Saturday, February 9, 2013

In Wildness is the Salvation of the World


A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold

“Thinking Like a Mountain”
A deep chesty bawl echoes from rimrock to rimrock, rolls down the mountains, and fades into the far blackness of the night. It is an outburst of wild defiant sorrow, and contempt for all the adversities of the world.

Every living thing (and perhaps many a dead one as well) plays heed to that call. To the deer it is a reminder of the way of all flesh, to the pine a forecast of midnight scuffles and of blood upon the snow, to the coyote a promise of gleaning to come, to the cowman a threat of red ink at the bank, to the hunter a challenge of fang against bullet. Yet behind these obvious and immediate hopes and fears there lies a deeper meaning, known only to the mountain itself. Only the mountain has lived long enough to listen objectively to the howl of a wolf.

Those unable to decipher the hidden meaning know nevertheless that it is there, for it is felt in all wolf country, in the spine of all who hear wolves by night, or who scan their tracks by day. Even without sight or sound of wolf, it is implicit in a hundred small events: the midnight whinny of a pack horse, the rattle of rolling rocks, the sound of a fleeing deer, the way shadows lie under the spruces. Only the uneducable tyro can fail to sense the presence of absence of wolves, or the fact that mountains have a secret opinion about them.

My own conviction on this score dates from the day I saw a wolf die. We were eating lunch on a high rimrock, at the foot of which a turbulent river elbowed its way. We saw what we thought was a die fording the torrent, her breast awash in white water. When she climber the back toward us and shook out her tail, we realized our error; it was a wolf. A half-dozen other, evidently grown pups, sprang from the willow and all joined in a welcoming mêlée of wagging tails and playful maulings. What was literally a pile of wolves writhed and tumbled in the center of an open flat at the foot of our rimrock.

In those days we had never heard of passing up a chance to kill a wolf. In a second we were pumping lead into the pack, but with more excitement than accuracy: how to aim a steep downhill shot is always confusing. When our rifles were empty, the old wolf was down, and a pup was dragging a leg into impassable slide-rocks.

We reached the old wolf in time to watch a fierce green fire dying in her eyes. I realized then, and have known ever since, that there was something new to me in those eyes—something known only to her and to the mountain. I was young then, and full of tigger-itch; I thought that because fewer wolves meant more deer, that no wolves would mean hunter’s paradise. But after seeing the green fire die, I sensed that neither the wolf nor the mountain agreed with such a view. 

Since then I have lived to see state after state extirpate its wolves, I have watched the face of many a newly wolfless mountain, and seen the south-facing slopes wrinkle with a maze of new deer trails. I have seen every edible bush and seedling browed, first to anaemic desuetude, and then to death. I have seen every edible tree defoliated to the height of a saddlehorn. Such a mountain looks as if someone had given God a new pruning shears, and forbidden Him all other exercise. In the end the starved bones of the hoped-for deer herd, dead of its own too-much, bleach with bones of the dead sage, or molder under the high-lined junipers. 

I now suspect that just as a deer herd lives in mortal fear of its wolves, so does a mountain live in mortal fear of its deer. And perhaps with better cause, for while a buck pulled down by wolves can be replaced in two or three years, a range pulled down by too many deer may fail of replacement in as many decades. 

So also with cows. The cowman who cleans his range of wolves does not realize that he is taking over the wolf’s job of trimming the herd to fit the range. He has not learned to think like a mountain. Hence we have dustbowls, and river washing the future into the sea.

We all strive for safety, prosperity, comfort, long life, and dullness. The deer strives with his supple legs, the cowman with trap and poison, the statesman with pen, the most of us with machines, votes, and dollars, but it all comes to the same thing: peace in our time. A measure of success in this is all well enough, and perhaps is a requisite to objective thinking, but too much safety seems to yield only danger in the long run. Perhaps this behind Thoreau’s dictum: In wildness is the salvation of the world. Perhaps this is the hidden meaning in the howl of the wolf, long known among mountains, but seldom perceived among men. 

