JACKSON HOLE’S ALTERNATIVE VOICE | PLANETJH.COM | MAY 24-30, 2017
BURNING QUESTIONS
WHY COMMUNITIES IN THE WEST NEED TO THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT WILDFIRES.
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2 | MAY 24, 2017
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JACKSON HOLE'S ALTERNATIVE VOICE
VOLUME 15 | ISSUE 20 | MAY 24-30, 2017
12 COVER STORY BURNING QUESTIONS Why communities in the West need to think differently about wildfires.
Cover photo by Jeff Henrey c/o National Park Service + Wikimedia Commons
4 THE NEW WEST
18 MUSIC BOX
6 DEMOCRACY IN CRISIS
20 CREATIVE PEAKS
8 THE BUZZ
22 CULTURE KLASH 29 COSMIC CAFE
10 THE BUZZ 2
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THIS WEEK
MAY 24-30, 2017 By Meteorologist Jim Woodmencey Memorial Day is almost upon us, the ceremonial lightning of the backyard barbeque this weekend will signal that our summer tourist season has officially begun, and now the parade of Winnebagos is imminent. Snow should be about done accumulating in the mountains and warmer temperatures this week will begin the melting process of the mountain snowpack in earnest. Watch for rivers to rise as we head into the holiday weekend.
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Average high temperatures this week are now into the mid-60’s. We should be close to that average, perhaps even a little warmer. Those kinds of temperatures should feel pretty good, as they have been few and far between, so far this May in Jackson. Most of last week the highs were only in the 50’s to 60-degrees. Don’t count on making it anywhere close to the record high temperature for this week of 90-degrees. That record was set back on May 29th, 2003.
63 33 90 16
THIS MONTH AVERAGE PRECIPITATION: 1.8 inches RECORD PRECIPITATION: 6.02 inches (1980) AVERAGE SNOWFALL: 1 inch RECORD SNOWFALL: 14.5 inches (1942)
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MAY 24, 2017 | 3
Jim has been forecasting the weather here for more than 20 years. You can find more Jackson Hole Weather information at www.mountainweather.com
I don’t usually refer to “what’s cool” when talking about daily high temperatures, but last week we hit a record on May 17th when the afternoon high was only 40-degrees. That qualified as the coldest it has ever been in Jackson, for a maximum temperature on that date. In other words, it was a record low high temperature. This actually tied the old record for the date, once before, back on May 17th, 1942 the high temperature of the day was also 40-degrees.
NORMAL HIGH NORMAL LOW RECORD HIGH IN 2003 RECORD LOW IN 1979
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
JH ALMANAC
Saying goodbye to Yellowstone’s Bob Barbee, a giant of the green and grey. BY TODD WILKINSON @BigArtNature
G
ushing at the lip of Old Faithful Geyser last Saturday came an eruption of reverence and mirth. It flooded forth for a man eulogized by his grandkids simply as “Poppy.” For the rest of us, the spirit portrayed in photographs, in the green and grey uniform he proudly wore for 42 years, was the late giant known as Bob Barbee. Barbee died last fall just shy of his 81st birthday. His memorial waited until spring, a season he savored and at a venue that, in ways too complicated to explain here, helped cement his place in the conservation lore of America. During his 11 years at the helm of Yellowstone from 1983 to 1994, Barbee came to represent the prototypical modern National Park Service superintendent. His management laid the groundwork for bringing back wolves and recovering grizzly bears. He fought off development that could have harmed Yellowstone’s geysers and hot springs, and recognized the need to impose limits on polluting snowmobiles. He voiced opposition to the misguided New World Mine targeting the park’s back doorstep, and solidified Yellowstone’s scientific research division. What’s more, he had the audacity to say Yellowstone’s well-being was interwoven with the health of public and private lands surrounding it. Above all, and forever, Barbee’s tenure will be associated with the historic Yellowstone forest fires of 1988—those uncontrollable, unpredictable, and unstoppable blazes that ushered forward a new era in thinking about fire. Although Barbee’s record might suggest otherwise, he wasn’t an environmental crusader. The truth is he didn’t have to be. He knew his job looking after Yellowstone made him a protector by mandate and it was a responsibility he took seriously. Besides being a highly-decorated civil servant, there is much the public doesn’t realize about Barbee. As his obituary noted, he was a passionate outdoorsman, an alpinist who summited all of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks, a marathon-level runner and avid skier. A photographer who studied with Ansel Adams in Yosemite, he was also an insatiable traveler. Together with his wife of 58 years, Carol, he visited all seven continents and chronicled those
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
4 | MAY 24, 2017
Sage Civil Servitude
journeys with his camera. Barbee commanded awe for unleashing rhetorical one-liners typically aimed at people or political decisions he believed didn’t have the best interests of Yellowstone at heart. Like the irreverent wisecracks of the late Yogi Berra, his “Barbeeisms” became legendary. They were cited in abundance by dear friends and colleagues who gave moving tributes Saturday, from current Yellowstone superintendent Dan Wenk to former Grand Teton superintendent Jack Neckels and U.S. Sen. Malcolm Wallop’s chief of staff and Republican staff director for the Senate Energy and Nature Resources Committee Rob Wallace. Other tributes came from former Yellowstone assistant superintendent Joe Alston, former Park Service director Jon Jarvis and former Yellowstone public affairs chief and senior federal resources manager Joan Anzelmo. Be it political pressure, threats and intimidation made to him or colleagues, or bad policy handed down, Barbee’s responses left no doubt what he thought of people who wanted to shamelessly exploit Yellowstone. “They came in, but their knuckles were dragging,” was one Barbeeism. “It’s the smell of marble that captures them,” was another directed toward ill-informed lawmakers on Capitol Hill. For those hell-bent on slaughtering Yellowstone bison or claiming the park was overgrazed and needed to be managed like a livestock pasture, he once said, “What do you expect from a group that sees the world through the ass-end of a cow?” Or when political appointees made overtures about weakening environmental laws: “They are tapping out a message on a dead key,” or “He’s in low orbit and leaving a slime trail.” Barbee could cut antagonists down to size like the best stand-up comic: “I think he has some redeeming qualities but certainly some missing lobes,” or “It makes you think of sliding down a bannister with a razor blade on top,” and “No vomiting, no paper bags, no primal screams.” For over-idealistic environmentalists or even those in the ranger ranks, he might say, “If honesty will get you somewhere, give it a shot,” or “always ingratiate yourself to the ruling class,” or “if the ambiguity of the National Park Service bothers you, go try the U.S. Postal Service.” Some of the most poignant lines he reserved for lobbyists and others he had little respect for: “I trust you but let’s cut the cards,” or “They are leaving like fleas from a dead rat”; “Keep your lips pursed and a tight sphincter.”
Bob Barbee during his prime in Yellowstone.
There were things about Yellowstone neither Barbee nor his staff were ever willing to compromise away. It won him gratitude and allegiance. At one point near the end of the memorial, three group howls were sounded. A moment later, those in the room hoisted a bourbon toast. PJH
Todd Wilkinson has been writing his award-winning column, The New West, for nearly 30 years. He is author of Grizzlies of Pilgrim Creek about famous Grizzly 399 featuring 150 pictures by renowned Jackson Hole photographer Tom Mangelsen. Autographed copies only available at mangelsen.com/grizzly.
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
MAY 24, 2017 | 5
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
6 | MAY 24, 2017
Lessons from Turkey’s populist regime. BY BAYNARD WOODS @demoincrisis
I
fucked up on Twitter last week when sending out a story I wrote about Kurds and other activists who were attacked by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s security forces outside of the Turkish ambassador’s Washington, D.C. residence. Instead of typing “Turkish security forces,” I inadvertently wrote, “Trump security forces.” I deleted the tweet and regretted the error—but the mistake was telling. Despite the differences between Trump and Erdoğan, the physical attack on Americans by foreign security personnel should serve as a stark warning to us. The videos of the attack are striking in the precise determination of the violence. Against the Turkish security forces, the D.C. police seemed helpless to defend the Kurds and other protesters being attacked. It made the recent skirmishes between homegrown fascists and Antifa in Berkeley and elsewhere seem like schoolyard scuffles. Heewa Arya, a Kurdish-American who was there to protest Erdoğan’s invitation to the U.S., was among those beaten by armed Turkish security forces as they ran past police and began punching, kicking, and choking protesters. It looked like nothing so much as some crazy, apocalyptic version of a fight in The Sopranos—fat dudes adept at violence going wild. “I was attacked by many people. I don’t remember how many, but I remember at first I got a kick to my chest, and then I think another guy from behind put me down. And then I just remember there were kicks all over—kicks and punches, punches in my head, in my neck, in my back body,” Arya said. “I just tried to cover as much as I can my front face. My head was down. I don’t remember anything else. I was maybe unconscious for a second from the punches.” I talked to several of those who were attacked and they all asked, in one way or another: If Erdoğan feels empowered to do this in Washington, D.C., what do you think he does in Turkey? Kurds have long been persecuted in Turkey, but things have been getting worse—especially after last year’s failed coup, which prompted Erdoğan’s harsh crackdown on anyone perceived as potential opposition. Rather than condemning Erdoğan’s dismantling of democracy, Trump was the first Western leader to call and congratulate the Turkish president after an April
BALTIMORE BLOC
Trump, Erdoğan, and Oppression
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s goons attacked peaceful protesters in Washington D.C., spurring the intervention of local police.
referendum that would deconstruct the constitution and pave the way for Erdoğan (like Putin) to remain in power indefinitely. Like Erdoğan, Trump has encouraged violence from his supporters; he is being sued by three protesters who were allegedly assaulted after Trump yelled “Get ’em outta here!” at a Kentucky campaign rally in March 2016. In allowing the case to go forward, a judge cited numerous instances of such rhetoric at Trump’s rallies. “Don’t hurt ’em. If I say, ‘go get ’em,’ I get in trouble with the press,” Trump said as the plaintiffs were being shoved. A week later, then-campaign manager Corey Lewandowski allegedly assaulted a reporter and was later charged. The Committee to Protect Journalists called Turkey “The world’s biggest jailer of journalists.” On the same day that Erdoğan visited the White House, news broke that Trump had asked former FBI Director James Comey to jail journalists who publish classified material. Trump has also publicly called journalists the “enemy of the people.” “We are the people. Who are you?” Erdoğan famously asked his opponents. The appeal to “the people” is the central feature of both Trump’s and Erdoğan’s rhetoric. It is also key to their appeal, allowing them and their followers the ability to purge anyone not deemed a “real American” or an authentic Turk. The populist impulse simultaneously attacks so-called elites and the most vulnerable people, like the Kurds in Turkey. Jan-Werner Müller’s book What is Populism? argues that populism is defined not only by this anti-elitism but also by anti-pluralism. It is “an exclusionary form of identity politics.” Once in power, populism, according to Müller, is characterized by “attempts to highjack the state apparatus, corruption,” and efforts to “systematically repress civil society.” For all their intense nationalism, these populist movements are going global, spurring sometimes strange alliances, such as that between Erdoğan, an Islamic nationalist, and Trump, an Islamophobic nationalist. But perhaps Trump’s connection with Erdoğan— like his connection with Putin—is deeper than a shared hatred of elites and the institutions that would constrain their power.
On the day after Erdoğan visited the White House, a slew of stories brought light to connections between Turkey and former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. First, we learned that Flynn informed the Trump transition team that he had secretly been working as a lobbyist for Turkey—he had been paid $500,000—and was under investigation for not disclosing his status as a foreign agent. The Trump transition team still hired him as national security advisor and gave him access to the most sensitive intelligence. Flynn, who was later fired, is also under suspicion for his ties to Russia. A grand jury has subpoenaed Flynn’s financial records. According to The New York Times, the “subpoena also asks for similar records about Ekim Alptekin, a Turkish businessman who is close to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and is chairman of the Turkish-American Business Council. There is no indication that Mr. Alptekin is under investigation.” Then McClatchy reported that during his short stint in office, Flynn scuttled “the Pentagon’s plan to retake the Islamic State’s de facto capital of Raqqa with Syrian Kurdish forces whom the Pentagon considered the U.S.’s most effective military partners.” The decision was pleasing to the Turkish government. But even after all that, Trump asked then-FBI director James Comey to “let this go.” These business connections combine with the ideological similarities to make Erdoğan’s Turkey a stark warning of what Trump’s vision would look like in action. When the Turkish Embassy responded to reports of the brutal attack by their security personnel, they blamed the activists, who, the Embassy claimed, were “affiliated with the PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party], which the U.S. and Turkey have designated as a terrorist organization.” How long until Trump uses a similar line? PJH
Baynard Woods is editor at large for Baltimore City Paper. His work has appeared in publications from The Guardian to The New York Times. He earned a Ph.D. in philosophy, focusing on ethics and tyranny, and became a reporter in an attempt to live like Socrates. Email democracyincrisiscolumn@gmail.com.
