Adventures of a Buffalo

In Hibernation. I'll Be Back.

2010-01-26T15:30:00.004-06:00

Long Overdue

2009-12-16T12:54:00.001-06:00

Let's hope THIS happens.

Native Americans? Indigenous People? Or is American Indian Just Fine?

2009-12-07T12:31:00.023-06:00

Fool Bull of the Sicangu Lakota Sioux tribe, late 1800s.

I prefer the term American Indian; here are a few other opinions:

Author Steve Hendricks, whose book The Unquiet Grave: The FBI and the Struggle for the Soul of Indian Country I recently read, wrote in the book's afterword, "I use the term American Indian rather than the alternatives - Native American, indigine, aborigine, and so on - because it is the word most Indian of the Plains use to describe themselves, because it is simple, euphonious, and familiar to non-Indians, and because although its origins are disputed (possibly it was a mistaken reference to the people of India, possibly it was a reference to people 'of God,' or in dios), it is in any case not derogative in origin. The National Congress of American Indians, the American Indian College Fund, the American Indian Movement, Indian Country Today, News from Indian Country, and many other organizations run by and for Indians see no reason to stop using the word. Nor do I."

Russell Means, an Oglala Lakota Sioux and one of the founders of the American Indian Movement, certainly the most militant of Indian groups, states, "I abhor the term Native American. It is a generic government term used to describe all the indigenous prisoners of the United States. These are the American Samoans, the Micronesians, the Aleuts, the original Hawaiians, and the erroneously termed Eskimos, who are actually Upiks and Inupiats. And, of course, the American Indian. I prefer the term American Indian because I know its origins . . . As an added distinction the American Indian is the only ethnic group in the United States with the American before our ethnicity . . . We were enslaved as American Indians, we were colonized as American Indians, and we will gain our freedom as American Indians, and then we will call ourselves any damn thing we choose."

And Christina Berry, a Cherokee writer and producer of the website All Things Cherokee, says:
"In the end, the term you choose to use (as an Indian or non-Indian) is your own personal choice. Very few Indians that I know care either way. The recommended method is to refer to a person by their tribe, if that information is known. The reason is that the Native peoples of North America are incredibly diverse. It would be like referring both a Romanian and an Irishman as European. . . . Whenever possible an Indian would prefer to be called a Cherokee or a Lakota or whichever tribe they belong to. This shows respect because not only are you sensitive to the fact that the terms Indian, American Indian, and Native American are an over simplification of a diverse ethnicity, but you also show that you listened when they told what tribe they belonged to. When you don't know the specific tribe simply use the term which you are most comfortable using. The worst that can happen is that someone might correct you and open the door for a thoughtful debate on the subject of political correctness and its impact on ethnic identity. What matters in the long run is not which term is used but the intention with which it is used."

John and Jacque Sanders at the Buffalo Trace Race

2009-12-02T15:29:00.002-06:00

Belated Halloween Photos

2009-11-12T15:24:00.004-06:00

Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound: Super Bull (grandson Devin).

Red Chief as a Bear.

The Reluctant Hound: Ali refused all efforts to wear my buffalo hat for Halloween. The Amazing Mr. Baba is seen here in a rare moment of sleep while I'm still awake.

Just Because

2009-11-11T11:37:00.000-06:00

To Camp or Not to Camp

2009-10-29T12:57:00.000-05:00

Signed up for the Tecumseh Trail Marathon in December in Indiana, and may camp instead of getting a hotel room. Camping. In December. I'll give it more thought. I've camped in 17-degree weather, a night I'll never forget. I was in the Army at the time, and it was a record-setting low temperature for that November night near Augusta, Georgia. We did not have down sleeping bags, of course, and were ill-equipped for the cold snap. Not ideal training conditions for my next military post, Vietnam, where I would be two months later.

The Tribes and the President

2009-10-16T17:08:00.000-05:00

A Native American poses for photographer Marilyn Angel Wynn, who travels all over the U.S. to document the descendants of the first people of the land.

November is National American Indian Heritage Month. I doubt a lot of people know that. In November of this year, November 5, in fact, representatives of the 564 federally recognized Indian tribes, at the invitation of President Obama, will converge on Washington, DC, for the White House Tribal Nations Conference to be held at the Department of the Interior (the White House isn't large enough to accomodate the expected crowd). This is part of Obama's plan, and promise, to address the concerns of Native Americans. The president says he wants to hear directly from tribal leaders about how his administration can meet their needs and help make their lives better. Many Native Americans suffer higher rates of crime and poorer health than the rest of the population. Many tribal leaders hope this will not be just a huge gripe session, but rather a coordinated, meaningful meeting that will produce results. I think this President will listen, and get something done. We'll see how it goes.

Capital Buffaloes

2009-09-24T16:57:00.002-05:00

I've been to DC a few times, but have yet to see THESE buffalo. Given a good bath, these are four beautiful animals.

The Final Journey of Lone Eagle

2009-09-17T07:52:00.002-05:00

See THIS site for a powerful, moving story.

Tale of a Tragedy

2009-09-11T07:45:00.011-05:00

U.S. Army Ranger Pat Tillman

Recent photo of weary U.S. Marines resting after an eight-hour firefight against Taliban forces in Afghanistan.

I have been anxiously awaiting the release of THIS book (see editorial review for a good summary). I have been intrigued by Pat Tillman's life journey for quite a while, and one of my favorite authors now tells Tillman's story. I have a lot of questions, and I hope this book will answer them.

Keeping Tradition Alive

2009-09-04T16:22:00.001-05:00

I found the following article quite interesting:
http://www.reznetnews.org/article/buffalo-ceremony-seldom-seen-rez-37840

In the Herd, Ya Gotta Start 'Em Young

2009-09-02T12:52:00.004-05:00

Grandson Devin in a nifty new shirt. Wonder who got him that?

Friday!!

2009-08-28T16:11:00.002-05:00

Flashback 1969: At the Playground with Joe and His Grease Band

2009-08-14T12:11:00.016-05:00

Joe Cocker. Unknown to many before this appearance at Woodstock.

May 1969. With a friend I enter the Kinetic Playground in Chicago where we are to see the Who in concert. The opening act is a group called Joe Cocker and the Grease Band. I had never heard of them. We take our seats, which are actually not seats because everyone sits on the floor. So, Joe and the Grease Band come out and start to play and . . . Whoa. They knocked everybody out. These guys, Englishmen, were quite good, especially Joe, with his spastic moves and guttural bellowing of songs. That band left a lasting impression on me.

Fast forward to a few months later, August 1969. I'm looking over the front page of the New York Times at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. I'm in the second week of basic training in the Army. The photo in the paper shows the masses at the music festival at Woodstock. I didn't know it then but Joe Cocker and the Grease Band had played at Woodstock and had made an indelible mark in rock music history.

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of Woodstock this weekend, I will watch my DVD of the Woodstock movie and once again be mesmerized by Joe and the Grease Band's version of the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends." Watch it above. Starts slowly, then roars. Knocks me out.

"Like a Stake in the Heart"

2009-08-11T17:05:00.004-05:00

Gang member at Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota.

Samuel, an adopted youth at the Pine Ridge Reservation, was a 14-year-old ninth grader when this photo was taken earlier this year. Samuel was adopted by a Pine Ridge family who has many other adopted children from dysfunctional families on the reservation. Through the Dakota Youth Project, a sponsor from Germany is sending monthly support for Samuel. The Pine Ridge school dropout rate is reported to be 70% or more. I wonder how Samuel is doing.

THIS article is a sad commentary on gang problems on American Indian reservations, while THIS article is specifically about the Pine Ridge reservation.