Leopold, A. (1989). A sand county almanac: And sketches here and there. (Special ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc.


Learn how you can help keep MI wolves protected by visiting www.keepwolvesprotected.com or the campaign's Facebook page.

 

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Michiganders for Wolves

 

 Michigan Advocates Want Statewide Vote on Wolf Hunting

"There's an assumption among politicians in these states that the public supports killing wolves for sport and commerce," he said. "I'm confident the Michigan referendum is going to turn around that false perception ... and help arrest this expansion of wolf hunting and begin to pare it back."

Friday, January 25, 2013

Michigan Tribes are Protecting Michigan Wolves

Several Michigan Indian tribes have joined the Keep Michigan Wolves Protected coalition. Find out how they are supporting the cause by reading this article, "CALL to ACTION: Michigan Tribes Line Up to Protect Michigan Wolves."

Find out more about the cause and find out how you can help keep MI wolves protected at http://keepwolvesprotected.com/






Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Keep Michigan Wolves Protected: Article by Michael Markarian


Check out the link for an interesting article by Michael Markarian, "Animals & Politics: Michigan Voters to Make their Voices Heard on Wolf Hunting."


Michael Markarian: Animals & Politics: Michigan Voters to Make their Voices Heard on Wolf Hunting

For more information and to learn how you can help keep MI wolves protected visit the campaigns website and Facebook page.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Keep Michigan Wolves Protected!








Keep Michigan Wolves Protected is a coalition of conservation groups, animal welfare organizations, wildlife professionals, hunters, ranchers and other Michigan citizens working to protect Michigan's fragile wolf population.

Wolves have been on the protected list in Michigan for nearly 50 years. There are fewer than 700 wolves in Michigan and their numbers are only now starting to recover. It's not right to spend decades bringing the wolf back from the brink of extinction only to turn around and allow them to be killed for sport.

It’s already legal in Michigan to kill wolves in order to protect livestock or dogs. The wolf population is simply not large enough to support the hunting of wolves for sport. It's unnecessary and reckless given the decades spent trying to protect the wolf population in Michigan.

People don't eat wolves, and it's just pointless trophy hunting for no good purpose. Wolf hunting may involve especially cruel and unfair practices, such as painful steel-jawed leg hold traps, hunting over bait, aerial gunning from helicopters, and even using packs of dogs to chase down and kill wolves.
In December 2012, after Michigan state politicians rushed a 'lame duck' bill through the House and Senate, Governor Snyder signed legislation into law that would designate wolves a "game" species and authorize the Natural Resources Commission to establish a hunting season.

Keep Michigan Wolves Protected is seeking to collect more than 225,000 signatures of Michigan voters to place a referendum on the ballot. If we are successful, a proposal will appear on the Michigan statewide ballot in 2014 that would allow voters to choose whether or not to enact the legislature's wolf hunting law.

It is the goal of Keep Michigan Wolves Protected to preserve the longstanding Michigan prohibition on the trophy hunting of this iconic species.



Find out more about this issue and how you can help keep MI wolves protected at http://keepwolvesprotected.com/


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Friday, June 17, 2011

The Eagles Have Left the Nest


The Decorah eaglets have left the nest! They're practicing flying and exploring the branches surrounding the nest. Raptor Resource reports that Fledge will be closer to June 25th and they hope to band the young eagles.

RRP hopes to band these juvies and place a satellite transmitter on one of them. The juvies will be captured on the ground a couple of weeks after they fledge. The small band with its identifying color and number goes around one of the ankles and does not bother or endanger the bird. The transmitter is mounted loosely and comfortably like a tiny backpack, and it does not interfere with flight or with head or neck movement. The process takes just a few minutes and does not frighten or harm the birds. It is possible to take measurements of the juvies as they are banded to determine their sex. Banding eventually gives researchers information on how far the bird has flown from its birth nest once it has died or is found injured; the band might also be spotted during feeding, nesting, or migrating and thus can be useful in tracking the eagle's movements. The transmitter will allow researchers to track the juvie regularly via GPS and will yield invaluable information on its behavior. The transmitter is designed to fall off after a few years. Banding and placing the transmitter will be done by Bob Anderson, Director of RRP, and other raptor experts who have banded many birds before and who always follow the safest protocols, and who will have obtained the required permits to do so. Bob discusses his excitement about this in a recent interview. Here is a good web site that describes the process of banding.

