC) WILL ESTABLISH A RESEARCH HERD OF 118 BUFFALO AND CONDUCT SERIAL NASOPHARYNGEAL, SEROLOGIC, AND HISTOLOGIC TESTING IN ORDER TO ASSESS WHETHER AND WHEN ANIMALS REMOVED FROM PREVIOUSLY INFECTED HERDS MAY CONVERT TO ACTIVE INFECTION, OR WHETHER A RECOMMENDED TIMELINE MAY BE ESTABLISHED FOR SAFELY TRANSLOCATING LIVE BUFFALO FROM PREVIOUSLY INFECTED HERDS. ITBC WILL ALSO CONDUCT NECROPSIES ON A NUMBER OF BUFFALO WHO ARE SEROPOSTIVE, NASOPHARYNGEAL NEGATIVE BUFFALO IN ORDER TO INCREASE CONFIDENCE IN TESTS AVAILABLE FOR LIVE BUFFALO. THIS PROJECT WILL DELIVER MULTIPLE PEER-REVIEWED RESEARCH PAPERS ON THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR DECISION-MAKERS ON THE RISKS OF TRANSLOCATING LIVE BUFFALO FROM PREVIOUSLY MYCOPLASMA BOVIS-INFECTED HERDS. THIS PROJECT WILL IMPROVE BIOSECURITY AND UNDERSTANDING OF RISK FOR TRIBAL BUFFALO HERD MANAGERS, WHO RELY HEAVILY ON TRANSLOCATIONS OF LIVE BUFFALO FROM PUBLIC, PRIVATE, AND OTHER TRIBAL HERDS THROUGH ITBC’S SURPLUS BUFFALO PROGRAM. IMPACTS EXTEND BEYOND JUST TRIBAL HERDS, HOWEVER, AS THIS DISEASE POSES RISKS TO PUBLIC, PRIVATE, AND TRIBAL HERD MANAGERS ALIKE, WHO ALL RELY ON LIVE TRANSLOCATIONS, WHETHER FOR LIVE ANIMAL SALES, CONSERVATION MOVEMENTS, OR POPULATION MANAGEMENT PURPOSES. BENEFICIARIES OF THIS PROJECT INCLUDE ALL STAKEHOLDERS WITHIN THE BOVINE ANIMAL HEALTH COMMUNITY, WHO ARE IN NEED OF CONTROLLED SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH TO ELUCIDATE THE PATHOLOGY OF THIS DISEASE IN BUFFALO.