Vic Glover, a Vietnam vet (combat medic), journalist, and Pine Ridge resident, has written a series of short essays on life on the reservation entitled "Keeping Heart on Pine Ridge." From his book:

"People out there in the American world don't know how pitiful America's First Citizens really are....They don't know that 67 percent of the population here lives in third-world poverty, and half the people over forty-five suffer from diabetes. People don't seem to know or care that there is more than 85 percent unemployment and an incredible rate of alcoholism and dysfunction, infant mortality, and teenage suicide. The enormity of the problems are as staggering as America's neglect. Like a stake in the heart....When America is having a hard time, life then becomes especially difficult for many of her native people....We rely on each other, get by and keep the fire lit."

And THIS site details the story of troubled Pine Ridge youth. No wonder there is so much despair.

Coexisting: Madeline Rose and Ali Baba

2009-08-05T17:03:00.000-05:00

This is my cat, Maddie. She's 13 and has been queen of my house for many years. One of her favorite perches is here on the dining room table next to the buffalo statue centerpiece. She spends a lot more time there now to avoid this intruder into her life . . .

. . . Ali Baba, whom I acquired recently from my son Tim. Ali is a strange critter: he eats from his bowl only when I am preparing my own meals, and he curls into a ball just a couple of feet below me on the floor when it's time for my reading in bed, and, as far as I know, he doesn't move from that spot all night. When I pick up his leash, he knows that means "Outside!" and prances and kicks like a bucking bronco until I get him out the door. Hilarious. Maddie doesn't think too much of him, though: much hissing and arching of her back when he's near. A sure sign that she wants him to know it's her domain: this morning Maddie spots Ali coming down the hall toward the kitchen; she quietly steps in front of him, blocking the entire kitchen doorway. No hissing or arched back, just a rigid barrier presented to the perplexed Ali, who looks up at me with a "What do I do?" look. We'll see how this relationship develops.

I'll Be Back on My Blog Feet Soon

2009-07-29T16:52:00.001-05:00

Mark Buehrle Just Pitched a Perfect Game! Go Sox!

2009-07-23T15:23:00.000-05:00

The New President Meets Old Grunter

2009-07-21T12:16:00.000-05:00

With the passing of Walter Cronkite, whose evening newscasts were essential viewing for me, we have seen clips of Walter's life and times. I don't know if Walter had any commentary on this particular stage of President Kennedy's inaugural parade in January 1961, but I thought I'd post this photo. As you can see, there are a lot of smiling faces, including that of the new President (directly above the Presidential seal) and a clapping Vice President Johnson to the right of Kennedy. That's Buddy Heaton passing by the reviewing stand on Old Grunter, a "partially tamed" buffalo he purchased for $500 in 1950.

"Old Grunter didn’t come with a detailed set of riding instructions," Buddy recalled, "and it took two years of trial and error to get the hang of riding the buffalo right side up. A good part of that time was spent sailing through the air and then having to pick my backside up off the ground. It quickly became apparent that a healthy young buffalo is not the gentlest of God’s creatures, y’know.”

While on Old Grunter, Buddy managed to shake hands with Kennedy and Johnson during the parade. Also on Inauguration Day, Buddy rode Grunter up the steps of the Capitol Building.

In 1972, at the age of 25, Old Grunter died after eating some contaminated alfalfa. “Burying an old friend like Grunter was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in my life,” said Buddy.

On the Trail

2009-07-20T12:40:00.003-05:00

Ethan at the Buffalo Trace Trail last Thursday during the weekly run with the herd. He and I covered about 2.5 miles of the 5-mile trail, alternating running and walking. The prairie grasses and flowers in the background were prevalent in the days when buffalo roamed central Illinois.

Thieves

2009-06-30T12:05:00.002-05:00

This is What I Should be Doing . . .

2009-06-24T15:25:00.003-05:00

. . . because of the 97-degree heat index, but instead I'm going over to the Princess Palace and cutting up a huge downed treee limb for the city to collect. I'ts such a big limb that I can also get some firewood out of it. All this from the recent rainstorms, of which we've had quite enough.

Happy Birthday, Princess!

2009-06-22T07:55:00.000-05:00

Senseless, Yet It Continues

2009-06-17T16:33:00.008-05:00

This buffalo calf, if it survives predation by wolves and grizzlies and the bitterly cold winters at Yellowstone National Park, may grow to prosper if left to its natural tendencies. But much of the time that doesn't happen at Yellowstone; instead, the following does . . . .

Look closely at this, especially the segment that starts in about the middle of the video: a lame buffalo calf and its irritated mom tell the story; a result of the hazing. You would think that descendants of the wild buffalo that fed, clothed, and sheltered Native Americans, pioneers, soldiers, railroad workers, and countless others in the settlement of America would get a little slack today. They're aren't a lot of wild buffalo left in the country, and these particular buffalo are a special lot. The buffalo here have wandered out of the park boundary and onto the Horse Butte peninsula near West Yellowstone, a favorite area for them in the spring, especially for the births of new buffalo. The "cowboys" of the Montana Department of Livestock are hazing not only buffalo, but also any other wildlife in the area as they are pushed back onto park land. The cowboys are on private property where there are signs posted by residents stating that the area is a welcome zone for buffalo. If left to their natural tendencies, the buffalo would wander back to the park, but the threat of brucellosis, a disease that buffalo can transmit to cattle, is a powerful tool that livestock growers use to protect their cattle grazing interests. HOWEVER, there are NO cattle in this area when this hazing happens every spring, and there has not been a single case of brucellosis transmsitted to cattle by buffalo. In fact, the brucellosis that infects some of the Yellowstone bison was passed on to them by cattle. I am a staunch supporter of The Buffalo Field Campaign, which shot this video. They and many others out West are doing their best to try to stop the hazing, but the political choke hold of the cattle ranching industry is strong. It's a shame that the magnificent buffalo herd is treated like common livestock, not the wildlife that are admired by so many Yellowstone visitors and buffalo lovers from afar, like me. As I was preparing this, a press release by the Buffalo Field Campaign came out:

"June 17. Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) agents captured three bull bison this morning in the Duck Creek bison trap located on private land less than 200 yards from the western border of Yellowstone National Park. The bison were loaded onto a livestock trailer and shipped to a slaughterhouse. They had been grazing peacefully near the Park border for the past several weeks on and around National Forest lands purchased for wildlife habitat."

SENSELESS.

Join the Buffalo Fleet? Duty Calls

2009-06-12T16:40:00.000-05:00

Well, I've joined the world of Facebook. In that world is a group called the C-U Water Buffaloes, an offspring of our landlocked Buffalo Warriors. Seems this paddling herd has kayaks and canoes and travels the waterways of central Illinois. Several buffalo have tried to recruit me for the fleet, but . . . I ain't got no boat. We'll see.

Time to Stir Things Up

2009-06-09T17:07:00.001-05:00

Rejoining the herd on the trail? Tennessee in the fall with Wolf Woman and llamas? A new boarder in my home (Mr. Ali Baba; see cast of characters at right)? And what are they doing to my buffaloes at Yellowstone? Much going on these days as I kick up dust and hope for good days ahead.

With the Awesome Centaur at Bob's Place

2009-06-01T17:05:00.001-05:00

Red Chief and I paused to eat lunch here on the steps of the Sun Singer statue at Allerton Park this past Sunday. We were in Allerton for the second time in a week, the trails still muddy from the rains of our earlier visit. We hiked for almost three hours, and Ethan did not complain once. After our hike we passed by a buffalo farm, but none of the 20 or so giants could be seen; all we saw were enormous, sturdy fences and the lush fields of grass that the buffalo crave.