It's amazing to think that just a few short months ago these three juvenile eagles we three tiny balls of fluff. Now they've left the nest and are flying like aces. Raptor Resource Project had this to say about the successful lift-off the three young eagles.


Decorah Bald Eagles - Houston, We Have Lift Off!

Greetings to Decorah Bald Eagle enthusiasts all over the world. On 6/16/11, four of us were traveling to Trempealeau, WI, to band young falcons when we received word that two of the Decorah eaglets had left the nest and flown to the upper branches of the nest tree. We had been expecting fledging to take place between June 11 and June 25, and were delighted with the news. However, we decided to continue with the day's planned banding before going back to Decorah - I had been surveying the Trempealeau cliff, a large wall overlooking the Mississippi river, for over twenty years and was looking forward to banding falcons there. It was most rewarding to don rappelling gear, go over the wall, and find two healthy babies. We quickly banded them and hurried back to Decorah. 

David Hecht rushed over to the shop while I unpacked our climbing equipment. I stepped into my office just in time to see him pan the camera and show the two “newly branched” eaglets out on a nearby limb. It was only a short while later that the third eaglet jumped from the nest to the branch to join the rest of the eagle family. I was convinced that the eaglets would return to the nest by evening and joined David to take my turn at the controls of the PTZ camera until well past dark. However, all three eaglets were still out on the limbs of the nest tree at dawn on the morning of 6/17/2011. They remained there all day, returning to the nest whenever one of the adult eagles brought food and flying back to perch on the tree limbs after feeding. 

On the morning of 6/18/11, I could see only two eaglets in the camera view. I drove over to the nest site and searched the nest tree, ground, and banks of the nearby trout stream. Nothing. I was perplexed. Later in the morning, as I was speaking to Brian Malaise at the nearby trout hatchery, I noticed one young eaglet flying back to the nest tree as if it had been on the wing for weeks. I raced back to the nest area and took a head count from directly under the nest tree, where I was pleased to find three young eaglets and the adult female. 

We will see the Decorah fledglings less and less as they take to the sky. We will soon be shutting down the cameras, closing chat, and suspending most Facebook wall posting, although we will continue to provide updates as they become available. Our 2012 plans include improved cameras mounted out of projectile poop range at the Decorah nest, and live video and audio from a Red-tail hawk nest (and very probably a Peregrine falcon nest). This will be an exciting complement to the now-famous Decorah Bald Eagle Cam. 

I would like each and every person to consider this: The 2011 Decorah Eagle Cam turned out to be a truly extraordinary wildlife learning experience for millions of people across the world. A great many thanks to all of the moderators for spending countless hours educating so many people about the natural world and life history of the Bald Eagle. The 2011 Decorah Eagle Cam was most likely the largest wildlife education program ever.

There are many people who have donated their time as volunteers for RRP to make the 2011 Decorah Eagle Cam the wonderful, enjoyable, and educational experience that it was.
The following is a list of those individuals who contributed their time to make the Decorah Eagle cam the huge success it evolved into. My apologies if I have overlooked anyone. Amy Ries, David Kester, Neil Rettig, Kenny Phillips, Shanna Riha, Elfruler, Char, Kathy, Ruby Tugade, Neil Flood, Jim Womeldorf, David Hecht, Karen Lee, Willard and Mary Ellen Holthaus, Jacob and Holly Mengelson, Lavonne Bjergum, the great support team at Ustream, and chat mods bellenurse1, birdsohio, bremerbirdfan, FinnBMD, gandpengelking, GoldenEagle4444, hummingbird2011, ILbirder, jollygiantredwood, lgb1126, luvsbirds, nature27, nwsonshine, ocalagaltomsriver, Pagent, Peg22, RaptorGal, RedBird51, spice1217, tekonshamichigan, ThinkingWoman, ToolesboroTom, and Totenzwerg.