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The public meeting agendas and minutes for the Board of County Commissioners and Planning Commission can also be found in the Public Notices section of the JH News and Guide.
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8 | MAY 24, 2017
THE BUZZ Unequal Grounds For working women, Wyoming’s wage gap has deepened their struggles to survive. BY SARAH ROSS
I
n the most economically disparate place in the country, many Teton County residents work multiple jobs to afford increasingly high rents. And in the state with the largest gender pay gap in the country, women are often hit the hardest. Cecily Martinez is among the local women who struggles to make ends meet. She works in the customer service department of the Jackson Wells Fargo, but can’t afford to live in town. So, five days a week, she leaves her Star Valley home at the same time her 12- and 14-year-old wake up, returning home an hour before they go to bed. On the weekends, she often cleans homes in Star Valley. Her third job, she says, is cleaning her own house— washing dishes, doing laundry. She is a single mother, and has been the sole provider for her two children for the last five years. Her long hours can be grueling, and they impact the whole family. Her kids can’t participate the same ways their peers do. “They can’t be in extracurricular [activities] because I can’t be there to take them,” she said. And for Martinez, the stress of being away from them is overwhelming. “I worry all the time. I worry about something happening to them,” she said. “I worry about what they’re doing. I worry about them getting their homework done.” But despite working nearly nonstop, Martinez said she “still doesn’t make enough money. We still live paycheck to paycheck.” When virtually every hour is filled and there is still not enough money coming in, the unexpected can be ruinous. “You can’t afford to have anything go wrong,” she said. “Just recently, I scrimped and saved to have $800, and then I had to go to Idaho Falls to get my tires changed. Now I have $5.” When people ask her what she does for fun, she laughs: “I work at my job, spend time with my kids, clean the house, I don’t have time for anything else.” Being a working single mother can be a challenge in a culture built on the idea that the answer to tough times is working harder: “People just say work hard and you’ll be fine, you’ll be wealthy. Not really. You work hard and all you can do is pay the bills and take care of family.” Sometimes, Martinez feels like she’s going to have a nervous breakdown. “But I don’t have time,” she said.
The (un)Equality State Martinez is not alone. Many women struggle to make ends meet in Wyoming. According to a report by the Wyoming Women’s Foundation, in 2014, men working full-time yearround in Wyoming made an average yearly income of
$51,926. In contrast, white women working the same amount made $35,652. Black women brought home $35,500; Native American women made $29,982. And Latina women on average reported a $28,623 yearly income. This represents an annual shortfall of $2 million dollars. In 2014, nearly 20,000 households were headed by single women, and 31 percent of those families lived below the poverty line. Having a higher level of education did not mean women had a higher income. In fact, a man with a high school degree made, on average, more than double what a woman with a bachelor’s degree made. For women, it’s simply not true that working hard will ensure greater success. As reported by Wyoming Public Media, Wyoming is expected to be the last state in the country to achieve wage parity—at this rate, not until the year 2159. But closing the gap is crucial to alleviating poverty. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, the poverty rate for working women would more than halve if the gap were to close. The wage gap in Wyoming can be partially attributed to occupational segregation. For example, the most common full-time, year-round job for men is electrician work. They make, on average, $25 an hour. Carpenters, the next most common, make $18, and the third most common, truck drivers, make $17 an hour on average. In contrast, the three most common occupations for women in the state are substitute teachers, secretaries, and receptionists. Their average state hourly salaries are $11.88, $11, and $10.70 respectively. Occupational segregation is common across the country, and “men’s work” always pays more. However, in Wyoming, the occupations that primarily employ women pay below the national average.
Dissecting Wyoming’s wage gap As Sarah Chapman, executive director of the Wyoming Women’s Foundation, noted, “The wage gap is not the result of one individual factor.” Women face barriers before entering the workforce, and then once they’re in it. The wage gap, or whether it even exists, has been the subject of countless think-pieces—is it because women don’t negotiate pay raises? Because they’re averse to more dangerous professions? Because they struggle to re-enter the workforce after having children? Because they are not recruited for jobs traditionally held by men? Regardless of the reason, women often feel the impact of their gender at work. As Evelyn Murphy writes in Why Women Don’t Get Paid Like Men and What to Do About it: “There’s plain old discrimination, which openly bans women from hiring and advancement. There’s discrimination by sexual harassment, which humiliates women and drives them out of jobs. There’s discrimination by job segregation or by slotting women into job categories that are consistently underpaid. There’s working while female, that everyday discrimination by which women are dismissed and paid less than their male peers. There’s discrimination against
mothers, which forces women (and not men) to pay for parenting. All this scrapes away at women’s earnings, day by day, year after year.” Martinez has felt marginalized for being a single mother in her own career: “People don’t understand. They say, ‘Oh your kid is sick, but we don’t have anyone to cover, you have to be here.’ People don’t want to promote you. They think, ‘She’s not really capable because she’s more concerned about her kids than her job.’” She recently interviewed for a job that she didn’t get. She got the feeling that the employers were concerned about her being a single mom. To eliminate some of the more ineffable reasons, the Wyoming Women’s Foundation wants to study if there is a gap between what women and men make when they have the same occupation and are at the same level at work. That study is forthcoming, but for now, Chapman said, “anecdotally, we know from hearing from women that they didn’t realize they were making less until they saw somebody else’s pay stubs.” Chapman says what they know is that “women’s work is devalued nationwide. Women are helping make Wyoming what it is, but they’re not being paid.” But closing the gender wage gap doesn’t just help women and their families. “Everybody is impacted,” she said. On an individual level, someone experiencing unequal pay has “lost a percent of their income going toward retirement or social security … families may not be able to make ends meet. They may rely heavily on social support programs.” If they were paid equally, they could move towards self-sufficiency. The impact is broader, too. “As an employer when you have valuable employees and pay them equally, you’ll have lower turnover and higher satisfaction,” Chapman explained. The wage gap, then, isn’t just a women’s issue, or an individual’s problem. It is a Wyoming problem.
Just keep going
For now, women in the state keep working, usually not knowing if they are being paid equally to their peers, or if their gender is impacting their chances at a promotion or being hired. All Martinez knows is that she works a lot. She knows that the amount she works negatively impacts her ability to be a part of the community: “I love Jackson. I would love to live closer. I would love to be more involved with the community. I would love to do that with the kids.” She says she wishes she could volunteer, and could contribute more of her time, energy, and talent to those around her. But she simply doesn’t have the time. “I just work. Life just goes forward. What’s your other choice? There is none.” PJH
“There’s plain old discrimination, which openly bans women from hiring and advancement.” “There’s discrimination by sexual harassment, which humiliates women and drives them out of jobs.” “There’s discrimination by job segregation or by slotting women into job categories that are consistently underpaid.”
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
“There’s discrimination against mothers, which forces women (and not men) to pay for parenting. All this scrapes away at women’s earnings, day by day, year after year.”
MAY 24, 2017 | 9
This graphic, from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, displays the current poverty rate by state and the estimated rate if all working women earned the same as working men.
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
10 | MAY 24, 2017
THE BUZZ 2 Dam Concerns Officials discuss potential for flooding as massive snowmelt ensues in the valley. BY SHANNON SOLLITT @ShannonSollitt
USGS WATER RESOURCES
I
f you’re not building the next Noah’s Ark, you might be in trouble once the weather warms up and the snow melts. That was the sentiment of one audience member at a public meeting with the Bureau of Reclamation and the state engineer’s office last Thursday. His worries, though not shared by local officials, at least raised important questions about the consequences of this winter’s historically high snowfall. He pointed to the water levels in Jackson Lake and the Bureau of Reclamation’s apparent inaction in the face of imminent flooding. According to his estimations, the lake could fill up in as few as 10 days of heavy runoff. If enough water hasn’t already been released from the dam by peak runoff, Teton County will end up under water, he argued. His proposed solution was to release as much water from Jackson Lake as possible now in anticipation of the devastating snowmelt. But it’s not that simple, says Bureau of Reclamation water manager Corey Loveland. His job is a balancing act. Releasing all the water now would deprive essential irrigation systems in Idaho down the road (err, river). They must release enough water, Loveland said, to make room for future snowmelt without running the dam dry. And that’s precisely what they’re doing. “We’re balancing filling the reservoir with not flooding people downstream,” he said. Loveland says he and his team are acting according to a flood control curve, which measures water levels against forecast to mitigate flooding. It’s the same technique they use in the Palisades, but the needs are different in each reservoir. Certain tributaries that feed into the Snake will certainly have “at least high flows, if not flood flows”—but those are out of his control. As for Jackson Lake Dam, the Bureau of Reclamation is releasing 2,200 cubic feet per second (CFS). That’s already more than the average daily discharge for this time of year. For visual reference, Loveland compared a cubic foot to a basketball. That’s 2,200 liquid basketballs per second. By the end of the month, he anticipates increasing that flow to as high as 5,000 CFS. In relation to the flood control curve, “we’re right where we need to be,” Loveland said. Jackson Hole has no doubt seen record snowfall this winter, and the more snow falls, the more there is to melt. According to data collected from the Bureau of Reclamation, the United States Geological Survey and Mountain Weather, snow precipitation this winter is the highest on record at 600 inches. The water content of the snow is also approximately 165 percent
Bureau of Reclamation officials are keeping a watchful eye on Jackson Lake Dam.
of average. And because winter continues to overstay its welcome, cold temperatures have delayed most of the run-off for the season. The combination of conditions led the National Weather Service to predict a moderate to high snowmelt flood potential in the Snake River. Indeed, conditions do look a lot like they did the last two times the valley flooded in 1997 and 2011. “It’s not like we’ve never seen this before,” said MountainWeather.com meteorologist Jim Woodmency. Woodmency recalled that in 1997, “all of Idaho was flooded.” It was a little tamer in 2011, and more closely resembled this year’s conditions, but parts of the valley still flooded. From a meteorologist’s perspective, Woodmency’s biggest concern is temperature. Temps are still low enough in the mountains to maintain a steady, slow snowmelt—last week’s little snow storm was actually a beacon of hope for flood fearers. Once temperatures reach 70 degrees in the valley and 50 in the mountains for about three days straight, “then you can see pretty significant run-off happening,” Woodmency said. That usually doesn’t happen until mid-June, but Woodmency noted there is still a “significant amount of water contained” in the snowpack, and snowmelt has “barely made a dent above 8,900 feet.” If, or when, tributaries and surrounding areas do flood, Teton County Commissioner Paul Vogelheim says the county is braced to respond. Flooding, he said, “should be a concern for all of us.”
As far as prevention is concerned, there’s really nothing the county can do, he said. Idaho owns the water rights on the dam and in the Snake. Instead, the county’s job is crisis control. “We focus our energies on the response,” Vogelheim said. However, he continued, “there have been times when we have as a commission voiced rather aggressively our concerns [to the Bureau of Reclamation].” This spring may be one such time. “Our priority is public safety,” Vogelheim said. “We’ll be voicing our concerns along the way if we get indications from our staff of a specific tactic. But we also have to respect areas of responsibility.” Electeds cannot, Vogelheim said, act on every predicted crisis brought before them. “You’d lose all credibility.” The concerned citizen at the meeting has since given up trying to convince electeds and government agencies of the gravity of the issue, claiming that it is a waste of his time to warn deaf ears. He is still not convinced that the Bureau of Reclamation’s flood control curve is enough given the unusual winter. But unusual weather, Vogelheim says, is as intrinsic to Wyoming as rapids are to rivers. It comes with the territory. “As citizens, we’ve all decided to move to this place that is unpredictable in terms of rain, snow, sleet, floods … all sorts of things,” he said. “No matter how much we think we’re in control, we’re not.” PJH
Pedestrian Calming
NEWS OF THE
WEIRD
Officials in charge of a BeijingHangzhou Grand Canal heritage site recently installed “speed bumps,” similar to those familiar to Americans driving residential streets—but on a pedestrian walkway, with row upon row of risers to resemble a washboard. A Western travel writer, along with editors of People’s Daily China, suggested that officials were irked that “disorderly” tourists had been walking past the ancient grounds too rapidly to appreciate its beauty or context.