Ethan at my favorite statue at Allerton Park, The Death of the Last Centaur. This is said to be the most expensive of the more than 100 statues at the park because in the bronze are flecks of gold. The sculptor, Frenchman Emile Antoine Bourdelle , called by many the greatest sculptor of his generation, considered the Centaur "the summit of my achievements." The park's namesake, wealthy Robert Allerton, gave more than 6,000 acres of land, including a stately mansion and manicured gardens, to the University of Illinois in 1946. This would become Allerton Park. Allerton visited the sculptor's studio in France and bought the statue directly from Bourdelle shortly before the artist's death in 1929. Red Chief's assessment of the huge sculpture? "Awesome."

Trooper

2009-05-26T12:13:00.003-05:00

Ethan, water bottle and walking stick at the ready, at an observation tower above Fu Dog Garden at Allerton Park. He is already soaking wet and we had not yet started our trail trek.

It was my idea to drive out to Allerton Park and hike on Memorial Day, so I dragged along Red Chief. Had to buy him lunch, a rain jacket and hiking boots first, though. When we got to the park only one other car was in the parking lot. Guess no one else wanted to walk in the rain and mud. We walked all through the gardens, then took a trail and tramped about 2.5 miles in the rain and muck, and I do mean muck. In places the trail was nothing but mud, and when close to the Sangamon River some of the trail was under water. But to a seven-year-old . . . great fun. Red Chief kept saying we were going to survive this. "Hiking in the mud is pretty fun, Grandpa!" And pretty fun it was. We were absolutely soaked, and mud up to our knees. Had to walk off-trail and into heavy woods and thickets to avoid water over our knees. But we had plenty of water to drink, and our hiking sticks helped steady us as we climbed over huge fallen trees and negotiated pooled water and downed timber.

Red Chief wanted to keep going, but it was getting late and the Princess Mother was expecting us.

"We gotta do this again, Grandpa!" Yup. Pretty fun.

Warrior: Rest in Peace, Buddy Lamont

2009-05-22T12:40:00.005-05:00

Buddy Lamont is the second person from the right in this photo taken during the siege of the village of Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1973.

Top photo: Taken a few days after the 1890 massacre at Wounded Knee, this is the scene of the mass burial trench of the Indian victims. Bottom photo: The burial scene today. Buddy's grave (inset photo) is just to the left of the 1890 memorial marker in the middle center of photo.

One of the Indian bunkers during the siege of Wounded Knee in 1973. In the left background can be seen the memorial marker for the 1890 Wounded Knee massacre. The church in the background was burned to the ground by unknown persons shortly after the siege ended. Some say it was destroyed to spare tourists the sight of bullet holes in the building's siding.

While reading about South Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation and its historic village of Wounded Knee, where about 300 Indians (many of them women, children, and elderly) were massacred by US. cavalrymen in December 1890, I came across a reference to the fate of a modern-day warrior.

Buddy Lamont, a 31-year-old Oglala Lakota (Sioux tribe) Indian and a Vietnam veteran, joined other Native Americans in the takeover of the village of Wounded Knee in South Dakota in 1973. The corruption of the local tribal government combined with the extreme poverty on the reservation had boiled over into a confrontation that turned ugly and forced the FBI and U.S. marshals to lay siege to the town as the Indians dug in to hold their position. Buddy was not a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM), but when his people called in AIM members for help, Buddy was ready for whatever came. Many, including Buddy, were armed because the local leader and his GOONs (Guardians of the Oglala Nation) at times used extreme violence.

Buddy, an easygoing, popular, well-repected member of his tribe, was shot through the heart by an FBI sharpshooter from long range when he vacated a bunker that had been tear gassed. The firefight was so intense that medics could not get to Buddy for two hours; he probably died almost instantly.

A week later a truce was called to bury Buddy. Mourners gathered around the coffin, Buddy lying in his military uniform from Vietnam, and wearing his Indian beadwork, moccasins, and holding a pipe. In the casket were placed food, chewing gum, cigarettes, and even a package of shaving cream and razor blades for Buddy's journey to the spirit world.

At the funeral Buddy's mother recalled bringing him food during the siege: "I need you at home," she told him. "Well, Mom, you may need me, but I'm here for a good cause. Watch now, we're going to win. And you're going to be happy. All the people will be happy." It was the last time she saw him alive.

The coffin was draped with an American flag and a Wounded Knee flag, four colors red yellow, black and white for the four races and for the directions of the earth. On it was written "Wounded Knee, 1890-1973." Buddy was given a 100-gun salute at the burial site. His final resting place was just a few feet from the mass grave of the 1890 massacre victims.

Years later a close friend of the Lamont family, while addressing Native American veterans of the U.S. military on Veteran's Day, said Buddy was "the perfect example of a Lakota warrior. Many visit his grave, tourist and Indian, but few know his story. We do, my veteran brothers, and one day that story may be told. But for now Buddy lies in his grave as a symbol of what each of you risked and what your families and tribes risk to survive in America."

Poverty at Pine Ridge

2009-05-20T17:04:00.006-05:00

Agnes Ghost plays with a bow in her yard near Wounded Knee at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

A member of the Blood gang at the 1890 Wounded Knee massacre mass grave site on the hill above town. Wounded Knee is the site of frequent gang violence.

Pine Ridge Reservation visitors are greeted by some of the tribe's buffalo. There was great joy at the Reservation in 2004 when yearling buffalo were released to live on Indian land.

To get an idea of the conditions on the reservation by one who was there, take time to read THIS.

By far the best collection of photos I've seen of the life of many residents on the Pine Ridge Reservation is HERE (click Photo Galleries I, then click Pine Ridge and click on individual photos at bottom). Haunting images.

PINE RIDGE RESERVATION STATISTICS
Unemployment rate of 80-90%
Per capita income of $4,000
8 Times the United States rate of diabetes
5 Times the United States rate of cervical cancer
Twice the rate of heart disease
8 Times the United States rate of Tuberculosis
Alcoholism rate estimated as high as 80%
1 in 4 infants born with fetal alcohol syndrome or effects
Suicide rate more than twice the national rate
Teen suicide rate 4 times the national rate
Infant mortality is three times the national rate
Life expectancy on Pine Ridge is the lowest in the United States and the 2nd lowest in the Western Hemisphere. Only Haiti has a lower rate.

Wounded Knee

2009-05-15T17:16:00.001-05:00

A poverty-stricken Oglala Lakota (Sioux) child in the Wounded Knee District of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

After viewing "Wounded Knee," the final installment of the PBS series "We Shall Remain," I have become immersed in Wounded Knee and the history of its people. In short, horrible living conditions for most of the district's residents, part of the vast Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The Obama Adminstration's proposed 2010 budget calls for the following gravely needed funds for Native Americans of our nation:

$4 billion for Indian Health Services, a 13 percent increase over 2009 and the largest increase in 20 years. The money would be used to contract with health providers on reservation land, raise money for urban health centers that primarily treat Native Americans, and help build health facilities in Alaska, Arizona and South Dakota.

$304 million for public safety funding - a 12 percent increase - through the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The money would expand police presence on reservations, refurbish crumbling tribal jails and improve court services.

Almost $800 million for Bureau of Indian Affairs education programs - an 11 percent increase. Some of the money would pay for public schools, tribal colleges and scholarships for Native American students.

I'll soon show through photos and text just how bad conditions are at Wounded Knee. It will be a feeble attempt, but I hope to give you some idea of the plight of the people there.

Hang Out with Mom This Weekend

2009-05-08T07:51:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to all moms, buffalo and otherwise.

Mauling by a Bear is in Order

2009-05-06T12:13:00.010-05:00

This is pathetic; the worst kind of hunting. "Wild" buffalo, indeed. The "hunt" took place HERE. Yeah, we really have a lot of roaming, wild big game in the Illinois cornfields. Manufactured hunting at its best. Viking devoured by a Chicago Bear? Justice.