Thank you so much for following us. We hope you'll be watching next year.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Defenders of Wildlife ColBEAR Campaign: On Notice!


I'm not sure how many of you are aware of Defenders of Wildlife's latest campaign for Bear Awareness Week--The ColBEAR Campaign. While the links--"Stephen Colbert's War on Bears" and "Trash Stephen Colbert..and Help Save Some Bears"--don't do the lengthy email newsletters' allegations justice, these outlandish attacks against Stephen Colbert have driven me to composes the following letter to Roger Schlickeisen, Defenders of Wildlife President.

To: Rodger Schlickeisen, Defenders of Wildlife President
From: In Medias Res 
Date: 20 May 2011
Subject: ColBEAR Campaign

I’m writing in concern of your recent Bear Awareness Week Campaign—The ColBEAR Campaign—that has been making ridiculous and outlandish allegations against Stephen Colbert with the verbal wit and tongue-in-cheek humor of a two-year-old.

Your most recent attack entitled “Trash Stephen Colbert…and Help Some Bears” is no more humorous than your previous campaigns against Stephen Colbert and begs the question as to whether or not you understand satire and/or sarcasm? In this case it would seem that “sarcasm” should be used as a noun and defined as such, Sar-chasm (n.): The giant gulf between the sarcastic comment and the person who doesn’t get it.

If you had started out your ColBEAR campaign with good humor and jest, then perhaps it could have been successful and not have left people wondering whether you understood that Stephen Colbert is speaking satirically. It’s not until your latest campaign that you state that your “tongue-in-cheek ColBEAR campaign” has been “poking fun at Stephen Colbert for his ridiculous and hilarious attacks on bears”.

You seem to think that Stephen Colbert has been “spreading irrational misinformation and fears about black bears, grizzly bears and polar bears” year after year. The only “irrational misinformation” is your ColBEAR campaign spreading false allegations about Stephen Colbert “viciously and repeatedly” attacking bears. Are you aware that sarcastic segments about bears air on the Colbert Report only a couple of times a year?
While the ColBEAR campaign raised more than $24,000 for polar, grizzly and black bears I’d like to see the Defenders of Wildlife put On Notice for stooping to trash talk against Stephen Colbert in order to fund awareness for bears, instead of attacking the people who are really doing the harm, like so called Animal Rights Activist, Frank Albrecht.

You may recall that German Animal Rights Activist, Frank Albrecht, believed that the captive born baby polar bear, Knut, should be killed after being rejected by his mother. He stated “feeding by hand is not species appropriate but a gross violation of animal protection laws. The zoo must kill the bear”. Perhaps you even remember that segment from the Colbert Report?

It would be in the best interest of Defenders of Wildlife to speak out against those who are actually doing wildlife harm, rather than seeking media attention under false allegations against the host of a satirical news program.

I wish continued success to Defenders of Wildlife for their efforts to aid wildlife and wildlife habitat, as long as it can do so without stooping to the level of a trash talking playground bully. Try to target the right audience, get a sense of humor, and hire an effective writer who will stop you from coming up with ridiculous campaign titles, like ColBEAR. For now you’re still On Notice until those 1,000 plush bears you said you sent to Stephen Colbert show up on the Colbert Report.

Regards,

In Medias Res

While I support Defenders of Wildlife's efforts to help wildlife and wildlife habitat, this campaign has slandered their organization in my eyes. Any wildlife organization seeking false media attention might as well join Paul Watson and the crew of the Sea Shepherd.


Want to share your thoughts? Post in the comments or contact Defenders of Wildlife: defenders@mail.defenders.org