The Job of the Researcher
“Marine mammologist” Dara Orbach’s specialty is figuring out how bottlenose dolphins actually fit their sex organs together to copulate. When dolphins die of natural causes, Orbach, a post-doctoral fellow at Nova Scotia’s Dalhousie University, is sent their genitals (and also those of whales, porpoises and sea lions) and fills each one with silicone to work from molds in understanding the sex act’s mechanics. Dolphins’ vaginas are “surprising” in their “complexity,” she told Canadian Broadcasting Corporation News in April, for example, with the ability to twist inner folds to divert the progress of any sperm deposited by undesirable mates.
Bright Ideas
Compared to busy coastal metropolises, Indiana may evoke repose, and entrepreneur Tom Battista is suggesting the state’s largest city capitalize on the sentiment by reserving a destination site on a low-lying hill overlooking the chaotic merge lanes of two interstate highways—affording visitors leisurely moments watching the frantic motorists scrambling below. He plans three rows of seats and a sunshade for the relaxed gawkers to take in the “ocean”-like roar and imagine overwrought drivers’ rising blood pressure (while their own remains soothingly calm). n Several treatments are available to combat the heart arrhythmia “atrial fibrillation,” but all require medical supervision, which John Griffin, 69, said he tried to acquire at the emergency room at New Zealand’s Waikato Hospital in April, only to be met with delay and frustration. Griffin went home that day, took notice of his neighbor’s 8,000-volt electric security fence and, with boots off, in a fit of do-it-yourself desperation, nudged it with his arm. He got quite a jolt, he said, but he walked away, and his heart returned to natural rhythm. The medical director of the Heart Foundation of New Zealand said that Griffin was lucky and sternly warned against the “procedure.” Medical researchers have been frustrated for years at failures in getting certain cancer-fighting drugs to reach targeted areas in women’s reproductive tracts, but doctors in Germany announced in April a bold technique that appeared to work: sending the drugs via sperm cells, which seem to roam without obstruction as they search for an egg. The process involves coating active sperm cells with an iron adhesive and magnetically steering them to their internal targets.
News That Sounds Like a Joke
n In the course of pursuing claims against Alaskan dentist Seth Lookhart for Medicaid fraud, government investigators found a video on his phone of him extracting a sedated patient’s tooth—while riding on a hoverboard. (He had apparently sent the video to his office manager under the
Perspective
In April, Tennessee state representative Mike Stewart, aiming to make a point about the state’s lax gun-sales laws and piggybacking onto the cuddly feeling people have about children’s curbside lemonade stands, set up a combination stand on Nashville’s Capitol Hill, offering for sale lemonade, cookies—and an AK-47 assault rifle (with a sign reading “No Background Check,” to distinguish the private-sale AK-47 from one purchased from a federally licensed dealer). (In fact, some states still regulate lemonade stands more than gun sales—by nettlesome “health department” and anti-competitive rules and licensing, though Tennessee allows the stands in most neighborhoods as long as they are small and operated infrequently.)
Ironies
The Wall Street Journal reported in February that among the most popular diversions when Syrian households gather to escape the country’s bombs and bullets is playing the Hasbro war board game Risk (even though the game’s default version contains only five armies—not nearly enough to simulate the many Syrian factions now fighting). n The parliament of Australia’s New South Wales, entertaining a February citizen petition to cut societal “waste,” admitted that the petition’s required 107,000 signatures (already on a USB stick) would, by rule, have to be submitted in hard copy (4,000 pages), even though the pages would immediately be electronically scanned into a format for data storage.
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In March, an electrician on a service call at a public restroom in Usuki, Japan, discovered a crawlspace above the urinal area, which had apparently been a man’s home (with a space heater, gas stove and clothing). Investigators learned that Takashi Yamanouchi, 54, a homeless wanderer, had been living there continuously for three years—and had arranged everything very tidily, including the 300-plus plastic two-liter bottles of his urine. (It was unclear why he was storing his urine when he resided above a public restroom.)
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Least Competent Criminals
In March, WTTG-TV in Washington, D.C., broadcast surveillance video of a 7-Eleven armed robbery in the city’s northeast sector—since some footage offered a clear picture of the suspect’s face. Moments into the robbery, the man peered upward, caught sight of the camera and, shocked, reached for his apparently forgotten ski mask on top of his head, where (better late than never) he pulled it into place.
No Longer Weird
On May 5, an elderly woman in Plymouth, England, became the most recent to drive wildly afield by blindly obeying her car’s satellite navigation system. Turning left, as ordered, only to confront a solid railing, she nonetheless spotted a narrow pedestrian gap and squeezed through, which led to her descending the large concrete stairway at the Mayflower House Court parking garage (until her undercarriage got stuck). n Police in East Palestine, Ohio, said the 8-year-old boy who commandeered the family car and drove his sister, 4, to the local McDonald’s for a cheeseburger on April 9 was different from the usual underaged drivers in that he caused no problems. Witnesses said he followed traffic signals en route, which the boy attributed to learning from YouTube videos.
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MAY 24, 2017 | 11
Sean Clemens, now awaiting trial in Liberty, Ohio, in the death of an 84-year-old woman, allegedly confessed his guilt to a co-worker after telling the man that something was bothering him that he needed to tell someone about—but only if the co-worker would “pinkie-swear” not to tell anyone else. (The co-worker broke the code.)
title “New Standard of Care.”) Lookhart had been indicted in 2016 for billing Medicaid $1.8 million for patient sedations unnecessary for the procedures they received.
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
Weird Science
By CHUCK SHEPHERD
12 | MAY 24, 2017
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
BURNING QUESTIONS
WHY COMMUNITIES IN THE WEST NEED TO THINK DIFFERENTLY ABOUT WILDFIRES. FLAM
T
The smoky summer of 2016 kept firefighters busy. Wildfires blazed for much of the season. Many small fires simmered
predators, it’s nearly impossible to find a species that does not, in some way, reap benefits from seasonal fires.
TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING
In May 2016, geographers John Abatzoglou and A. Park Williams from the University of Idaho and Columbia University released a study on whether human-driven climate change has influenced wildfire patterns across the country. “Widespread increases in fire activity, including area burned, number of large fires, and fire-season length, have been documented across the Western United States and in other temperate and high-latitude ecosystems over the past half century. Increased fire activity across Western U.S. forests has coincided with climatic conditions more conducive to wildfire,” the study reads. In other words, when they tracked climate shifts and compared them to the size and duration of wildfires, the relationship was clear. Human-caused climate change is contributing to larger fires that burn longer. “We estimate that human-caused climate change contributed to an additional 4.2 million [hectares] of forest fire area during 1984 to 2015, nearly doubling the forest fire area expected in its absence,” the study noted. Of course, there are other factors at play in how and where forests burn. The complicated history of fire suppression in certain regions has impacted how fuels have accumulated, and
MAY 24, 2017 | 13
JANUS-FACED FIRES: FIRST, THE GOOD
due to the nutrient-rich soil and little competition for sunlight. Plants aren’t alone in benefitting from fire. Many animals depend on the ways in which fire reinvigorates the landscape. Fire expert, ecologist, and author George Wuerthner explains that most people underestimate how many species rely on fire. “There are a lot of wildlife and plants that live in mortal fear of green forests because they’re so dependent on the dead trees that result from a forest fire or beetle kill. If you’re a woodpecker, you’re celebrating if there’s a wildfire,” he said. More than 45 percent of birds in the Rocky Mountains utilize dead trees, either standing or fallen, at some point in their lifecycle, Wuerthner noted. Similarly, elk, deer and bison are drawn to the grasses that sprout in the years after a fire. Trees that are killed by fire continue to play an important role in the ecosystem beyond habitat for birds and insects as well. Fallen snags stabilize the earth, slowing erosion and encouraging the growth of grasses, flowers and brush. Those that fall into streams and rivers serve similar purposes—they slow the water’s current, create ideal habitat for aquatic insects and fish, and mitigate streambank erosion. Of course, it’s not hard to fathom the expanding rings of positive impact from healthier waterways. Ospreys and eagles benefit, as do waterfowl and riparian mammals like beavers, muskrat and otters. All the way up to bears, wolves and other
M E R 2016.
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
he clear blue sky is slowly gobbled up by rolling dark thunderheads. Thick squalls of rain and gusts of wind intermittently pummel the valley. A bright streak of lightning splits the sky, striking a tall, dead tree on a densely-wooded ridge in the Tetons. Will a large-scale wildfire ensue? This is fire season in Jackson Hole. Fire is a force for the vitality and resilience of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. However, as climate change has caused shifting patterns in weather and widespread droughts throughout the West, fires are behaving differently. There’s no clear and easy explanation for the way these climate shifts are impacting wildfires. Rather, there are interrelated factors that have the potential to combine and ignite fires that are hotter, faster moving and more dangerous to the firefighters attempting to manage them, and the people who live in their paths. In the face of the changing climate, accidental fires can prove calamitous, and the potentially more widespread scope of a fire that occurs in extreme conditions. What’s more, the changing frequency and dynamics of large-scale fires clearly illustrate the impact that human-driven climate change is having on the planet.
in the backcountry, and a few large-scale fires grabbed headlines. The Cliff Creek, Lava Mountain and Berry fires impeded travel to the north and south of Jackson Hole, and swept unnervingly near to homes and businesses. The community wondered: Is this the new normal? Complaints swirl about suppression efforts, that they should be more aggressive, and fires like the Berry fire should have been extinguished as quickly as possible. Using logging as a mitigation tactic is another idea. Others recognize the inherent ecological value of fire, but worry about the impact of the changing climate on the size and frequency of blazes. One of the most fundamental and critical facts about fire in the Rocky Mountains is that it is not only natural, but critical. In other words, it’s not benign, but profoundly necessary and beneficial to the landscape. “Lands managed by the Forest Service often have vegetation and wildlife habitat that require fire to remain healthy and functioning watersheds,” explained Bridger Teton National Forest spokesperson Mary Cernicek. Lodgepole pine—the most common coniferous tree found in Yellowstone— bears two kinds of cones. One of these, serotinous cones, cannot open unless exposed to the extreme heat of a wildfire. Only when the cones reach 115 degrees can they release seeds into the newly-blackened soil, a perfect spot to sprout the next generation of conifers. A wide variety of grasses and wildflowers also flourish in recently-burned areas
E K IN S U M E R C F IF L C M O ES FR
INCIWEB.NWCG.GOV
BY MELISSA THOMASMA
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
14 | MAY 24, 2017
interventions such as logging and prescribed burning have influenced some areas as well. However, the message of the study is clear: Climate change is changing fires on a continental scale. Researchers in Yellowstone agree. Ann Rodman, branch chief for Physical Resources and Climate Change, explained: “Climate change is no longer a vague threat in our future; it is the changing reality we live with, and requires continuous planning and adaptation. Temperatures are warmer, snowpack is decreasing, springtime arrives sooner, and the growing season is longer.” GYE is experiencing measurable changes in these areas and more. In the paper Trends in Yellowstone’s Snowpack that Rodman penned alongside Dr. Mike Tercek and Dr. David Thoma, she noted troubling trends of higher temperatures and lower levels of snowpack over the last few decades. “Intuitively, snowpack declines could be attributed to either increased temperatures or reduced precipitation, or a combination of the two. It also seems possible changes in temperature and precipitation might be due to a combination of both natural and human causes,” the paper reads. However, when the team combined meteorological and tree-ring data from the past 800 years, its conclusion was that “Natural cycles are important, but they are not the primary influence of snowpack levels. Results from other research support our conclusion that long-term snowpack declines are caused by temperature increases and the pattern is found across the
Western U.S. More importantly, these temperature increases are moving in one direction instead of cycling.” In other words, the trend is obvious. “We are confident in saying the longterm forecast in Yellowstone calls for less snow. There may be a few decadeslong bumps and flat places in the trend, but the overall picture of a declining staircase is clear,” the study noted. Rsearch from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration supports this notion: “Global surface temperature in 2016 was the warmest since official records began in 1880. It was the third year in a row to set a new heat record, and the fifth time the record has been broken since the start of the 21st century.” A great deal of research in the national parks has explored the impact of climate change on the area. The results all point to the same conclusion: less moisture,— both in the form of wintertime snow and summertime rain—as well as overall increases in temperature, are creating the ideal context for large, fast-moving fires. Cernicek confirmed that the BridgerTeton National Forest has observed similar trends, and is trying to adapt accordingly. “We are certainly seeing longer duration fires, not only on the BridgerTeton, but also in the Intermountain West,” she said. The consequences of more frequent, widespread fires, scientists warn, is a dramatically different landscape than the Greater Yellowstone Region people know today.