Gotta Get Me One of These

2009-05-01T12:58:00.025-05:00

Wolf Woman likes llamas. While hiking in the Tennessee mountains she saw llamas used as pack animals. I think she would like to have a small herd of them, so for fun I thought I'd do some research on the critters. THIS site has some basics, while THIS fact-filled site claims "Llamas learn by behavior, all the time. It is part of their survival tactics. They will watch your small body movements, and even the expression on your face." Hmm.

They come in a variety of colors, and apparently make good guardians, as a New York Times article notes: "The rationale for llamas is somewhat different than for other types of livestock. Sheep ranchers acquire llamas as guard animals for their flocks. The sheep's natural predators, foxes and coyotes, generally will not tangle with a llama, which can be more than six feet tall. Llamas get along quite nicely with sheep, and when a llama senses danger, it emits a high-pitched whinny that alerts the farmer to bring the shotgun."

And they seem to be reliable, hard workers, like this train of llamas on the job in the Tennessee mountains. Leading the llamas in this photo is a reporter, who was given temporary charge of the pack: "The llamas didn't make a sound when they walked," the reporter noted. "Despite that my shoes were crunching twigs and kicking rocks, there was no sound coming from the llamas. It was a little freaky. Actually, it was really freaky. If I didn't turn around and look, it felt as if I was holding a rope that was connected to nothing. I might as well have been leading a team of ghosts."

Backpacking llamas. I could have used one of these during my Appalachian Trail hikes. Very useful animals, as THIS article points out. I've thought of becoming a buffalo shepherd in my retirement, but a llama handler could be an option.

Fast Food: When Chasing Your Dinner Gets Old

2009-04-28T12:30:00.004-05:00

The Hunter Mentality

2009-04-24T17:07:00.002-05:00

The Hunter by N.C. Wyeth: Hunting for food - a necessity

From a taxidermy business web site: hunting for sport - not a necessity

Seeing videos of hunters gunning down buffalo at Yellowstone during during the winter of 2007-2008 was an event that got me to wondering even more about hunters and why they shoot animals. I also have a couple of friends who are hunters, one of whom says he feels closer to nature when hunting, like when he bagged moose in Canada (Geez, can't you just observe wildlife and appreciate nature?). Anyway, this moose slayer referred to the book Heartsblood: Hunting, Spirituality, and Wildness in America by David Petersen. I now own a copy and have been poring through its pages. This is an enlightening read for me, and though only about a third of the way through the book, I have some new perspectives on hunters and anti-hunters (myself the latter). Maybe by the time I finish reading Heartsblood I will understand better why grown men act like little kids when gunning down wildlife on hunting programs such as those on ESPN. More on this later.

Earth Day: A Little Peace and Quiet Needed

2009-04-22T12:26:00.005-05:00

The Red Tide Rolls

2009-04-20T17:02:00.002-05:00

Red Chief hoists his trophy after the final game of the YMCA basketball league last Saturday. He likes to get that hardware.

I must admit, Ethan was the best dribbler on his team. Opponents trembled when the Red Chief, with his signature long locks, made his stealthlike moves down the court.

Mixing it up with the competition. The Red Storm rises.

Team photo: Seven-year-olds will be seven-year-olds.

What Would You Do?

2009-04-16T16:48:00.006-05:00

Mountain lions, or cougars, have been spotted in Illinois, entering the state from Wisconsin and Missouri. These sightings have been few and far between, though, and most have been without foundation. The TV spot below and THIS recent article may get you thinking. What a story! A magnificent animal just trying to survive. This is why I carry Cat Chow and a rubber mouse. Nice kitty.

Guess Who? The Horns of the Bull

2009-04-13T12:27:00.002-05:00

With buffalo hat and bullhorn, I managed to avoid becoming roadkill as thousands of runners came at me during the inaugural Illinois Marathon in Champaign-Urbana this past Saturday. I was at a very busy intersection in the middle of campus (Wright and Green) while helping with traffic control and cheering on runners. This was snapped by a News-Gazette photographer. Should have attached a "Save the Yellowstone Buffalo" sign on the huge hat.

A Story That Needs to be Told

2009-04-09T16:55:00.001-05:00

Monday, April 13. Mark your calendar for the premier of the PBS series "We Shall Remain," which promises to be one of the best documentaries about Native Americans. The WEBSITE for the series is loaded with good features and info. I'm especially glad to learn that Native Americans had plenty of input in the documentation and filming of the series.

Something New

2009-04-08T17:40:00.001-05:00

I thought I would dive in and change the appearance of "Adventures" just a bit, as you can see. Gotta love that quote on the right by Crowfoot.

Mondays Can Bring Out the Grouch

2009-04-06T12:05:00.003-05:00

2009-04-06T12:05:00.001-05:00

Mud Thumper: My Sangamon River Birthday Trek

2009-03-31T17:40:00.008-05:00

This was typical of my footing along the banks of the Sangamon River as I hiked at Lake of the Woods at Mahomet. A few too many thorns also impeded my progress at some points. I began my journey by the covered bridge and headed south . . .

. . . where I eventually encountered this skeleton of a young deer along the river bank. I also found many mussell shells in this area. The Sangamon River derived its name from the Pottawatomie Indian word Sain-guee-mon, meaning literally "where there is plenty to eat." Long ago Native Americans in this area had elk, buffalo, deer, mussels, fish and other critters for food. I ate lunch at an Arby's in nearby Mahomet.

A little farther down the river, while still in Lake of the Woods Park, I came upon this hollowed-out tree. If camping were allowed in this area I would have called this huge tree home.

I saw plenty of Canada geese, and wondered why so many were in pairs. Then it occurred to me . . . duh, it's mating season. These tough geese, who seem to adapt to almost any environment, mate for life and can live to be 20 years old. This couple was quite alone in the backcountry near the river. I guess they didn't mind the pathetic mess some humans had made of the area, which was polluted with plastic containers, paint cans, old appliances, and other waste that found a convenient dumping place in areas where most people don't go. The Sangamon River is not exactly a picturesque stream; in many places fallen trees covered almost the entire width of the river. No wonder one canoeist discouraged others to avoid this area. I should have carried trash bags and a chainsaw for cleanup.

Ah, Allerton Park. A trail presents a pleasant corridor in the woods. I drove here from Mahomet (not enough time to hike), but not before I walked to the place where, long ago, buffalo crossed the Sangamon River near where Rt. 150 crosses the river today at Mahomet. The river then meanders through the country and eventually flows into Allerton Park near Monticello. I continued hiking along the river at Allerton. Much stillness in the area, deathly quiet except for occasional sounds of drilling woodpeckers. The weather was quite nice on my birthday, and by the time I got to Allerton it was near perfect.

The Death of the Last Centaur, one of my favorite stops at Allerton. This magnificent sculpture stands at the top of a hill, and I approached it from the east, where I had to climb a steep staircase to get to it.

Not many people were at Allerton this day, but I managed to find a willing victim to take my photo with the Centaur. With muddy pants and boots, and bearing a loaded camera case, binoculars and water bottles, I bid the Centaur farewell and hiked down that long corridor trail in the photos above and soaked in the beauty of my surroundings. Turning 60 wasn't so bad.

Tommytrot . . .

2009-03-25T12:57:00.001-05:00

. . . that's what I'm calling my birthday adventure as I hike tomorrow along the muddy banks of the Sangamon River. Stay tuned for photos and thrilling narrative.

Learn from This

2009-03-17T12:05:00.003-05:00

This is why I support anyone who acts on behalf of the Yellowstone buffalo. This is tough to watch, but the story must be told.

Red Chief is 7 Today . . .

2009-03-12T12:57:00.001-05:00

. . . and the Princess Mother has survived another year. Happy birthday, little guy!

