I know that being sick this past week or so has left me with a more pessimistic look at the world. (Hopefully that will turn around as I begin to feel better.) I've been finding myself reading various news articles and feeling that things are looking pretty discouraging right now. So when I was doing my last internet surfing before I went to bed, I found this article, The New West. I sure hope it gets circulated in "all the right places." It was definitely an encouraging article to me - people trying to find workable solutions to difficult problems.
A reasonable look at alternatives for the yearly buffalo migration out of the park during the winter, it also gives some ideas that could actually work - fencing the few cattle in the migration route away from the buffalo. It also describes well the public distaste for the current methodology.
Reducing numbers of buffalo for native American hunting (the Nez Perce - see story here.) and for the health of the buffalo herd is one thing. (They have also been hunting buffalo near Grand Teton, but for different reasons - see story here.) But the current hazing and needless slaughter of the Yellowstone herd (even though - yes the meat is being used and the hides donated to native groups for ceremonial purposes) seems unreasonable to me. Especially since there are some nearby public lands that are part of their historic migration area.
Yellowstone's buffalo are part of our national heritage and should be managed respectfully and wisely. I sure hope someone in authority is "listening."
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