S IR E O P E R AT IO N F IN A T N U O M T H E L AVA H LO C A L S . IT W S IC T C A T C H IE F TA L K S Dr. Corinna Riginos is a local scientist who has been studying climate change’s impacts on GYE. Along with Teton County Commissioner Mark Newcomb, she co-authored the seminal 2015 report, The Coming Climate. Published by the non-partisan think tank the Charture Institute, it is the first study to explore the effects of climate change, on natural and social science levels, in the Teton region. “The potential for much more frequent large fires would radically alter the ecosystem as we know it,” Riginos told PJH on the heels of the report’s release. “We are not just talking about a few species going locally extinct or needing to shift to higher elevations; we are talking about fires so frequent that they could wipe out forests in most parts of the region.” Such massive, frequent fires would not only convert forested areas into grasslands and shrubs, decimating the habitats of species such as moose and mule deer, but the economic impacts would be far-reaching. Along with the cost of fighting fires, tourism would plummet, much the way it did following the Yellowstone fires, the report concluded. The price tag for mitigating and suppressing wildfires across the nation is rising right alongside annual temperatures. While there are many agencies that contribute to preventing and fighting wildfires, the Forest Service is a telling example of shifting needs and priorities. “The nation’s ability to protect its forest and grassland resources is now at risk due to drought, invasive species,
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S E R OT IN O U S LO D G E P O L E P IN E CONES DEPEND ON TH E H E AT F R O M W IL D F IR E S TO R E L E A S E T H E IR S E E D S.
uncharacteristically severe wildfires, and uncharacteristically severe outbreaks of insects and disease, all exacerbated by a changing climate,” notes the Forest Service budget summary. “For the first time in its 110-year history, the Forest Service is spending more than 50 percent of its budget to suppress the Nation’s wildfires. As the costs of fighting wildfires have grown, the agency has shifted staffing and resources from non-fire to fire-related programs.” In 2017, $40 million will be dedicated to the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program, which includes fuel management projects across the nation. An additional $384 million will go towards protecting homes and communities in the Wildland Urban Interface, meaning they border forests or grasslands that are susceptible to fire. Finally, a staggering $873.9 million is tagged for fire suppression: an increase of $62.9 million from last year. Forest Service officials warn that spending ever-increasing amounts on fire management saps funding from other important programs. “As fire seasons have worsened, our firefighting costs have routinely exceeded our annual budgets for fighting fire, forcing us to ‘ borrow’ funds from non-fire programs,” the budget summary concludes. “Dollars taken from non-fire programs for fire suppression interrupt projects and activities that preemptively reduce the risk of catastrophic fires, restore forest health, protect communities, and deliver a multitude of other values.”
THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE PERFECT STORM
chances of a fire. An even more critical factor that influences whether a lightning strike or other ignition will produce a fire is the weather. It’s not difficult to understand why hot, dry, windy conditions contribute to large fires. The opposite—damp, cool weather, will help most wildfires self-extinguish. Heat and wind draw moisture out of plants, and as anyone who has ever tossed green leaves on a campfire knows, dry plants burn more rapidly. Wuerthner highlights how low moisture in trees and grasses contributed to the area’s large fires nearly 30 years ago. “In Yellowstone in 88, the internal moisture of some of the trees got down to 1 percent, and kiln-dry lumber is 12 to 15 percent. In other words, if you went to a lumberyard, that would be less burnable than the trees were in Yellowstone, especially because they had more fine fuels and resins.” So, if the lightning that strikes the ridge occurs on a hot and windy afternoon, following two weeks of no rain, its chances increase significantly. If it lands among green lodgepole that are susceptible to fire, and have been dried out both by long-term climate and immediate weather conditions, it could become a very large fire indeed.
FORECASTING FLAMES
MAY 24, 2017 | 15
As NOAA observed, 2016 shattered temperature records for the third consecutive year, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the warming trend continue in 2017. However, it’s unclear what the winter’s abundant snowfall will mean for fires in the coming season.
Wuerthner thinks fires in the region may not be as expansive as last year. “Given that there has been a significant amount of precipitation in the form of snow, the prediction I would make is that we probably won’t have a lot of large fires this year. With the caveat: that could change quickly if there was a month of really above-average temperatures where the snow melted off rapidly and temperatures stayed high.” However, there is a caveat. Should spring warming occur slowly, and precipitation continue at regular intervals over the summer, there’s a chance that fine fuels won’t dry out as quickly or thoroughly as they did in 2016. However, a hot and dry month would be all it takes to change that. The damp spring could translate into rapid and dense growth of grasses and shrubs, creating a fuel load like last summer. Cernicek agrees. “It is still too early to predict what the 2017 fire season will look like. Fire managers will be paying careful attention to fuel moisture levels as the season progresses.” Cernicek also says BTNF has been keeping an eye on the same trends throughout the region. “Research continues to show that we can expect to see longer fire seasons, bigger wildfires, and more extreme fire behavior. We do know that managing wildfires is inherently complex and challenging and it will continue to be so. As last year showed, this is compounded by many factors including longer fire seasons, bigger wildfires burning more land on average each year, and the presence of homes
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
“Generally, our fires are more controlled by the weather and the climate than by the fuels,” Wuerthner said. It’s a point that he works hard to drive home in his writing and presentations. “If you don’t have the right conditions for a fire, it just won’t go anywhere.” Climate factors, he explained, are bigger, overarching factors like regional droughts. Weather is the more immediate context surrounding a fire, including wind direction and speed, relative humidity and precipitation. The mere presence of burnable fuel (like trees) doesn’t immediately translate into fire in every scenario. It’s a specific kind of fuel that burns well in forest fires, known as “fine” or “light, flashy” fuel. Grass, brush, and small branches all fall into this category. Wuerthner gives the example of a campfire: if you try to start a thick round of wood, it’s difficult. However, add some kindling or twigs, and you’ll quickly make progress. The same principles of thermodynamics apply in a wildfire. Though it may seem counter-intuitive, green conifers burn better than dead ones. Small branches and needles are packed with flammable resins, and during hot and windy summers, can lose most of their water content. Dry, sapfilled fuels go up quickly and easily. Think of a Christmas tree a few weeks after the holiday—it still appears green, and is holding on to most of its needles, but is very dry and would easily light. Just how susceptible a lodgepole pine forest is to fire is surprisingly dynamic, a
fact that was revealed through studies in Yellowstone National Park following the 1988 fires. “The susceptibility for fires, especially in lodgepole pine forests, goes in a cycle,” Wuerthner said. “The susceptibility rises over time, then decreases, and then rises over time again. How it works is this: Initially, after you have a fire, and the trees are killed, the chances of the area reburning are actually pretty small for a while. The reason is that once the needles and small branches are off the trees, you’ve lost the fine fuels.” Then, as the seeds released by the serotinous cones grow into young trees, they tend to be densely-packed. This collection of fine fuels increases the forest’s susceptibility to fire for a few years. To see an example, drive to the south entrance of Yellowstone. Swaths of the hillside populated by lodgepole regrowth since the fires of 1988 burned again in last fall’s Berry fire. Needles and twigs gone, the black spindly trunks of 20-something trees seem as numerous as bristles on a brush. As time rolls on, as the trees grow, a few changes make them less vulnerable to burning. Competition for resources thins the trees, and their taller stature both moves their fine fuels away from the ground as well as blocks light for grasses and shrubs (fine fuels) on the forest floor. For the following couple of centuries, Wuerthner explained, their susceptibility is low. Eventually, as the trees start to die and fall, they open up the canopy and return fuels to the forest floor, again increasing the area’s
INCIWEB.NWCG.ORG
TR EE S AB LA ZE FR OM TH E LA VA M OU NTAI N FI RE.
IN S P E CT T H E S R E T H IG F E IR F E B E R RY F IR E. H T F O H T A M R AFTE
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
16 | MAY 24, 2017
and communities in the wildland urban interface area.” On a larger scale, other factors have the potential to influence prevention and management of wildfires in the West. President Trump’s support of extraction industries is likely to open up more opportunities for the logging industry in forests that were previously off-limits. Advocates for the logging industry—which, by some measures, is valued at more than $200 billion—claim that selectively logging forests not only mimics the healthy impacts of fire, but also serves as a buffer tactic against future fires. For a wide variety of reasons, this simply isn’t true. For one, the trees that logging companies remove are not the ones that burn during fires. Additionally, the removal of the tree robs the birds, insects and other species that rely on dead snags. And, logging can contribute significantly to erosion in more than one manner, as well as the spread of invasive weed species. When it comes to preventing or slowing down a fire, logging doesn’t impact the most significant blazes, Wuerthner explained. “When the conditions are right for a big fire, it will burn through everything, thinned areas and clear cuts and such, the very fires that all this hype is about trying to stop … those large fires are the ones that the thinning and logging can’t stop.” The main reason? Logging removes the large trees, but leaves all the grasses and shrubs behind. Prescribed burning is a better option, but by no means perfect. Like logging, in
certain situations it can actually increase the amount of light fuel in an area, contributing to more fire susceptibility instead of less. However, if done properly and maintained appropriately afterwards, these burns can help protect homes and other structures from fires. They also leave behind the beneficial structural remnants of a wildfire for the species that depend on them. The core problem with these approaches, Wuerthner says, is those tactics might slow down or extinguish a small wildfire. However, when facing an extreme fire—a large, fast-moving blaze—it simply isn’t enough. The kinds of fires we most want to stop, the ones that burn homes and other structures, are not going to be brought to a halt by these mitigation tactics. “The fires that thinning and logging are effective in treating are the very fires that aren’t a real threat. The ones that are a threat to homes and burn large parts of the landscape are the ones that thinning and logging isn’t effective at reducing,” he said.
FIRE WISDOM
In some parts of the nation, homeowners must account for potential floods or tornadoes. In the West, as temperatures rise and dry summers increasingly become the norm, more homeowners ought to plan for more frequent fires. Fire suppression, though, has also played a role in complicating future mitigation. “We cannot, and we should not suppress every fire on the landscape. Fire is a natural and necessary element for healthy and well balanced forests. Years
O N H O L E F IR E/ S K C A J F O , IN L ZACH BUR E L IN E. E M S, H O L D S T H of fire suppression has allowed fuel to build up in forested areas and this can create a problem, such as severe and damaging wildfires that have the potential to negatively impact communities like ours,” explained Lesley Williams Gomez, in charge of North Zone Fire Prevention, Education and Information for the Jackson and Blackrock Ranger Districts. “We need to ask ourselves as a community, how prepared do we want to be before the next unwanted wildfire?” Regardless of the large-scale mitigation tools employed around the region, there are concrete steps that homeowners can take to keep their property safe. The Firewise Communities Program, developed by the National Fire Protection Association, helps homeowners design and prepare their properties in ways that increase the chance of making it through a wildfire. The program’s toolkit explains that fire is driven by weather, topography and available fuel. While homeowners can’t control the first two elements, they can control the third. Debris like dead leaves and pine needles left on decks, in gutters and strewn across lawns can ignite from embers. Fire moving along the ground’s surface can “ladder” into shrubs and low hanging tree limbs to create longer flames and more heat. If your home has flammable features or vulnerable openings, it can also serve as fuel for the fire, and become part of a disastrous chain of ignitions to other surrounding homes and structures,” the toolkit summary
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W YO M IN G H OT S H OTS TO T H E RESCUE AT T H E L AVA M O U N TA IN F IR E.