Dinner Dilemma: A Tense Meeting at Yellowstone

2009-03-11T17:15:00.002-05:00

I found this fascinating. The vegetarian buffalo seems annoyed as a wolf and a bear vie for an animal carcass.

Back from the Dead

2009-03-10T17:06:00.000-05:00

Well, my cold went away, and so did my computer. Hard drive crashed last week, but now I'm up and running. Much to catch up on.

Gotta a Code in Ma Node anna Lotta Conjeshun: Be Back at Ya

2009-02-27T12:58:00.001-06:00

Tiny Tigers

2009-02-23T17:10:00.000-06:00

Now here's a really wild herd. Thought I'd post this while putting together material from my research on buffaloes in Champaign County.

Just Trying to Impress the Ladies: Skull Crashing at Yellowstone

2009-02-17T17:04:00.000-06:00

Photographer Dan Cooper captures the impact of two buffaloes pounding heads at Yellowstone during the rut . . .

. . . and then the referee steps in.

Television Worth Watching

2009-02-12T17:08:00.007-06:00

A favorite photo, a print of this hangs in my home. This is Lone Flag of the Atsina band of the Arapaho tribe, photographed in 1908. He holds an eagle wing that he used for a fan. Lone Flag was born in northwestern Montana in 1854. The nomadic Atsinas roamed the plains between the Missouri and Saskatchewan Rivers in Montana and Canada, following the buffalo herds, living in tepees and trading with other Indians for goods and produce. By 1888 the Atsina had been removed to a reservation at Fort Belknap, Montana.

I saw a brief blurb about THIS new PBS mini-series, which will begin in April. With so much garbage and gloom on television these days, this series should be an enlightening ray of sunshine.

Happy Birthday to THE MAN

2009-02-12T00:30:00.000-06:00

Photo of Lincoln taken in November 1863, two weeks before he delivered the Gettysburg Address.

Lincoln quotation, a message for today: "I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crises. The great point is to bring them the real facts."

Little Bull, the Party Animal

2009-02-10T12:53:00.004-06:00

Grandson Devin, now a year old, received a wardrobe of Illini clothing at a belated birthday party last night.

Sheesh

2009-02-09T12:01:00.002-06:00

Red Chief and the Night of the Raptors

2009-02-06T17:24:00.003-06:00

My favorite birds: great horned owl (left) and red-tailed hawk.

How do you make a six-year-old kid smile, get goofy, and stare in amazement? Stuff him with pizza and crazy bread and take him to a local gym to see birds. That's what I did with grandson Red Chief last night. And not just any birds . . . birds of prey . . . RAPTORS. The Illinois Raptor Center at Decatur presented an evening with five birds - a kestrel (smallest Illinois hawk), a red-tailed hawk, a barn owl, a great horned owl, and an eagle. The Center is home to 21 permanently disabled raptors, which are known for their sharp talons (claws) and bills. Red Chief and I sat in the front row just a few feet from these beautiful animals.

I have always admired great horned owls ("horns" being the tufts of feather about their ears), which are abundant throughout Illinois. I knew they were fierce hunters, but when one of the handlers opened a box full of stuffed animals, which represented some of the diet of the owl, the audience was amazed: rabbits, skunks, porcupines, cats, mice, and an array of other mammals, even small dogs, were among the stash. The great horned owl swoops down and with its sharp talons grabs its prey, which also includes amphibians, reptiles and fish. But skunks? The great horned has a lousy sense of smell, thus it is the only consistent predator of skunks. It is also a destroyer of other owls.

I took photos of the birds during the presentation, which turned out OK, but I "borrowed" the shots above to better represent two of the beautiful birds. What I really should have photographed was the wide-eyed glee and wonder of my grandson, who woke up this morning and chattered endlessly to his Princess mother about the birds.

As I stared at those proud birds last night, my thoughts drifted to animals in another place - Yellowstone. So much awaits Red Chief and my other grandson, Little Bull: bears, wolves, coyotes, elk . . . and of course the mightly buffalo. Let's hope that wondrous land out West and its wildlife can be preserved as much as possible. It's amazing how wildlife can survive and prosper despite our intrusions on the land. When I saw a red fox dash across my back yard last spring it gave me hope.

Yellowstone Survivor: Yes He Can

2009-02-04T12:26:00.005-06:00

A Decade of the Riddle Run: "It's all about the cupcakes."

2009-02-02T12:54:00.003-06:00

Me (left) with fellow buffalo Jeff Riddle at the Buffalo Trace trail for Riddle Run 10. Always run in January no matter what the weather.

Riddle Run 10, a runfest on the Buffalo Trace trail at Mahomet, was held this past Saturday, with race director Jeff Riddle promoting his namesake run in his usual dictatorial rant: "You absolutely must be low key and fun. You must not be a wimp, a whiner, or a complainer. You must not give excuses, die, get hurt or sue. If you are, or do, any of these things you will be disqualified and not eligible for any awards." We don't take Jeff seriously. The awards consist of a roll of toilet paper for the first male to finish 28 miles and a small stuffed buffalo toy for the female winner. For the rest of us? It's all about the cupcakes. For each Riddle Run Jeff's wife Debbie has made cream-filled cupcakes, and this year the Riddle kitchen turned out 125 cupcakes for the registered runners.

I am one of only two runners that have completed at least one four-mile loop of the trail in all 10 runs. It is my favorite running event because it is such fun running a trail, having big campfires to get warm, and good food and drink. AND, the cupcakes. The race has a motto that sums up the run pretty well: "A man must love a thing very much if he not only practices it without any hope of fame and money, but even practices it without any hope of doing it well."

Buffalo in Illinois, 1673: "I Have Seen Four Hundred in a Herd"

2009-01-30T17:09:00.005-06:00

Jacques Marquette (right) and a "hideous...fierce...dangerous" buffalo.

While delving into the dusty history of buffalo in Champaign County, I came across a journal entry written in June 1673 by Jacques Marquette, the French missionary who was canoeing down the Mississippi River with a party of explorers near the present-day Quad Cities area of western Illinois. A mostly unexplored part of the Louisiana Territory, the land that is now Illinois contained many buffalo. Marquette wrote of the buffalo, an exotic sight for a European:

"We shot one of them, and it was as much as thirteen men could do to drag him from the place where he fell. They have an enormous head, their forehead is broad and flat, and their horns, between which there is at least a foot and a half distance, are all black and much longer than our European oxen. They have a hump on the back, and their head, breast, and a part of the shoulders are covered with long hair. They have in the middle of their forehead an ugly tuft of long hair, which, falling down over their eyes, blinds them in a manner, and makes them look hideous. The rest of the body is covered with curled hair, or rather wool like our sheep, but much thicker and stronger. They shed their hair in summer, and their skin is as soft as velvet, leaving nothing but a short down. The Indians use their skins for cloaks, which they paint with figures of several colors! Their flesh and fat is excellent, and the best dish of the Indians, who kill a great many of them. They are very fierce and dangerous, and if they can hook a man with their horns, they toss him up and then tread upon him. The Indians hide themselves when they shoot at them, otherwise they would be in great danger of losing their lives. They follow them at great distances till, by loss of blood, they are unable to hurt or defend themselves. They graze upon the banks of rivers, and I have seen four hundred in a herd together."

Did Buffalo Swim the Sangamon? A Dive into History

2009-01-23T17:02:00.003-06:00

In the 1600s the French explorers LaSalle, Jolliet, Marquette, Xavier, Charlevoix and others roamed what is now Illinois and saw plenty of buffalo, sometimes as many as 500-600 in a herd. Their letters and journals document this. Unfortunately, buffalo had disappeared from Illinois by 1830. I've been doing some research on buffaloes in central Illinois, specifically right around here in Champaign County. Historical records point to three distinct buffalo traces, or wide paths, created long ago by large numbers of the slow moving giants. It's going to take some detective work, but I want to shed some light on these traces that stretched from the Champaign area to the Sangamon River and the Mahomet area, then northwest toward Bloomington and beyond. I'll keep y'all posted on what I find.