MANY NATIVE NATIONS ARE RESTORING BUFFALO TO TRIBAL LANDS FOR A WIDE VARIETY OF PURPOSES, INCLUDING AS ATRADITIONAL, CULTURAL, AND NUTRITIOUS FOOD SOURCE. MANY CONDUCT FIELD BUFFALO HARVESTS, WHERE MEAT IS HARVESTEDOUTSIDE OF THE PROCESSING PLANT SETTING, OFTEN BY BUFFALO PROGRAM STAFF AND SOMETIMES COMMUNITY MEMBERS DIRECTLY.AT THE SAME TIME, BUFFALOS INCREASING POPULATION MEANS THAT GROWING NUMBERS OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASES HAVE BEENIMPACTING HERDS. MANY OF THESE DISEASES ARE ZOONOTIC, HAVING THE POTENTIAL TO CROSS SPECIES AND IMPACT HUMANS ASWELL AS BUFFALO. THIS INCREASING INSTANCE OF HUMAN WILDLIFE INTERFACE AT THE CULTURAL BUFFALO HARVEST CREATESA GROWING OPPORTUNITY FOR EMERGING ZOONOTIC DISEASES TO IMPACT HUMANS. IT ALSO, HOWEVER, CREATES NOVELOPPORTUNITIES FOR DISEASE SURVEILLANCE, EARLY DETECTION AND RESPONSE, COOPERATIVE LEARNING, AND COMMUNICATIONREGARDING BUFFALO DISEASES AND THEIR HUMAN IMPACTS. THERE IS CURRENTLY NO OFFERING OF NECROPSY TRAINING THAT ISTRIBALLY CREATED, AND NONE SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR APPLICABILITY TO CULTURAL FIELD HARVESTS OF BUFFALO.LABORATORY DIAGNOSTICS ARE OFTEN EXPENSIVE, AND THERE IS NO REGULAR NETWORK OF DISEASE SURVEILLANCE ACROSSAGENCIES WHICH PARTICIPATE IN BUFFALO RESTORATION ACTIVITIES. TO ADDRESS THESE CHALLENGES, INTERTRIBAL BUFFALOCOUNCIL AND OUR MEMBERSHIP OF 76 NATIONS WILL DESIGN AND CONDUCT REGIONAL NECROPSY TRAININGS SPECIFIC TO BUFFALOAND TAILORED FOR USE DURING CULTURAL FIELD HARVESTS, WILL DISTRIBUTE NECROPSY KITS, AND CREATE A FUND AVAILABLETO OUR MEMBERSHIP FOR THE SUBMISSION OF LABORATORY SAMPLES COLLECTED DURING EITHER PLANNED FIELD HARVESTS OROPPORTUNISTIC NECROPSIES IN RESPONSE TO BUFFALO MORTALITY. THIS PRACTICE REFLECTS A MOVE TOWARDS SURVEILLING FORDISEASE EVEN IN HEALTHY ANIMALS, OR ONES IN WHICH NO OUTWARD SYMPTOMS ARE PRESENT. THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO WORK TOINCREASE ZOONOTIC DISEASE READINESS ON A NATIONAL LEVEL BY STRENGTHENING NETWORKS BETWEEN AGENCIES AND SECTORS OFBUFFALO MANAGEMENT. AT THE COMPLETION OF THIS PROJECT, ITBC WILL HAVE DEVELOPED A CURRICULUM FOR NECROPSYTRAINING, DELIVERED FOUR TRAININGS THAT WILL HAVE REACHED 80 TRIBAL BUFFALO PROGRAM STAFF, DEVELOPED AT LEAST TWOMANAGEMENT PLANS RELATED TO DISEASE SURVEILLANCE AND BIOSECURITY BIOSAFETY DURING FIELD HARVESTS, DISTRIBUTEDNECROPSY KITS AND FIELD SUPPLIES TO 80 TRIBAL BUFFALO PROGRAM STAFF, AND WILL HAVE PROVIDED A STEADY ANDACCESSIBLE FUNDING BASE FOR LABORATORY DIAGNOSTIC FEES FROM SAMPLES COLLECTED AT BUFFALO NECROPSIES. WE WILL HAVECREATED A DATABASE TO MANAGE NECROPSY DATA AND WILL IDEALLY HAVE LEARNED ABOUT LARGER TRENDS IN BUFFALO DISEASESURVEILLANCE. WE WILL SHARE, NETWORK, AND LEARN THROUGH THE HOSTING OF 8 VIRTUAL OPEN INVITATION ZOOM MEETINGSREGARDING BUFFALO DISEASE SURVEILLANCE. OUR STAFF WILL BE EXPERIENCED IN ASSISTING TRIBES WITH SUDDEN MORTALITY,MORBIDITY, AND PROACTIVE HEARD HEALTH MANAGEMENT OF THEIR BUFFALO HERDS. THIS PROJECT AIMS FOR AN OVERALLINCREASE IN THE NORMALIZATION OF CONDUCTING NECROPSIES EACH TIME THERE IS A BUFFALO MORTALITY, WHETHER DUE TOSICKNESS OR TO PLANNED HARVEST. WITH AN INCREASING EYE ON EMERGING ZOONOTIC DISEASES, ACCOMPANIED BY TRAINING,SUPPORT, AND RESOURCES, TRIBAL BUFFALO PROGRAMS CAN LEAD THE WAY IN MONITORING WILDLIFE AND HUMAN HEALTH AS THERELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BUFFALO AND HUMANS IS RESTORED ACROSS THE NATION.