explained. “For Teton County homeowners the first step is to be Firewise compliant,” Gomez said. Firewise provides a list of important, and relatively easy, ways in which homeowners can take responsibility for the defensibility of their property. From ensuring that street names and numbers are clearly marked to clearing dense vegetation from around structures to making fire-resistant landscaping choices, there’s a great deal homeowners can reasonably accomplish. Although it can be tempting to believe your home couldn’t be at risk of a wildfire, whether you’re perched on the edge of the Snake River or nestled into East Jackson, you’d be wrong. Many Jackson residents realized this for the first time when the Little Horsethief fire peeked over the southern ridge of Cache Creek in the fall of 2012 forcing some people to evacuate their homes. Fire crews worked around the clock to suppress the fire and no homes were damaged in the flames. Still, embers or firebrands can easily be swept for miles by a gust of wind, and dropped onto decks or roofs causing structures that are far from the fire to ignite. While naturally-occurring fires are indisputably beneficial, climate change is forcing fire managers and communities to place a stronger emphasis on mitigation and resource management in the hopes of preserving the Rocky Mountain West’s iconic landscape. PJH
THIS WEEK: May 24-30, 2017
WEDNESDAY, MAY 24
THURSDAY, MAY 25
n Dance & Fitness Classes 8:00am, Dancers’ Workshop, $10.00 - $16.00, 307-733-6398 n Mountain Man Rendezvous and Traders Row 9:00am, Teton County Fairgrounds, Free, 801-641-9451 n Wilderness First Responder and BLS CPR 9:00am, CWC-Jackson, $725.00, 307-733-7425 n Hoback Happy Hours 9:00am, Hoback Sports, 307733-5335 n Beginning Throwing Morning 9:30am, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $184.00 -
$220.00, 307-733-6379 n Toddler Time 10:05am, Teton County Library, Free, 307-733-6379 n Storytime 10:30am, Teton County Library, Free, 307-733-6379 n Storytime 11:00am, Teton County Library, Free, 307-733-6379 n Silver Projects: Fabrication and Stone Setting Varieties 11:00am, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $70.00 $84.00, 307-733-6379 n Docent Led Tours 2:30pm, Murie Ranch of Teton Science Schools, Free, 307739-2246 n After School Monthly Workshops 3:30pm, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $180.00 $216.00, 307-733-6379 n Covered Wagon Cookout 4:30pm & 6pm, Bar T 5, $38.00 - $46.00, 307-7395386 n Jackson Hole Wildlife Safaris Celebrates Tenth Anniversary with Chamber Mixer 5:00pm, Wort Hotel, Free, 307-201-2309 n REFIT® 5:15pm, First Baptist Church, Free, 307-690-6539 n Tips for Container Gardening 6:00pm, Teton Recreation Center, $15.00, 307-739-9025 n Introduction to Wildlife Photography 6:30pm, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $175.00 $210.00, 307-733-6379 n Improvisation for Adults with Josh Griffith 6:30pm, Black Box Theater, $150.00, 307-733-4900 n Jackson Hole Community Band 2017 Rehearsals 7:00pm, Center for the Arts, $10.00, 307-200-9463 n Triggers and Slips 7:30pm, Silver Dollar Showroom, Free, 307-732-3939 n Dart Tournament 7:30pm, Hole Bowl, $10.00, 307-201-5426
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MAY 24, 2017 | 17
SEE CALENDAR PAGE 20
n Beginning Throwing 6:00pm, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $215.00 $258.00, 307-733-6379 n Open Studio Modeling: Figure Model 6:00pm, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $10.00, 307733-6379 n Adult Basic Bike Maintenance Class 6:00pm, Fitzgerald’s Bicycles, $30.00, 307-739-9025 n Stretching for Summer Activities 6:00pm, One to One Wellness, $15.00, 307-739-9025 n Introductory, Conversational Spanish 6:00pm, CWC-Jackson, $110.00, 307-733-7425 n Disc Golf Doubles 6:00pm, Teton Village, $5.00, 307-733-2292 n Free Spring Concert 7:00pm, JHHS Auditoreum, Free, 307 413-0458 n KHOL Presents: Vinyl Night 8:00pm, The Rose, Free, 307733-1500 n Karaoke Night 9:00pm, The Virginian Saloon, 307-733-2792 n Kraak & Smaak 9:00pm, Pink Garter Theatre, $15.00 - $35.00, 307-733-1500
Compiled by Caroline LaRosa
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
n Dance & Fitness Classes 8:00am, Dancers’ Workshop, $10.00 - $16.00, 307-733-6398 n Mountain Man Rendezvous and Traders Row 9:00am, Teton County Fairgrounds, Free, 801-641-9451 n Workshop on Volunteer Management 9:00am, Community Foundation of Jackson Hole, $20.00, 307-739-1026 n Wilderness First Responder and BLS CPR 9:00am, CWC-Jackson, $725.00, 307-733-7425 n Fables, Feathers & Fur 10:30am, National Museum of Wildlife Art, Free, 307-7325417 n Hole Bowl Re-Opens 11:00am, Howl Bowl, 307201-5426 n Beginning Drawing Topics 1:00pm, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $160.00 $192.00, 307-733-6379 n Vertical Harvest Tours 1:00pm, Vertical Harvest, 307-201-4452 n Docent Led Tours 2:30pm, Murie Ranch of Teton Science Schools, Free, 307739-2246 n Teton Eclipse’s Total Community Event 3:00pm, The Center Theater & Lobby, Free, 307-733-4900 n Teton Eclipse’s Total Community Event for Businesses 3:00pm, The Center for the Arts, Free, 307-699-0096 n Teton Eclipse Community Event 5:00pm, Center for the Arts, Free, 307-733-4900 n Covered Wagon Cookout 4:30pm & 6pm, Bar T 5, $38.00 - $46.00, 307-7395386 n Barbara Trentham Life Drawing 6:00pm, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $10.00, 307733-6379
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
18 | MAY 24, 2017
MUSIC BOX Cowboy State Caravan The Wyomericana tour closes out its 2017 trek in the Tetons. BY JASON SUDER
M
other Nature’s eye toward Wyoming looks poorly upon the weak. Her vicissitude shines brightly upon the range before blotting out the sun with an unforeseen May blanket of snow. Her children harden to it with embrace or seek shelter in milder climes. It shapes us all. You hear it in our song. Exemplified most in the heart of Screen Door Porch, Seadar Rose and Aaron Davis literally ran with the ethos. On Sunday, the Wyomericana Caravan Tour returns to town with its 2017 rendition of homegrown hymns. Now in its fifth run, the tour focuses on sharing uniquely Wyoming sounds with her Rocky Mountain compatriots. “There’s a lot of different music in Wyoming,” co-founder Rose said, “and when we started, of course we called it … a riff off Wyoming Americana.” Each spring the headliners round up a crew of musicians to fill out the playbill. Sometimes they feature blues groups from the Cowboy State. Other times, they highlight this area’s flavor of bluegrass. “Then you have bands like, say, Sneaky Pete and the Secret Weapons that are funk,” Rose said. “There’s some really great indie-folk happening around the state, especially in Laramie, interesting, quirky bands coming out of there right now.” On the caravan’s final leg, Lander-based Low Water String Band, and Dauphin, the brainchild of Laramie’s Jason Burge, will open the show at the
Low Water String Band
Silver Dollar Bar. Expect acoustic outlaw bluegrass for moonshine-glazed eyes and heartbreak songwriting, respectively. The former earned its spot through a submission process that came through the recommendations of fellow cowpoke crooners. “They just kind of had the complete package,” Rose said. “They were really getting after it. There’s all different kinds of bands; there are bands that want to stay local, and there are bands that want to get out and beyond their scene, and we’re always looking for those bands.” Camaraderie set in quickly, Rose said. Although not the dictionary definition of a caravan, as the bands coalesce for meals along their route, the stage has lent itself to a bond that starts to look like a family. Each show sees a collaboration between the entire
entourage. “There’s always that element of surprise,” Rose divulged. “That’s where the magic happens. That’s what makes this … so unique and important to us.” What comes across are the sweeping plains of bison, the rugged pathways into the Tetons, the raw chin of a Cheyenne ranch hand and the inviting warmth of the American dream. “Especially when we play in the state,” Rose said, “I get this sense in the audience, like pride [in] what we’re doing, what we’re all doing.” “What I hear outside the state of Wyoming,” she continued, “is ‘This is a really cool idea,’ and, ‘We didn’t really know much about the Wyoming music scene and you’re really putting it on the map.’” What began as a way for some Jackson pickers to all hit the road together quickly expanded into a
statewide display of culture that has now carried for half a decade, and the milestone does not escape Rose, who guarantees a spectacle ripe with fellow performers taking the stage. Joe Rudd will support Screen Door Porch’s campfire folk on the keys and saxophone. “It won’t be laid back at all,” she said. “We want to make it special for this tour. We want to really take it up a notch and add all these pieces to it.” Visit the sonic landscape of this great state 7 p.m. Sunday, May 28 at the Silver Dollar Bar. Free, 21 and older.
WEDNESDAY KHOL presents Kraak & Smaak (Pink Garter) THURSDAY Triggers and Slips (7:30 p.m. at The Wort) FRIDAY Mike Hurwitz and the Aimless Drifters (7:30 p.m. at The Wort), Friday Night DJ with Fiesta Bob (10 p.m. at The Rose)
Kraak and Smaak
listeners the world over with its European synth sensibilities, the Dutch funk-house outfit is headlining a celebration of Jackson’s vibrant music community. One that is fostered and broadcasted regularly on KHOL’s airwaves. Those who contributed to KHOL already received free tickets to the concert, and with them a chance to win a custom snowboard from Franco Snowshapes, a summer season bike pass to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort or tickets to Pink Garter Theatre concerts. KHOL membership drive party featuring Kraak and Smaak, 9 p.m. Wednesday, May 24 at Pink Garter Theatre. $15 at Pinkgartertheatre.com PJH
Dutch trio closes KHOL fundraiser
SATURDAY The Roosevelts (9 p.m. at Town Square Tavern), Minor Keys (10 p.m. at The Rose), Mike Hurwits and the Aimless Drifters (7:30 p.m. at The Wort) SUNDAY Wyomericana Caravan Tour (7 p.m. at The Wort) MONDAY Silent Space (12:15 p.m. at St. John’s), Hootenanny (6 p.m. at Dornans) TUESDAY Bluegrass Night with O.T.P. (7:30 p.m. at The Wort)
Kraak and Smaak is descending from the Netherlands Wednesday to play the KHOL 89.1 FM membership drive party. Having already gripped
MAY 24, 2017 | 19
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20 | MAY 24, 2017
n Salsa Night 9:00pm, The Rose, Free, 307-733-1500
FRIDAY, MAY 26
n Local Love Appreciation Day at Jackson Whole Grocer 7:00am, Jackson Whole Grocer, $5.00, 307733-0450 n Dance & Fitness Classes 8:00am, Dancers’ Workshop, $10.00 - $16.00, 307-733-6398 n Portrait Drawing 9:00am, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $10.00, 307-733-6379 n Open Studio Modeling: Portrait Model 9:00am, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $10.00, 307-733-6379 n Mountain Man Rendezvous and Traders Row 9:00am, Teton County Fairgrounds, Free, 801-641-9451 n Old West Days 9:00am, Various Locations, 307-733-3316 n Wilderness First Responder and BLS CPR 9:00am, CWC-Jackson, $725.00, 307-7337425 n Hoback Happy Hours 9:00am, Hoback Sports, 307-733-5335 n Vertical Harvest Tours 1:00pm, Vertical Harvest, 307-201-4452 n Docent Led Tours 2:30pm, Murie Ranch of Teton Science Schools, Free, 307-739-2246 n FREE Friday Tasting 4:00pm, Jackson Whole Grocer & Cafe, Free, 307-733-0450 n Friday Tastings 4:00pm, The Liquor Store of Jackson Hole, Free, 307-733-4466 n Covered Wagon Cookout 4:30pm & 6pm, Bar T 5, $38.00 - $46.00, 307-739-5386 n Immigration Q&A 5:00pm, Teton County Library, Free, 307733-2164 n Bar J Chuckwagon 5:30pm, Bar J Ranch, $25.00 - $35.00, 307733-3370 n Nicki Doane Yoga Workshop 6:30pm, Teton Yoga Shala n Mike Hurwitz & the Aimless Drifters 7:30pm, Silver Dollar Showroom, Free, 307732-3939 n Wyomericana Caravan 8:00pm, Knotty Pine, $10.00, 208-787-2866 n Free Public Stargazing Programs 9:00pm, Rendezvous Park, Free, 1-844-9967827 n Friday Night DJs 10:00pm, The Rose, Free, 307-733-1500
SEE CALENDAR PAGE 21
CREATIVE PEAKS Imaginative Mending When art becomes therapy for the artist and her viewers. BY SHANNON SOLLITT @ShannonSollitt
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or fourth-generation Wyomingite Tamara Ashburn King, to paint is to heal. “I think it’s just a moment where I can sort of step into the river and blend away from the universe,” she said. “I get into the zone. It’s intense, it’s daunting, but it’s an act of movement. To have a white canvas and explore with color, which obviously is very healing, and watching it move on the canvas, it’s all an incredible experience.” While art as a process is healing for artists like King, for others, art as a product is healing enough. Such is the inspiration behind St. John’s Hospital Foundation and the Center for the Arts’ program “Art and Healing,” now in its second year. King will discuss her art and its relationship to healing at St. John’s Medical Center, where her art now hangs, over lunch on Friday. “Tamara’s artwork represents the second exhibit we’ve presented jointly with the Center [for the Arts],” said Jennifer Simon, St. John’s Hospital Foundation vice president. “Like the first one, the material is perfect for the medical center campus. It embodies a thoughtful reflection in the interplay between art and well-being.” Indeed, a growing body of research recognizes that exposure to art has a calming, and even healing effect on patient well-being. Art on hospital walls makes patients feel more at-ease, the Center for Health Design found, and can actually improve patient outcomes. King says she doesn’t know the science behind it, but as an artist, she has a handful of theories about why art is so impactful. “Viewers are moved by color, by mystery,” she said. “They want to know more. We’re all seeking that within ourselves, and in many aspects of art.” “I was thinking earlier of how butterflies are attracted to certain flowers,” King mused. “There are certain parts
Tamara Ashburn King paints strokes that bleed beyond the canvas.