American Icons, Old and New

2009-01-20T11:59:00.001-06:00

Brighter days are ahead.

An Unlikely Friend of the Buffalo

2009-01-13T12:15:00.014-06:00

Photo of Jarid Manos from the cover of his book.

Jarid on the plains.

Got an e-mail this morning from one of the Buffalo Allies of Bozeman, Montana, with a link to information about Jarid Manos. I had never heard of Jarid but instantly I became interested when I read the following he had written in response to an article on the Scientific American magazine website about the slaughter of buffalo at Yellowstone National Park:

"The buffalo have suffered so much yet the last wild herd left in the Yellowstone area are being blamed and killed for a cattle disease that came with ranchers' European cattle and the conquest of the West. Buffalo are not relics of the past; they are living, breathing survivors of a catastrophic violence that has turned the Great Plains --- the Garden of Eden that once was America's prairies and plains-- into a beaten, struggling, overgrazed death zone. America publicly prides itself on concepts of fairness and decency, yet until we as a nation move past our pathological violence against the Earth, each other, and ourselves, we will never evolve, and in fact likely find that same death and misery ultimately catching up to us too in the end. By healing the Earth, we can heal ourselves, and that is our our crucible and sacrament in the new millennium, embodied in our stricken Great Plains like no other."

Jarid Manos
Author/Ghetto Plainsman www.ghettoplainsman.com
Founder/CEO
Great Plains Restoration Council www.gprc.org

His book is now on my must-read list. Click on the links above to read more about Jarid. Remarkable story.

Christmas Leftovers

2009-01-09T12:10:00.004-06:00

Little Bull, busy here with a game, sits next to a new companion he received on Christmas morning. I wonder who gave him the little buffalo?

Red Chief, in upper center of photo, plays his part at his school's Chistmas program, which was presented today because an ice storm closed the school, canceling the program the last day before Christmas vacation.

Bears are Wimps

2009-01-07T17:08:00.004-06:00

The Real Mountain Man

2008-12-18T17:03:00.002-06:00

The gravesite and statue of "Liver Eating" Johnson at Cody, Wyoming, not far from Yellowstone National Park. That's Johnson in the photo.

Robert Redford as Jeremiah Johnson.

One of my favorite movies is Jeremiah Johnson. My kids might tell you I've watched it dozens of times, and that is quite accurate. Good story, very nice scenery, all shot in Utah. And some of the movie was filmed on or near Utah property owned by the star of the movie, Robert Redford. I learned recently that the movie is loosely based on an actual mountain man, John "Liver Eating" Johnson. His amazing story is told HERE.

The article doesn't mention that 2,000 people attended the reburial ceremony of the real mountain man Johnson at Cody, Wyoming. One of the pallbearers was Robert Redford.

Ho Ho Buffalo! Little Bull Meets the Man

2008-12-16T17:00:00.000-06:00

Tot in Terror: In his first-ever meeting with Santa, Devin didn't have much to say.

Atop My Christmas Tree

2008-12-11T12:10:00.000-06:00

Yeah, that's the door, Rod

2008-12-09T12:58:00.001-06:00

Now, resign. Leave. Give us all a nice Christmas present.

The Briefcase Warrior

2008-12-08T12:58:00.004-06:00

As I am typing this, President-elect Obama has not yet named his Secretary of the Interior. I have seen several names as possibles for this cabinet post, the most recent (just read this a few hours ago) being Kevin Gover (above). HERE'S the scoop on him. Imagine a Native American as Secretary of the Interior. Now that's change. Very experienced in environmental law and Indian affairs. I'll have to read more about him.

Madeline Rose: Not the Adventurer

2008-12-05T17:04:00.000-06:00

After reading THIS article, I would have no worries about my cat Maddie (above). Her outdoor excursions are limited to accidentally walking out the front door on rare occasions, at which time she just freezes and gives a "Where am I?" look. She does stare at the TV intensely when other four-legged creatures appear on nature programs. As you can see, she is a literate feline. Her wildest encounter with another animal has been a face-to-face meeting with Ali (his photo in right-hand column), the result of which was a resounding hiss and a puzzled pit bull.

Thanksgiving with the Herd

2008-12-03T12:06:00.001-06:00

My grandsons Red Chief and Little Bull. Future runners and friends of the buffalo (I hope).

Red Chief and my lady the Wolf Woman during a break from a fierce game of checkers.

My boy and his boy: Bull Papa and Little Bull.

Princess gets a smooch from the world's friendliest pit bull, Ali Baba.

My Thanksgiving day started with an early morning hike of the 10-mile trail at Clinton Lake with Chris and Jeff, fellow buffaloes who accompanied me on the Kentucky work vacation at Mammoth Cave National Park.

Besides empty beer cans and shotgun shell casings that littered the trail at Clinton Lake, we spied this additional memento left behind by hunters.

The Travesty Continues

2008-11-26T17:09:00.000-06:00

This photo of sport hunters and their trophy buffalo, taken somewhere in Idaho, brings on a quote by environmentalist Edward Abbey: "Whenever I see a photograph of some sportsman grinning over his kill, I am always impressed by the striking moral and aesthetic superiority of the dead animal to the live one."

In his essay Blood Sport, Abbey writes, "Hunting is one of the hardest things even to think about. Such a storm of conflicting emotions! . . . The killing is justified by the need and must be done in a spirit of respect, reverence, gratitude. To speak of "harvesting" other living creatures, whether deer or elk or birds of cottontail rabbits, as if they were no more than a crop, exposes the meanest, cruelest, most narrow and homocentric of possible human attitudes toward the life that surrounds us."

I present all this because they've started hunting buffalo again at Yellowstone National Park. Shameful waste of a coveted American icon, a special herd that should be preserved as much as possible. There is no need to hunt these animals.

Future Buffalo Warrior

2008-11-19T11:41:00.004-06:00

Latest official photo of Little Bull (grandson Devin), 10 months old.

Ambush

2008-11-18T17:10:00.002-06:00

A Friend of the Buffalo

2008-11-11T12:05:00.001-06:00

The guy on the right is Jay Inslee. He's a Democrat and U.S. representative from the state of Washington. A few days ago I didn't know squat about Mr. Inslee, then I read that he is one of several individuals mentioned for the post of Secretary of the Interior in the Obama administration. I did some digging on the guy and found that he is a leader in Congress on energy and natural resources issues and is the prime sponsor of the New Apollo Energy Act, a comprehensive plan to build a clean energy economy in America. He has been called an "environmental hero" by the League of Conservation Voters and has received awards and praise from the Humane Society of the United States. AND, he has voted against the bailout of financial institutions and against the war in Iraq.

Now, all that is very fine with me, but imagine my delight when I found out he has been a staunch supporter of the Yellowstone buffalo, voting twice on bills presented before Congress on behalf of the preservation of wild buffalo. Even before those bills were presented, he co-authored a congressional letter to the National Park Service in 2003 that asked some tough questions about the slaughter of buffalo that left the park. I don't know how good his chances are of getting the Interior post, but it's comforting to know that the National Park Service and Yellowstone could be under his charge.

An Empty Six-Pack and a Clogged Drain - The Party is Over

2008-11-05T07:45:00.003-06:00

After a Democratic Breakfast . . .

2008-11-04T07:57:00.006-06:00

. . . I walked the short three blocks to my precinct's polling place and arrived at 5:55 a.m., five minutes before the polls were to open. Already there were 25 people in front of me. And just a minute or two after I got there, about 20 more people showed up. Meanwhile . . .