RCDG - GRANTS TO ASSIST MINORITY PRODUCERS

RCDG - GRANTS TO ASSIST MINORITY PRODUCERS

TO DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE ELECTRONIC HANDBOOK (E-HANDBOOK), BEST PRACTICES CURRICULUM, AND PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION TRAINING FOR THE HUMANE AND SAFE MOBILE FIELD SLAUGHTER OF BISON.

RCDG - GRANTS TO ASSIST MINORITY PRODUCERS

RCDG - GRANTS TO ASSIST MINORITY PRODUCERS

RCDG - GRANTS TO ASSIST MINORITY PRODUCERS

BISON PROCESSING: BEST PRACTICES FIELD GUIDE - PART II: HUMANE FIELD DISPATCHING CURRICULUM, TRAINERS, & CERTIFICATION TRAINING

THE INTERTRIBAL BUFFALO COUNCIL (ITBC) SEEKS TO DEVELOP AN INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE (IK) REPORT FOR BUFFALO WITH THE SHARED KNOWLEDGE OF NATIVE NATIONS THAT MAY HELP INFORM THE U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE (USFWS) IN THE YELLOWSTONE BISON SPECIES STATUS ASSESSMENT (SSA). ITBC WILL COLLECT IK ABOUT BUFFALO FROM TRIBAL KNOWLEDGE HOLDERS WHOSE TRIBES HAVE AN ANCESTRAL CONNECTION TO YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (YNP) AND YNP BUFFALO TODAY. PARTNERS FOR THIS IK PROCESS ARE EXPECTED TO BE THE TRIBES, KNOWLEDGE HOLDERS, A TRUSTED SOCIAL SCIENTIST, AND TRIBAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROJECT WILL BE TO:1.COMPLETE AN IK REPORT FOR BUFFALO FOR THE YELLOWSTONE BISON SSA WHICH INCLUDES BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO:A.A STORY ABOUT THE BUFFALOB.BUFFALO HABITAT PREFERENCE AND MOVEMENTC.CHANGES IN BUFFALO POPULATION SIZE, AGE, SEX RATIOS, AND HERD SIZES, AS WELL AS AGE DISTRIBUTIOND.BUFFALO FORAGING BEHAVIORE.THE EFFECT BUFFALO HAVE ON THE LANDSCAPE AND ECOSYSTEMF.HISTORICAL AND EMERGING THREATS TO BUFFALO AND THEIR HABITATG.FOR TRIBES THAT HAVE RECEIVED BUFFALO FROM THE BISON CONSERVATION TRANSFER PROGRAM, WE WOULD LIKE TO OBTAIN KNOWLEDGE OF:I.HOW BUFFALO BEHAVE AFTER TRANSFERII.DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BUFFALO FROM THE TRANSFER PROGRAM AND NON-TRANSFER PROGRAM BUFFALO2.DEVELOP A ONE-PAGER BASED ON THE REPORT WITH SUMMARY INFORMATION THAT WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC.OBJECTIVE 1 WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED BY INTERVIEWING TRIBAL KNOWLEDGE HOLDERS ABOUT BUFFALO IK AND RECORDING THAT INFORMATION IN A DATABASE. THE BUFFALO IK WILL THEN BE SUMMARIZED INTO A PUBLICLY AVAILABLE IK REPORT. OBJECTIVE 2 WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED BY TAKING THE MAIN POINTS FROM THE BUFFALO IK REPORT AND CONDENSING THEM INTO A ONE-PAGE FORMAT.

FARM TO SCHOOL GRANT PROGRAM

RCDG - GRANTS TO ASSIST MINORITY PRODUCERS

TO ADDRESS THE LACK OF RESEARCH AND TA IN MYCOPLASMA BOVIS IN BISON.

DEVELOP AND DESIGN A PRODUCER HANDBOOK TO TRANSITION FROM CATTLE TO BISON.

FARM TO SCHOOL GRANT PROGRAM