of the animal world that are attracted to color for sheer survival.” King listed a palette of colors and the effects they have on human psychology. Green and blue are calming. Red induces passion. King’s paintings are “extremely colorful, because inside I feel that way.” Art also runs in King’s veins, as does a connection to St. John’s Medical Center. King’s mother Raylene Ashburn was an award-winning landscape painter, and King grew up painting alongside her all her life. In 2013, Ashburn was diagnosed with stage-four breast cancer, and spent 18 months in and out of St. John’s. “She had all these dreams of returning to her art, but wasn’t feeling well enough to do it,” King said. So instead, King and her mother would walk the halls and just look at the artwork. “She was inspired by the art, and it made her feel better,” King said. Ashburn died in 2015. In the wake of her death, King said she “didn’t really know what to do with that immense loss.” So she painted. Rather than waiting for the “perfect moment” to inspire her, she decided she was going to “open up those doors, let the light in, start moving and creating.” From her grief, King’s “Animal Spirit” series was born. “Because it does, it takes animal spirit [to paint]. It takes courage and self-reflection.” King’s paintings are abstract, and are a physical representation of the many paradoxes in her life. Growing up, she traveled around the country and world, splitting much of her childhood between Maui and Jackson Hole. Maui, King says, is feminine—warm, soft, nurturing. The island is actually shaped
like a woman, King observed. Wyoming, on the other hand, is “very rugged and masculine.” King’s art explores the tension between those environments, and the personalities they nurtured. Her “Animal Spirit” collection, she says, is more a reflection of her “masculine side,” while her “Reflections” collection, on display at St. John’s, is more feminine. Both collections, however, try to balance the contradictions in King’s life. “They compliment each other,” she said. And that is what art is. It is outside surroundings reflected inward, and inner emotions projected out. “We have our surroundings here in Jackson. How do we reflect that on the inside, being in touch with nature?” King said. “And how do we reflect whatever we have on the inside, on the outside? That’s healing. I think that’s why we all live here.” To have her “Reflections” series on display in the St. John’s professional building, King said, is “incredibly humbling.” “To recognize that St. John’s and the Center are invested in me as an artist is so special,” she said. “Because I’m from here, but also because of what the art and healing program represents.” When the Center and St. John’s asked her to exhibit her work in the hospital halls, King says she got chills. “This is exactly where I belong,” she thought. “And, thanks, mom.” PJH King’s talk is noon Friday, May 26 in the St. John’s professional office building conference room. RSVP with Rachel Merrell at RPMerrel@TetonHospital.org.
SATURDAY, MAY 27
SEE CALENDAR PAGE 24
n Mountain Man Rendezvous and Traders Row 9:00am, Teton County Fairgrounds, Free, 801-641-9451 n Old West Days 9:00am, Various Locations, 307-733-3316 n Hoback Happy Hours 9:00am, Hoback Sports, 307733-5335 n Historic Miller Ranch Tour 10:00am, National Elk Refuge, Free, 307-733-9212 n Bar J Chuckwagon 5:30pm, Bar J Ranch, $25.00 $35.00, 307-733-3370 n Stagecoach Band 6:00pm, Stagecoach, Free, 307-733-4407 n Nicki Doane Yoga Workshop 6:30pm, Teton Yoga Shala n Wyocaravan Tour 7:00pm, Silver Dollar Showroom, Free, 307-732-3939
MONDAY, MAY 29
n Dance & Fitness Classes 8:00am, Dancers’ Workshop, $10.00 - $16.00, 307-733-6398 n Mountain Man Rendezvous and Traders Row 9:00am, Teton County Fairgrounds, Free, 801-641-9451
TUESDAY, MAY 30
n Dance & Fitness Classes 8:00am, Dancers’ Workshop, $10.00 - $16.00, 307-733-6398 n REFIT® 8:30am, Dancers’ Workshop, $10.00 - $20.00, 307-7336398 n Teton Plein Air Painters 9:00am, Outdoors, Free, 307733-6379 n Hoback Happy Hours 9:00am, Hoback Sports, 307733-5335 n Historic Miller Ranch Tour 10:00am, National Elk Refuge, Free, 307-733-9212 n Toddler Time 10:05am, Teton County Library Youth Auditorium, Free, 307-733-2164 n Toddler Time 10:35am, Teton County Library, Free, 307-733-2164 n Toddler Time 11:05am, Teton County Library, Free, 307-733-6379
MAY 24, 2017 | 21
n Jackson Hole Rodeo 8:00pm, Teton County Fairgrounds, $15.00 - $35.00, 307-733-7927
SUNDAY, MAY 28
n Old West Days 9:00am, Various Locations, 307-733-3316 n Hoback Happy Hours 9:00am, Hoback Sports, 307733-5335 n Art Education: Kindercreations 9:30am, Art Association Borshell Children’s Studio, $16.00, 307-733-6379 n Historic Miller Ranch Tour 10:00am, National Elk Refuge, Free, 307-733-9212 n Docent Led Tours 2:30pm, Murie Ranch of Teton Science Schools, Free, 307739-2246 n Covered Wagon Cookout 4:30pm & 6pm, Bar T 5, $38.00 - $46.00, 307-7395386 n Bar J Chuckwagon 5:30pm, Bar J Ranch, $25.00 $35.00, 307-733-3370 n Hootenanny 6:00pm, Dornan’s, Free, 307733-2415 n Jackson Hole Shootout 6:00pm, Town Square, Free
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
n Introduction to Wildlife Photography 6:00am, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $175.00 $210.00, 307-733-6379 n Dance & Fitness Classes 8:00am, Dancers’ Workshop, $10.00 - $16.00, 307-733-6398 n REFIT® 9:00am, Dancers’ Workshop, $10.00 - $20.00, 307-7336398 n Mountain Man Rendezvous and Traders Row 9:00am, Teton County Fairgrounds, Free, 801-641-9451 n Old West Days 9:00am, Various Locations, 307-733-3316 n Hoback Happy Hours 9:00am, Hoback Sports, 307733-5335 n Library Saturdays: Mini Music & Movement 10:15am, Teton County Library, Free, 307-733-6379 n Drag Bingo! 11:00am, The Lodge at Jackson Hole Conference Center, 503-706-2335 n Vertical Harvest Tours 1:00pm, Vertical Harvest, 307-201-4452 n Covered Wagon Cookout 4:30pm & 6pm, Bar T 5, $38.00 - $46.00, 307-7395386 n Bar J Chuckwagon 5:30pm, Bar J Ranch, $25.00 $35.00, 307-733-3370 n St. John’s Auxiliary’s 58th Annual Spring Fling Gala 6:00pm, Jackson Lake Lodge, 307-739-7517 n Nicki Doane Yoga Workshop 6:30pm, Teton Yoga Shala, n TEASE Burlesque Revue 7:00pm, The Lodge at Jackson Hole Conference Center, $10.00 - $20.00, 503-7062335 n Mike Hurwitz & the Aimless Drifters 7:30pm, Silver Dollar Showroom, Free, 307-732-3939
n Bob Greenspan 8:00pm, Knotty Pine, Free, 208-787-2866 n Bush Pilots 8:00pm, Hole Bowl, 307-2015426 n The Roosevelts 9:00pm, Town Square Tavern, 307-733-3886 n TEASE Burlesque Revue 9:30pm, The Lodge at Jackson Hole Conference Center, $10.00 - $20.00, 503-7062335 n Live Music w/ The Minor Keys 10:00pm, Pink Garter Theatre, Free, 307-733-1500
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
22 | MAY 24, 2017
CULTURE KLASH Ditch the Straw How a local initiative aims to make locals think twice about the way they imbibe. BY KELSEY DAYTON @Kelsey_Dayton
YOUTUBE
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arah Steinwand couldn’t help noticing: every time she ordered a cocktail at a bar it came with two small plastic straws. She thought about all the plastic that ends up in landfills and in the ocean and while the straws were small, they also seemed unnecessary. She watched as her friends and other patrons received their drinks and often immediately removed the straws, unused but headed for the garbage. It was, at first, a small annoyance to Steinwand. But the more she thought about it, the more she became concerned. When she researched plastic straws, she found a host of information: Americans use 500 million straws a day. An average restaurant uses 36,400 straws a year. And those straws, so small and easy to swallow, end up inside marine life, like turtles, dolphins and whales. Last fall Steinwand launched a campaign called Straw Free Jackson Hole. The local initiative is a passion project she’s pursuing alongside her full-time job at the Jackson public relations firm Purple Orange. She’s encouraging bars and restaurants to stop using disposable plastic straws, unless customers specifically ask for one. And she’s trying to teach restaurantgoers to request their drinks sans straw. It’s an effort that has become a national movement. “It’s a very small thing that communities can do to stop plastic waste in our ecosystem,” Steinwand said. “It seems like something so little and unnecessary for us to be using, and something so simple to stop using that could make a pretty huge impact on the environment.” Steinwand started talking about straws at local meetings on recycling and reached out to area restaurant
Sea turtles are among the marine animals that fall victim to plastic straw waste. Here a marine biologist works to remove a straw lodged deep in a turtle’s nostril.
owners last fall. Some restaurants have already committed to serving drinks without straws unless a customer specifically requests one. Other restaurant owners and managers heard about Steinwand’s efforts and approached her to find out more information. Josh Hirschmann, the manager and sustainability coordinator at Local, said it was Steinwand’s campaign that made him consider changing the restaurant’s straw policy. He was immediately on board with the idea in terms of its environmental impacts, but is still trying to navigate how to reduce straws without customers feeling like they are getting substandard service. “People don’t think ‘Oh, may I have a straw,’ if you give them a drink without one, they think it’s a lack of service,” he said. It’s part of bar culture that drinks come with straws, most importantly for stirring, not necessarily for sipping cocktails, he said. So it will take concerted efforts to educate customers on why their drinks don’t come with a straw unless it’s requested, Hirschmann said. There are also some patrons who need straws, such as little kids, or adults
“... something so simple to stop using that could make a pretty huge impact on the environment.”
with dentures. Hirschmann is investigating biodegradable straws or bamboo stir sticks. He’s struggled to find high quality options that also make economic sense for the restaurant. Some biodegradable pint glass straws would increase costs 40 percent and environmentally friendly cocktail straw prices climb 400 percent compared to what the restaurant normally pays. But Hirschmann isn’t deterred. While he hasn’t found a solution yet, he thinks eventually Local will find a way to not use plastic straws. More customers value sustainability when choosing businesses and restaurants where they spend money. It also motivates employees to know they work for a company that values environmental efforts, he said. Trio, Local’s sister restaurant, stopped putting straws in drinks, unless specifically requested by customers, in the fall, noted server Josh Woodbury. He used to work at Pearl Street Bagels and hated watching how many disposable coffee cups ended up in the trash. He noticed the same thing with straws at Trio. After talking with Steinwand, the restaurant made some changes. While owners at Trio agreed to stop serving straws unless requested, they did worry what customers would think, but there haven’t been complaints, Woodbury said. There are some customers Woodbury still serves straws without prompting—after years of working at Trio, he can sense what customers expect, but he hopes the culture
will change. That will take more businesses adopting similar policies to change the assumption that straws equal customer service, he said. Steinwand knows some drinks like smoothies and sloshies require straws. Restaurants like Persephone and Healthy Being Juicery and Café use compostable straws, an environmentally friendly but expensive alternative she understands other businesses might find too costly. She knows some restaurants need straws for to-go cups with lids. But for Steinwand, these are solvable problems. She’d love for customers to start buying reusable glass straws they bring to places where they order smoothies, the same way people bring reusable mugs to the coffee shop. And if restaurants didn’t keep lids and straws stacked near soda machines, people might opt to drink from the cup without either, she said. Steinwand knows it isn’t realistic for Jackson eateries and locals to completely stop using straws. So she’d consider her efforts successful if she walked into a restaurant and saw most people with straw-free drinks. “There wouldn’t be a pile of straws by the soda machine and that would be a total success,” she said. “It’s such a small thing our community can do to help keep waste out of our waters. It’s such an easy way to make a big difference. I think it’s a realistic goal we can achieve.” PJH
Are you a discerning drinker who knows her scotch from her whiskey? When you’re talking bouquets, are flowers the last thing on your mind? Then we want YOU. The Planet is looking for a drink columnist who likes to imbibe and write about it with authority.