. . . Little Bull takes his role as a Toddler Frog for Barack quite seriously . . .

. . . and Red Chief is hoping his candidate gets some write-in votes.

Alaska's Secret Society

2008-10-31T22:00:00.000-05:00

On Kentucky Trails

2008-10-30T17:34:00.016-05:00

Me (left) with fellow buffaloes Jeff Riddle (middle) and Chris Migotsky at Mammoth Cave National Park last week as part of a 20-person "working vacation" crew detailed to construct a new hiking and horseback-riding trail in the park. The volunteer project was one of many around the country coordinated by the American Hiking Society (see link in right-hand column), of which I am a member.

Me with my tool of choice, a pulaski, which is a combination axe and hoe. The pulaski came in handy when large rocks and roots had to be removed to provide a smooth trail for park visitors and horses.

Big Jeff, aka the Riddler, ready for a day's work on the trail.

Jeff (left) and me (my backside) at work installing steps on the trail. Each workday we had to hike down to the trail, about a 40-minute trek, then start working. On the last day of work members of the crew carried these big hunks of wood the whole way to the trail. Tough on the shoulders.

Park ranger Larry Johnson (foreground) was our guide and work supervisor for the week. Larry worked right alongside us, even helping carry down the railroad-tie-like steps to the trail. On the last day of the trip Larry gave us a tour of Mammoth Cave, where, as he says in his southern drawl, the cave meanders through the hills for "mawls" and "mawls" and "mawls." That's miles, about 360 of them. If you stretched the cave in a straight aline, it would extend from southern Kentucky to Chicago. And there are parts of the cave system that are still being discovered.

Buffalo sweat: my buddies Chris and Jeff at work on the trail.

Besides the satisfaction of knowing that I contributed to making a nice trail for park visitors, the highlight of the trip for me was a cross-country hike in the park that had the entire work crew climbing rock ledges, wading through rocky creeks, and navigating sometimes difficult terrain. That's me and Jeff at the front of the hike.

Lunch break on the trail for our work crew. Members of the all-volunteer crew came from as far away as Texas, California and Florida. The work was hard, the food was good, the weather was just about perfect, and I made some new friends, who by the way, thought Jeff, Chris and I were a bit strange when we decided a few times to hike for an hour or two after work. We took a few of our new friends with us on a night hike, using headlamps to light the trail and at one point turning off the lights and listening to the dark stillness. Indescribable. One really fantastic feature of Mammoth Cave National Park was the quiet, sublime stillness of the place.

Only in America

2008-10-29T07:52:00.000-05:00

I'm back . . .

2008-10-28T17:15:00.003-05:00

. . . from a week of trail tromping at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. I'll get back to y'all very soon.

More On Sarah Palin Later

2008-10-16T17:19:00.000-05:00

Buffalo in Alaska: Has Hockey Mom Bagged a Bison?

2008-10-14T17:01:00.000-05:00

I've wondered if Sarah Palin has hunted buffaloes in Alaska. Found some interesting info. More on this later.

Been busy designing a couple of race t-shirts and getting ready for a trip to Kentucky to help maintain trails at Mammoth Cave National Park.

I haven't been posting photos because my cheap digital camera called it quits. Invested in a much better camera, so more photos will be posted.

"The Living Muscle of Our History"

2008-10-03T17:04:00.007-05:00

From the Buffalo Field Campaign website:
"[The buffalo are] the dark force of the plains - the living muscle of our history. Perhaps no other animal represents so well that richness which we once had, and which we so savagely squandered and mutilated."
- Rick Bass, nature writer and environmental activist

From a Montana blogger:
"One day while hiking across the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone, I realized that my route was intersecting the wanderings of a buffalo herd. I quickly found a large rock on a steeply sloped knoll the the buffalo would walk around and hunkered down to wait for the herd to pass. I was surrounded by a couple of hundred buffalo that were grunting & snorting as they were moving down the Lamar Valley. I could hear and feel their feet hitting the ground and see puffs of dust every time a hoof struck the earth. They were only 20 or 30 feet away and, because I sat very still, they appeared unaware of my presence and ignored me. That was a primevally awesome experience. And sitting quietly on the ground while 200-300 1000+ pound animals meander past is a very humbling sensation. Adding to my experience was their smell; grass, earth, sun, rain, wind, snow; all combine to give them a uniquely natural odor that is oddly pleasant."

Daddy in Danger: Close Encounter at Yellowstone

2008-09-30T17:06:00.003-05:00

This is about six minutes long, but if you watch the whole thing closely you'll get a good laugh. It's a dangerous situation that turns out alright. Turn up the volume. You can hear the woman say the buffalo are "growling." Actually I think the one bull is calling the others to come on over and scare the guy.

Eyes Open, Legs Moving

2008-09-12T17:09:00.005-05:00

Randomness from the Prairie:

Almost every weekday morning I grab my coffee and turn on "Morning Joe" on MSNBC. A lot of political analysis there. This presidential election has me wrapped up, but I am getting weary of it. Lies, gimmicks, and hype abound, the biggest gimmick being the moose munching hockey momma. You can put lipstick on a gimmick, but it's still a gimmick.

I've been alternating walking and biking to work, thus giving very little to the oil barons. I use my car as little as possible these days.

I have a dream . . . to walk all the way to Yellowstone. I wish I could be there this coming winter to help out the Buffalo Field Campaign and the Buffalo Allies of Bozeman, two groups (see their listings under my herd of links at right) that are doing so much to help the wild buffalo out there. I appreciate the dedicated folks in those groups more than they can know. I receive regular e-mails from both groups carefully follow their work. For the buffalo, wolves, other wildlife and the environment in general, check out Ralph Maughan's Wildlife Reports in my herd link list at right. Ralph and his regular commentors at the site are truly enlightening; a lively forum.

I'm Tom Rice and I approve this message.

Fear and Loathing of the Hockey Mom

2008-09-05T12:14:00.028-05:00

This disturbing video from the Defenders of Wildlife tells of the destructive thinking of Sarah Palin.

Bite the bitch. Aerial hunting is for cowards. At least get off your ass and get on your feet. Better yet, don't hunt at all.

She also strongly favors drilling for oil in Alaska's pristine ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, a stance that even John McCain does not support.

Animal Dialogues

2008-09-04T12:08:00.009-05:00

Animal Dialogues, an incredible book, a thoroughly entertaining read for me. On loan from the Wolf Woman, I stopped all other reading to delve into this book. Click HERE for book info and reviews. I love this description of grizzly bears by author Craig Childs: "Most animals show themselves sparingly. The grizzly bear is six to eight hundred pounds of smugness. It has no need to hide. If it were a person, it would laugh loudly in quiet restaurants, boastfully wear the wrong clothes for special occasions, and probably play hockey." His description of a close encounter with a mountain lion had me on the edge of my seat. Skillful writing that puts you right there.

Unfortunately, buffaloes are not in the book. But that's OK.

Uh oh

2008-09-03T12:46:00.000-05:00

For a fascinating article on buffaloes and wolves, look HERE. Nature is tough.

Hi There!

2008-08-28T07:49:00.001-05:00

The Olympics, the Democratic Convention, and some amazing books have occupied my mind lately. More adventures to come.

Planetwalker and Ameritrekker

2008-08-14T12:40:00.003-05:00

John Francis and his ever-present banjo during his journey in the 1970s.

Peter Jenkins and Cooper, 1973.

