Feb. 25 – Bozeman / Mammoth Hot Springs
Today was an overload of information. I feel like we touched on almost all subject possible when discussing the wolves in Yellowstone, other wildlife, and the caldera. Oh—and the story of Lewis and Clark, which I am already pretty well rehearsed being from the Pacific Northwest, but always a good story to hear again and again to absorb more of the specific details.
Our guide’s rendition of the Lewis and Clark expedition was much better than mine could ever be, but here is a short blurb:
President Thomas Jefferson wanted to find out if there was a water route to the Pacific Ocean. Jefferson knew the Lewis’ very well, as their plantation was near his own. He decided to appoint Meriwether Lewis on a secret expedition into the unknown to find this out. At the time, not all the land belonged to the government, but to Britain and the Native Americans. Luckily, during the six month time period when Lewis was in Philadelphia brushing up on his natural science and First Aid, Jefferson convinced congress to agree to the Louisiana Purchase for $8 million, which made it so the expedition would not have to be secret anymore, as we wouldn’t be crossing through others’ land (until they reached the Rockies).
Lewis decided to make William Clark his co-captain in his journey, in case the expedition ever had to split up. Once in St. Louis, they chose a group of about 40 others to accompany them, including cooks, builders, translators, etc. They started their expedition in 1803, eventually running into a tribe where Sacagawea was giving birth, but needed help from a doctor. Luckily Lewis had heard that crushing up a rattle snake rattle and mixing it with water would help the pain, and he was right! He also thought Sacagawea was the cat’s pajamas, so he invited her along with the expedition, accompanied by her husband Charbonneau and her baby. Sacagawea would go on to save the expedition several times. Once by risking her life diving into rapids to save all the journals and documents that had been recorded when a raft flipped over; and another when they ran into Shoshone Natives who could have killed or stolen from them, but luckily Sacagawea was from the area and it turned out her brother was the new chief. An elderly woman also saved their bacon when they ran into the Nez Perce, as she had been taken at some point but ended up with a white couple who treated her with respect, and eventually sent her back to her tribe. She told her tribe not to kill the white people, as it would be bad luck to do so, and that white people are kind…
The Nez Perce taught them out to make canoes so they could get the rest of the way to the Pacific, where they arrived at a point near what is now Long Beach, Washington (where my and Matt’s family go for vacation several times a year). They were disappointed in the weather, and there were really no building materials they could use to build anything to get through winter, so they took a vote about whether to stay in that area or to cross over to Oregon. This was the first time in recorded history that a woman and slave were allowed to vote, as Lewis had also brought a slave named York. They voted to head back the way the came, so they left the Pacific Ocean, naming it Cape Disappointment.
Too bad they didn’t have mopeds, or they would have had a great time!
They made it back with the exception of one fatality (of appendicitis) and were heroes, as no one thought they would make it back alive besides Thomas Jefferson.
Expedition Map
Unfortunately Lewis was bipolar, and when he returned, he felt like he had reached the peak of his life. What could possibly top what he just did? (he thought) He slipped into an even worse state of depression and eventually took his own life. Clark, on the other hand, had much more success in his life, becoming the governor of the Missouri area and working for the Native Americans in the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He was very concerned with what would happen to them, as he knew their home and existence would change forever because of their expedition.
As for Sacagawea, most believe she died several years after the expedition, as there are no records of her. There is a grave for her in Wyoming. Her son, Jean-Baptiste, was taken in by Clark and was sent to Europe for school. Fun fact, Clark also had 8-10 other kids.
We also had a good introduction to the wolves controversy going on right now. In 1920, the wolves were hunted out of Yellowstone, as the forest rangers thought they would completely kill off big game, and therefore no one would come to the park. So, the National Park Service staff would go out hunting, poisoning, and trapping the wolves until there were no more in the area. In 1995, after bison and basically taken over the park, and the grasses were almost grazed dry, wolves were reintroduced to the park with realization that an ecosystem needs predators to keep the balance. Ranchers hated this, because it increased the opportunity for wolves to get to their livestock.
Watch this video on how wolves have changed Yellowstone since their reintroduction (thanks to my Aunt Kim for sharing!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5OBhXz-Q
It was interesting hearing the different statistics. The article our guide read to us from a rancher’s perspective said that he lost 12 calves in one year from wolves. However, our guide in the park told us that wolves accounted for .2% of livestock deaths.
Conservationists are trying to aid ranchers in non-life threatening ways of handling the wolves by paying for fences around their property with red flags, having riders on watch, and reimbursing ranchers for what they lose. However, the ranchers claim that they are constantly having to fix damaged fences, stay up at watch during calving season, and worry about their herds being chased by wolves and drowning or falling and being stampeded. Many also say they feel bad killing a wolf, but feel that they are protecting their property by doing so.
However, there are those who take sport in killing the wolves. Our guide in the park told us he saw bumper stickers around the park that had a wolf in cross-hairs that said “Smoke One Pack a Day,” and other horrible things. As of now, ranchers are allowed to hunt wolves if they are outside the Yellowstone boundaries. This has brought a wolf population that was at around 175 a few years ago down to under 100 wolves in the park. A few years ago, the Alpha Female of the Lamar Valley pack known as 832F wandered outside the park and was shot, which destroyed the entire pack. If an Alpha Male is killed, the Alpha Female can pick another mate. However, if the Alpha Female is killed, the entire pack disbands and must search for a new group, because they cannot decide who will be the next leader amidst her daughters.
Speaking of hunting outside of the park, Native Americans have a treaty for bison hunting outside of Yellowstone. That sounds like a reasonable agreement, since we came in and destroyed their homes and almost completely wiped out bison as a species. However, what is happening now is Natives are parking right outside the boundary of the park, and any unlucky bison herd that crosses that invisible boundary is shot immediately. Our guide was telling us that they do this, sitting in the parking lots in Gardiner, drinking beer in their trucks and waiting for them to cross. They will completely disembowel the animal right there and leave a pile of guts for the Fish and Wildlife crew to come pick up. It made me so sick to think about it that I might go vegetarian. I couldn’t even think about eating meat at dinner tonight, and got a little sick reading about the bison options.
On a happier note, we did see bison up close and personal today, and they are absolutely majestic. In the summer, they were shedding and looked a little raggedy. But in the winter, their coats are full, and they have snowy faces (that’s how they get through the snow, they bulldoze the snow with their heads, as the snow is often up to their bellies and they can barely walk through it). There are also many more on the road, as it is easier to walk on the plowed roads than in the belly-deep valleys. This is awesome for us, because we get to drive by them and look them in the eye! They are so amazing!
Bison on the Road
Deep Snow!
We were also lucky enough to see a large herd of Big Horn sheep up close on a nearby cliff, and a bull elk in perfect position on a hill. We stopped at a view point where we were hoping to see wolves. Our guide was able to find a carcass that was being munched on by several eagles about a mile away from us. We watched them go at it for a bit in our scopes, hoping the wolves would return to their prey. However, we only saw three coyotes come chase the birds away to have their turn. We hope to come back tomorrow in case the wolves are scavenging for what’s left. We didn’t see any wolves today, but there is always the chance of tomorrow!
We also learned a lot about the caldera itself. I’ve talked in previous Yellowstone posts about how Yellowstone is a super volcano that could wipe out life on our planet if it erupted (click here for that post, which gives more info). In fact, Matt and I happened to turn on a documentary the night before I left about possibly causes of an apocalypse, and Yellowstone was number one! Comforting.
I’ll save some other facts I learned about the wolves for tomorrow, because hopefully we will see some! Educational day for sure. And possibly one that has changed my diet (at least until tomorrow).