EMAIL WRITING SAMPLES TO EDITOR@PLANETJH.COM.
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24 | MAY 24, 2017
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Too Many Cooks Baywatch tries every approach to TV series adaptation at the same time.
The red suited ‘babes’ are back.
BY SCOTT RENSHAW @scottrenshaw
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n the 30-some-odd years since mining pop-culture nostalgia became a big cash-dispensing machine for the movie industry, Hollywood has settled into some reliable formulas for bringing TV shows to the big screen. You can try to more-or-less duplicate the tone and vibe that made the original show successful (Miami Vice, Maverick). You can aim for an amped-up, blockbuster-y, supersize version of that original sensibility (Mission: Impossible, Charlie’s Angels). Or you can poke fun at the entire premise of the original and make it into goofy satire (The Brady Bunch Movie, 21 Jump Street). So with the arrival of Baywatch, the natural question is, which one of these formulas does it embrace? The answer is: Yes. All of the above. If you’re an observer of the development process for franchise movies, that probably doesn’t come as a shock. These things are often Frankensteined into existence out of sheer determination to get that brand name up on the screen, no matter how many writers the studio has to throw at it. In this case, between story credits and screenplay credits, they threw at least three teams of writers at this one. So if you wondered what would happen if you combined the styles of writers whose credits include Reno 911!, The Smurfs and Freddy vs. Jason, it looks a lot like this. That doesn’t mean it’s not still sporadically entertaining, in large part due to sheer force of the personalities involved. Dwayne Johnson plays Mitch Buchannon, the alpha-male leader of the lifeguard squad at the beach community of Emerald Bay. He is deadly serious
TRY THESE
n Rotary Club’s Annual Lunch for Literacy 12:00pm, Snow King, $15.00, 307-733-9242 n Photography Open Studio 12:30pm, Art Association of Jackson Hole, Free, 307-733-6379 n Docent Led Tours 2:30pm, Murie Ranch of Teton Science Schools, Free, 307-739-2246 n Hole Bowl Grand Re-Opening 4:00pm, Hole Bowl, 307-201-5426 n Covered Wagon Cookout 4:30pm & 6pm, Bar T 5, $38.00 - $46.00, 307-739-5386 n REFIT® 5:15pm, First Baptist Church, Free, 307-6906539 n Bar J Chuckwagon 5:30pm, Bar J Ranch, $25.00 - $35.00, 307733-3370 n Jackson Hole Shootout 6:00pm, Town Square, Free n Advanced Photography Techniques 6:30pm, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $65.00 - $78.00, 307-733-6379 n Introduction to Wildlife Photography 6:30pm, Art Association of Jackson Hole, $175.00 - $210.00, 307-733-6379 n Bluegrass Tuesdays with One Ton Pig 7:30pm, Silver Dollar Showroom, Free, 307732-3939
CINEMA
The Brady Bunch Movie (1995) Gary Cole Shelley Long PG-13
about his job, and in turn he’s revered by the grateful locals who build sand sculptures in honor of his exploits. It’s a satisfying conceit turning Mitch into a de facto superhero, and it’s only thanks to Johnson’s own self-effacing charm that it comes off as amusing rather than obvious to take that approach to a guy who’s actually built like a superhero. Director Seth Gordon (Horrible Bosses) takes a similar winking approach to the rest of Mitch’s crew, in a way that probably makes it feel a bit more like 21 Jump Street in its self-parody. Hotshot newcomer Matt Brody (Zac Efron, again, as in Neighbors, endearing as an oblivious himbo) is a disgraced former swimming Olympic gold medalist doing his community service; he’s treated by Mitch as a pretty boy deserving a litany of dismissive insults, including at least one with a particular Efron connection. The trio of women—veterans CJ (Kelly Rohrbach) and Stephanie (Ilfenesh Hadera), and new recruit Summer (Alexandra Daddario)— race across the beach in their cleavage-baring swimsuits in a way that makes people wonder out loud if they’re moving in slow motion. By the time Matt suggests that the criminal activity Mitch suspects is taking place sounds like “a really entertaining but far-fetched TV show”—plus the expected cameos by original cast members—the gag doesn’t need that much underlining. We get it: Baywatch was silly, and everyone involved in making this movie knows it. They also want to make it a broad raunchy comedy, and in that sense it’s far less successful than Jump Street at creating a winking version of the source
Horrible Bosses (2011) Jason Bateman Jason Sudeikis R
material for big kids. Gay-panic humor feels sadly obligatory, and the non-stop parade of f-bombs serves no purpose other than to announce, “Guess what we can say now.” The weirdest bit involves a straight-up theft from There’s Something About Mary where the Baywatch crew’s most unlikely recruit, doughy Ronnie (Jon Bass, generally a scene-stealer), gets his genitalia caught in something, requiring an embarrassingly public rescue operation. It’s not a good look when attempts at subversiveness come off as desperate. Meanwhile, there’s an actual sort-of plot going on, involving a drug-smuggling real-estate magnate (Priyanka Chopra), and a few actual rescues-atsea for the lifeguards, much of which is played surprisingly straight. There’s even an odd moment in which Matt reveals his troubled past, as though his needsto-be-tamed hotshot character required motivation. Whenever Baywatch drifts into the realm of action-comedy that actually expects the action to matter, it loses much of the good will it has built up by emphasizing its ridiculousness. There’s a place for goofy adaptations, and a place for straightforward adaptations, and a place for over-the-top adaptations. Ideally, those places should be in at least three different movies. PJH BAYWATCH
BB Dwayne Johnson Zac Efron Alexandra Daddario Rated R
21 Jump Street (2012) Channing Tatum Jonah Hill R
Neighbors (2014) Seth Rogen Zac Efron R
Italy’s Other Wines Vino blanco from a country famous for reds. BY TED SCHEFFLER @critic1
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taly is renowned for its reds: bold Barolos, Chianti, Amarone, Barbaresco and the like. But don’t overlook its white wines. There are many greats, and high-quality whites from Italy can be economical, especially compared to German and French counterparts. One of Italy’s most interesting winemakers is Mariano Buglioni, a guy who’s positively passionate about making wine. His L’Intruso ($16.11) is made from 100 percent Garganega grapes, a varietal widely grown in the Veneto region of northeast Italy. Unfortunately, Garganega can be a high-yield grape, too often used to make thin,
BEER, WINE & SPIRITS uninteresting wines. By contrast, Buglioni L’Intruso has tangy acidity, making it a good wine to pair with food. It’s brimming with tropical-fruit flavors and aromas—pineapple, mango and kiwi—along with white flower notes on the nose. The image of a woman’s face on bottles of Anthìlia Donnafugata ($14.99) from Sicily lures in the curious wine drinker. I really like this blend of predominantly Sicilian grapes—Catarratto and Ansonica, along with Viognier and Chardonnay. It’s crisp, with tart green-apple flavors and a silky texture. One of the best-known wines of Central Italy is Orvieto Classico. This wine’s heritage dates back to medieval times—literally, a classic Italian white wine. La Carraia Orvieto Classico DOC ($10.99) is a good example, a 40/30/30 percent blend of Grechetto, Trebbiano and Malvasia, respectively. It’s a terrific bang-for-the-buck, a wine with intense floral aromas and roasted-almond notes on the tongue, and is a perfect partner for macadamia-crusted fish. Another outstanding value is Bibi Graetz Casamatta Bianco ($12.99).
Local is a modern American steakhouse and bar located on Jackson’s historic town square. Serving locally raised beef and, regional game, fresh seafood and seasonally inspired food, Local offers the perfect setting for lunch, drinks or dinner.
Ver ment ino and Muscat grapes give Casamatta Bianco gorgeous perfumed aromas, and this unoaked white wine is brimming with deep fruit flavors, mostly melon and hints of orange. It’s a rich, yet delicate. A favorite Italian white varietal of mine is Gavi, considered Italy’s premier dry white wine. It’s named for the Italian town in Piedmont at the center of its production zone, and made with the Cortese grape. Gavi is typically a tart, light-bodied, acidic wine with fresh lime aromas that goes especially well with fish, seafood and vegetable dishes. Examples of good Gavi include Araldica La Luciana Gavi ($12.99) and Principessa Gavi ($13.99). The former, Araldica, has typical Gavi lemon and lime aromas and flavors of green fruit and citrus. It’s a snappy, unoaked wine terrific with fish and seafood, and exceptional with basil pesto. Another favorite Gavi is Principessa. This wine is less tart than the Araldica, with pretty pear flavors and hints of lime.
40% OFF
It was the bomb with a simple Fridaynight fish fry. Winemaker Roberto Anselmi has long been known as an Italian trend bucker, and his Anselmi San Vincenzo ($14.38)—made in Veneto’s Soave district—is no exception. The grapes (Garganega, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc) are de-stem med before undergoing cold maceration and a soft press. After f e r- mentation, Anselmi matures in steel vats, with regular battonage. The result is a beautifully perfumed wine, with abundant honey, floral and apricot notes. Owned and operated by two sisters— Giovannella and Maria Giulia Fugazza— Castello di Luzzano winery’s wines were admired by Frank Sinatra, among others. I admire t he f rag rant aromatics and luscious, silky flavors of the aptly named Castello di Luzzano Tasto di Seta (touch of silk), for $18.99. PJH
Foodie JULY
2017
EDITION
HAPPY HOUR Daily 4-6:00pm
307.201.1717 | LOCALJH.COM ON THE TOWN SQUARE
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
Lunch 11:30am Monday-Saturday Dinner 5:30pm Nightly
IMBIBE
BOOK NOW FOR EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT RATES OF 40% OFF!
MAY 24, 2017 | 25
For rates and reservations, contact Jen or Caroline at 307-732-0299 or email sales@planetjh.com
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
26 | MAY 24, 2017
Featuring dining destinations from buffets and rooms with a view to mom and pop joints, chic cuisine and some of our dining critic’s faves! OFF SEASON SPECIAL
2FOR1
ASIAN & CHINESE
ENTREES
Valid through May 25th | Good all night Open nightly 5:30pm | Closed May 16th & 23rd
733-3912
160 N. Millward • Reservations recommended Reserve online at bluelionrestaurant.com
®
Lunch special Slice + Side Salad = $8 Happy Hour 4-6 PM DAILY
Serving the world’s most exciting cuisine. Teton Thai offers a splendid array of flavors: sweet, hot, sour, salt and bitter. All balanced and blended perfectly, satisfying the most discriminating palate. Open daily. 7432 Granite Loop Road in Teton Village, (307) 733-0022 and in Driggs, (208) 787-8424, tetonthai.com.
Serving organic, freshly-made world cuisine while catering to all eating styles. Endless organic and natural meat, vegetarian, vegan and glutenfree choices. Offering super smoothies, fresh extracted juices, espresso and tea. Full bar and house-infused botanical spirits. Serving breakfast, lunch & dinner starting at 8am daily. 140 N. Cache, (307) 734-0882, theorganiclotus.com.
THAI ME UP
MANGY MOOSE
Home of Melvin Brewing Co. Freshly remodeled offering modern Thai cuisine in a relaxed setting. New tap system with 20 craft beers. New $8 wine list and extensive bottled beer menu. Open daily for dinner at 5pm. Downtown at 75 East Pearl Street. View our tap list at thaijh.com/brews. 307-733-0005.
CONTINENTAL Large Specialty Pizza ADD: Wings (8 pc)
ALPENHOF
$ 13 99
Medium Pizza (1 topping) Stuffed Cheesy Bread
for an extra $5.99/each
(307) 733-0330 520 S. Hwy. 89 • Jackson, WY
20 W. Broadway 307.207.1472 pizzeriacaldera.com OPEN DAILY 11AM-9:30PM
ELY U Q I N U PEAN EURO
F O H ‘ E H
T
INNERGE D I LUNCTHETON VILLA I T S IN FA BREAKE ALPENHOF AT TH
AT THE
PIZZAS, PASTAS & MORE HOUSEMADE BREAD & DESSERTS FRESH, LOCALLY SOURCED OFFERINGS TAKE OUT AVAILABLE
307.733.3242
Serving authentic Swiss cuisine, the Alpenhof features European style breakfast entrées and alpine lunch fare. Dine in the Bistro for a casual meal or join us in the Alpenrose dining room for a relaxed dinner experience. Breakfast 7:30am-10am. Coffee & pastry 10am-11:30am. Lunch 11:30am-3pm. Aprés 3pm-5:30pm. Dinner 6pm-9pm. For reservations at the Bistro or Alpenrose, call 307-733-3242.