On the heels of yapping about Grant Cunningham's epic trail journey in my last post, I may as well tell about a couple of books written by other long-distance walkers. I came upon the book Planetwalker quite by accident few months ago in a book store. Having not heard of it before, I quickly paged through it and made a mental note to maybe buy it later. After doing some resarch on the planetwalker, John Francis, I knew I had to read why he did no traveling in motorized vehicles for 22 years and stopped talking for 17 years. After witnessing the tragedy of a huge oil spill in San Francisco Bay in 1971 and its devastating effects on the environment and wildlife, Francis decided to crusade for environmantal awareness, as well as world peace. His WEBSITE tells of his efforts. Check out the 30 Minutes Bay Area video on the website. I takes a bit to download but is worth a watch. What attracted me most to Francis was his devotion to his cause and his amazing network of friends and well wishers who gave him shelter and other aid during his trek.

A Planetwalker movie is in negotiations, and actor Will Smith has expressed great interest in playing the role of John Francis. Francis himself would like Morgan Freeman to play his father in the movie. Anything those two actors would be in should be well worth a view.

As soon as I am finished reading Planetwalker, I will follow another grand walk in Peter Jenkins' A Walk Across America. This journey of a "discouraged hippie" also happened in the 1970s and later became a bestselling book. Paging through the book, I came across a photo of the author holding his deceased dog, Cooper, above a freshly dug grave while on the journey. I know it will be sad to read about the author's close companion and traveling partner.

Extreme Trail Trip

2008-08-12T12:03:00.005-05:00

Grant Cunningham atop Mount Katahdin in Maine, the finish point of his Appalachian Trail journey.

Well, he did it. Grant Cunningham, a member of one of my running clubs, backpacked the entire 2,175 miles of the Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine. That's about 2000 miles more than I have completed. Grant started in March and finished at the end of July. I'm extremely jealous. See the blog of his adventures in my "Buffaloes and Friends" links at right. I hope he'll post a final entry about his journey. Quite an accomplishment, Grant.

The Suffering of a "Stalwart Icon"

2008-08-06T12:40:00.004-05:00

A buffalo relaxes in the grass despite the nearby smoke of a large fire currently burning at Yellowstone National Park.

A buffalo crosses a road amid firefighters during the 1988 Yellowstone blaze.

A fire near the LeHardy Rapids in Yellowstone National Park that began last week has torched about 8,500 acres of the park. The blaze, according to a fire official, has good potential for growth. This summer marks the 20th anniversary of Yellowstone's most devastating fire, which scorched about 37 percent of the park. The final flames of the 1988 inferno, actually a series of fires caused by lightning and human carelessness, weren't extinguished till November of that year, but a Yellowstone visitor in the spring of 1989 left this description of the smoked-over area:

"For most of our time in the park, there was a heavy pall of smoke in the air. Elk and bison in varying stages of consumption stood forlornly in the gray smoke and overcast, breathing hard for precious oxygen. For me, the saddest memory is of the noble bison. These stalwart icons are in no small part symbolic of our national heritage. They are a vision of strength and stamina, but the fire took a toll on them, if not from the flames themselves then from the deadly smoke that lingered long after the flames were abated.

"Granted the smoke took a grim reaping on many animals in the park, but it was the bison that appeared to suffer most. Driving throughout the park, we would see them standing, head down and gasping. Often they stood near geysers and fumaroles for added warmth to ease their pain.
Many of these bison displayed bloody froth draining from their nostrils. Rangers informed us this was an indication that carbon particles from the smoky air had accumulated to a harmful level in their lungs, resulting in not only pneumonia but abrasion to soft lung tissue from the simple act of breathing.

"As the problem progressed, these animals could not even forage for food because of shortness of breath. In time they simply dropped in their tracks and remained there forevermore."

Only nine buffaloes actually perished during the 1988 fire, but it must have been painful to watch the suffering wildlife. Let's hope the current fire, believed to be started by a downed power line, is extinguished as quickly as possible.

An Old Cowboy's Thoughts about the Return of the Buffalo

2008-07-30T12:40:00.006-05:00

Wally McCrae

Wally McCrae, a 70-year-old cattleman who has 30,000 acres in northeast Montana, is a third-generation rancher in the area. In a recent interview for public radio, McCrae, whose land is not far from a Cheyenne Indian reservation, gave his thoughts about the re-introduction of buffalo to the area: "People around here are more concerned about buffalo than they are about weeds. It's just an easy thing to be opposed to because they don't know anything about them. There's nothing wrong with a buffalo. I wouldn't mind somebody having buffalo across the fence from me, as long as he had a good fence and kept the stupid things in. Maybe a few buffalo scattered around wouldn't hurt. We stole the land and stole the way of life and religion and language from the Native Americans. Maybe we ought to keep a few token buffalo around somewhere to remind us what a bunch of jerks we were when we stole it all away from them."

Little Bull and His Papa: Latest Pics

2008-07-28T12:29:00.004-05:00

Grandson Devin, son Tim.

Good Judgment

2008-07-25T17:13:00.000-05:00

Gray Wolves

In a recent decision, a federal district judge in Montana ruled that gray wolves in the northern Rockies must be returned to the Endangered Species List. The decision is expected to halt plans by Montana, Wyoming and Idaho to allow public hunts for wolves. An inordinate number of wolves had been killed since the delisting. Wolves in those three states were removed from the endangered list in March following a decade-long restoration effort. Organizations that included the American Humane Society, The Defenders of Wildlife, and the Sierra Club sued to overturn the decision to delist the wolves. The region has an estimated 2,000 wolves.

Incidentally, I respect the federal judge in the above case, Donald Molloy. A couple of his other decisions, among many that could be considered environmentally friendly:

2002 — shut down 176 million board-feet of salvage logging on the Bitterroot National Forest, ruling that the Bush administration and the U.S. Forest Service illegally cut off public appeals.

2003 — ordered W.R. Grace and Co. to pay the federal government $54.5 million to help clean up the company’s asbestos mess in Libby, Montana, the largest fine ordered after a trial in EPA Superfund history.

"Enduring as bedrock"

2008-07-23T12:16:00.002-05:00

I had heard about a book with the curious title Buffalo for the Broken Heart. After reading a few favorable reviews, I bought the book. Love it. One of my favorite passages is the author's encounter with a buffalo that had strayed from the herd of the nearby Badlands National Park in South Dakota: "I drove too fast, and when I came over a dusty rise I nearly ran into an enormous bull buffalo. He reclined luxuriously in the center of the dirt road, stretched out in the sun like a two-thousand-pound tomcat. By the time I'd braked, I'd gotten way too close and was struggling to get the gear shift into reverse when he raised his head and looked straight into my eyes . . . . His head was the size of a dishwasher. . . . I was frozen in place. We stared at each other for perhaps a minute . . . . leisurely, the head dipped and the legs pulled under the great beast. The short, paintbrush tail whipped in the dust and the bull rocked once, twice, and up onto his feet. He shook like a dog, creating a cloud of dry South Dakota soil . . . . Then he slowly raised the tiny, black hoof of his left rear foot, stretched his head out, and, as if the hoof were a ballet slipper, scratched his neck below the long woolly goatee. He took one last look at me before he moved off the road . . . . "

Was this chance encounter with the woolly bully an omen? Well, author Dan O'Brien, on the brink of financial ruin on his cattle ranch, which he called the Broken Heart, later decided to substitute buffalo for cattle. Unlike cattle, Dan knew that buffalo could pretty much take care of themselves and could endure the harsh Dakota winters. The book is a smooth read as it relates the struggles of living and ranching in the desolate area. His character portrayals of his neighbors and his descriptions of everyday life on a buffalo ranch gripped me. A Boston Globe book reviewer wrote that O'Brien "by God can tell a story . . . . This is the book you need to read next." Indeed.

And this passage as the author reflects on his herd during a cold Dakota morning: "When I kneel and dig my hands through the curl of dormant winter grass to the earth below, I imagine the vibration of hooves. I feel buffalo moving within it all and understand that they are constant, enduring as bedrock, powerful as the prairie wind."