THE BLUE LION
FAMILY FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT
Dining room and bar open nightly at 5:00pm (307) 733-2460 • 2560 Moose Wilson Road • Wilson, WY
A Jackson Hole favorite since 1965
A Jackson Hole favorite for 39 years. Join us in the charming atmosphere of a historic home. Ask a local about our rack of lamb. Serving fresh fish, elk, poultry, steaks, and vegetarian entrées. Live acoustic guitar music most nights. Open at 5:30 p.m. Off Season Special: 2 for 1 Entrees. Good all night. Must mention ad. Closed May 16th & 23rd. Reservations recommended, walkins welcome. 160 N. Millward, (307) 733-3912, bluelionrestaurant.com
ELEANOR’S
Enjoy all the perks of fine dining, minus the dress code at Eleanor’s, serving rich, saucy dishes in a warm and friendly setting. Its bar alone is an attraction, thanks to reasonably priced drinks and a loyal crowd. Come get a belly-full of our two-time gold medal wings. Open at 11 a.m. daily. 832 W. Broadway, (307) 733-7901.
LOCAL
Mangy Moose Restaurant, with locally sourced, seasonally FRESH FOOD at reasonable prices, is a always a FUN PLACE to go with family or friends for a unique dining experience. The personable staff will make you feel RIGHT AT HOME and the funky western decor will keep you entertained throughout your entire visit. Reservations at (307) 733-4913 3295 Village Drive • Teton Village, WY
www.mangymoose.com
LOTUS ORGANIC RESTAURANT
TETON THAI
Local, a modern American steakhouse and bar, is located on Jackson’s historic town square. Our menu features both classic and specialty cuts of locally-ranched meats and wild game alongside fresh seafood, shellfish, house-ground burgers, and seasonally-inspired food. We offer an extensive wine list and an abundance of locallysourced products. Offering a casual and vibrant bar atmosphere with 12 beers on tap as well as a relaxed dining room, Local is the perfect spot to grab a burger for lunch or to have drinks and dinner with friends. Lunch Mon-Sat 11:30am. Dinner Nightly 5:30pm. 55 North Cache, (307) 201-1717, localjh.com.
Mangy Moose Restaurant, with locally sourced, seasonally fresh food at reasonable prices, is a always a fun place to go with family or friends for a unique dining experience. The personable staff will make you feel right at home and the funky western decor will keep you entertained throughout your entire visit. Teton Village, (307) 733-4913, mangymoose.com.
MOE’S BBQ
Opened in Jackson Hole by Tom Fay and David Fogg, Moe’s Original Bar B Que features a Southern Soul Food Revival. Moe’s Original Bar B Que offers award-winning Alabama-style pulled pork, ribs, wings, turkey and chicken smoked over hardwood served with two unique sauces in addition to Catfish and a Shrimp MoeBoy sandwich. Additionally, a daily rotation of traditional Southern sides and tasty desserts are served fresh daily from recipes passed down for generations. With a kitchen that stays open late, the restaurant features a menu that fits any budget. While the setting is family-friendly, there is a full premium bar offering a lively bar scene complete with HDTVs for sports fans, music, shuffle board and other games upstairs. Large party takeout orders and full service catering with delivery for any size group for parties, business lunches, reunions, weddings and other special events is also be available.
MILLION DOLLAR COWBOY STEAKHOUSE
Jackson’s first Speakeasy Steakhouse. The Million Dollar Cowboy Steakhouse is a hidden gem located below the world famous Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. Our menu offers guests the best in American steakhouse cuisine. Top quality chops and steaks sourced from local farms, imported Japanese Wagyu beef, and house-cured meats and sausages. Accentuated with a variety of thoughtful side dishes, innovative appetizers, creative vegetarian items, and decadent desserts, a meal at this landmark location is sure to be a memorable one. Reservations are highly recommended.
SNAKE RIVER BREWERY & RESTAURANT
America’s most award-winning microbrewery is serving lunch and dinner. Take in the atmosphere while enjoying wood-fired pizzas, pastas, burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads and desserts. $9 lunch menu. Happy hour 4 to 6 p.m., including tasty hot wings. The freshest beer in the valley, right from the source! Free WiFi. Open 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. 265 S. Millward. (307) 739-2337, snakeriverbrewing.com.
ITALIAN CALICO
A Jackson Hole favorite since 1965, the Calico continues to be one of the most popular restaurants in the Valley. The Calico offers the right combination of really good food, (much of which is grown in our own gardens in the summer), friendly staff; a reasonably priced menu and a large selection of wine. Our bar scene is eclectic with a welcoming vibe. Open nightly at 5 p.m. 2560 Moose Wilson Rd., (307) 733-2460.
MEXICAN EL ABUELITO
THE LOCALS
FAVORITE PIZZA 2012-2016 •••••••••
$7
$5 Shot & Tall Boy
LUNCH
SPECIAL Slice, salad & soda
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••
TV Sports Packages and 7 Screens
Under the Pink Garter Theatre (307) 734-PINK • www.pinkygs.com
Serving authentic Mexican cuisine and appetizers in a unique Mexican atmosphere. Home of the original Jumbo Margarita. Featuring a full bar with a large selection of authentic Mexican beers. Lunch served weekdays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nightly dinner specials. Open seven days, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. 385 W. Broadway, (307) 733-1207.
PIZZA DOMINO’S PIZZA
Hot and delicious delivered to your door. Hand-tossed, deep dish, crunchy thin, Brooklyn style and artisan pizzas; bread bowl pastas, and oven baked sandwiches; chicken wings, cheesy breads and desserts. Delivery. 520 S. Hwy. 89 in Kmart Plaza, (307) 733-0330.
PINKY G’S
The locals favorite! Voted Best Pizza in Jackson Hole 2012-2016. Seek out this hidden gem under the Pink Garter Theatre for NY pizza by the slice, salads, strombolis, calzones and many appetizers to choose from. Try the $7 ‘Triple S’ lunch special. Happy hours 10 p.m. - 12 a.m. Sun.- Thu. Text PINK to 71441 for discounts. Delivery and take-out. Open daily 11a.m. to 2 a.m. 50 W. Broadway, (307) 734-PINK.
PIZZERIA CALDERA
Jackson Hole’s only dedicated stone-hearth oven pizzeria, serving Napolitana-style pies
FF, M A
D FRE
GO
O
S TU
E
D
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
using the freshest ingredients in traditional and creative combinations. Five local microbrews on tap, a great selection of red and white wines by the glass and bottle, and one of the best views of the Town Square from our upstairs deck. Daily lunch special includes slice, salad or soup, any two for $8. Happy hour: half off drinks by the glass from 4 - 6 daily. Dine in or carry out. Or order online at PizzeriaCaldera.com, or download our app for iOS or Android. Open from 11am - 9:30pm daily at 20 West Broadway. 307-201-1472.
D
L
Y, E V E R Y
1110 MAPLE WAY JACKSON, WY 307.264.2956 picnicjh.com
MAY 24, 2017 | 27
LOCAL & DOMESTIC STEAKS SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK @ 5:30 TILL 10 JHCOWBOYSTEAKHOUSE.COM 307-733-4790
AY
SH
AL
DA
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
28 | MAY 24, 2017
SUDOKU
Complete the grid so that each row, column, diagonal and 3x3 square contain all of the numbers 1 to 9. No math is involved. The grid has numbers, but nothing has to add up to anything else. Solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic. Solving time is typically 10 to 30 minutes, depending on your skill and experience.
JH
golfer magazine
Join this year’s roster of distinguished advertisers. The goal of Jackson Hole Golfer Magazine is to shine a much-deserved spotlight on the local golfing community, while also serving as a cost-efficient marketing tool. With the superior photography and signature magazine format, Jackson Hole Golfer captures the attention of avid golf enthusiasts and recreational players within the community, as well as the many tourists visiting the valley every year.
AD RESERVATIONS ARE DUE THIS FRIDAY, MAY 26 EMAIL SALES@JHGOLFER.COM
L.A.TIMES “SUBTLY SEASONED” By Pancho Harrison
SUNDAY, MAY 28, 2017
ACROSS
1 Bambinos 5 Kaput 9 Workout set 13 Emergency 18 Plugging away 19 Show impatience 20 Go off 22 End of __ 23 Poem title following “Gin a body meet a body” 26 Three-star mil. officer 27 Nancy Drew series author 28 Hawk’s home 29 Read carefully (over) 31 Like many Ariz. residents 32 Retained 34 Brahms and Clara Schumann, by most accounts 37 Film noir hat 40 Underground systems 41 Indian author Santha Rama __ 42 What may replace you? 43 Gp. with arms 45 MS. enclosures 47 Optimistic 51 Paid informants 56 No longer used 58 Replaceable tire part 59 Privy to 60 Early U.S.’s Northwest __ 62 One with convictions 63 Oil source 65 Chopper 67 Modernists, for short 69 Pose 70 Axioms 75 Yank’s foe 78 Sticky situation 79 Madre’s hermana 80 House-warming buys 84 Film with a saloon 87 Brood 89 Actress Kunis 91 Fellow “I can’t be torn apart
from,” in a 1964 #1 hit Mona Lisa, e.g. Dietitian’s recommendations GM navigation system Give off Retired NBA big man Ming Solstice mo. Flamenco shout 1987 Beatty / Hoffman flop Demands it Hospital emergency units Gillette Mach3 predecessor One who’d like to forget, maybe 116 Takeout 117 Lured (in) 119 Earthy pigment 123 Mideast ruling family name 125 In danger of being towed 128 Cheap cigar 129 Company name that aptly begins with a periodic table symbol 130 It meant nothing to Ravel 131 Descriptive dance 132 Really pushes 133 Lester’s bluegrass partner 134 Head set? 135 Memphis middle name 92 94 97 98 100 101 102 103 106 109 114 115
DOWN 1 2 3
Epitome of sharpness Platte River people What’s up at the end of an exam? 4 Snockered 5 Droop-nosed flier 6 Cymbals with a foot pedal 7 Brute 8 1912 Olympic legend 9 Practice lines 10 Before, poetically 11 Goal 12 Watch using bugs 13 Good buddy
14 Needing assistance, maybe 15 More than half of Israel 16 Whence Icarus fled 17 Poker holdings 21 Garr of “Young Frankenstein” 24 __-do-well 25 Pinball problem 30 Tan shades 33 Stabbing feeling 35 Wedding reception highlight 36 __ luxury 37 Typeface choices 38 Diciembre follower 39 1944 loser to FDR 40 “Death in Venice” author 44 Put back into the company, as profits 46 More painful 48 Congers 49 French possessive 50 Clearing house? 52 “A Tiger Walks” star 53 Yemeni seaport 54 Sandpaper descriptor 55 “What You Need” rockers 57 Hullabaloo 61 Involve 64 Draw a bead on, with “at” 66 Chow down 68 Fr. holy woman 71 First name in skin care 72 Andean capital 73 Founding member of pro soccer’s Washington Freedom 74 Eye sore 75 “__Cop” 76 Bring in 77 A/C units 81 “Zounds!” 82 Makes a judicial decision 83 Food service giant
85 Retinue 86 Kingdom 88 Bridge ancestor 90 Space travel meas. 93 Spring for lunch, say 95 Otherworldly 96 Royals manager Ned 99 One of the Balearic Islands 104 Stepped (on) 105 Seek ambitiously 107 Cut __: dance, in old slang 108 Steinway competitor 109 Pan, in filmdom 110 Impaired from disuse 111 Legendary fabulist 112 Nightclub of song 113 The same, in Paris 114 Holmes adversary Irene 118 Director Kazan 120 Run together 121 Eliza’s greeting 122 House Speaker after Boehner 124 Prefix with functional 126 Yellow Sea peninsula: Abbr. 127 Nav. rank
A Savvy State
H
ow people treat you is about them. How you react is about you. Whether you respond from fear or love sets the stage for how the rest of your story unfolds. From a metaphysical perspective, “a state of being” refers to the predominant lens through which we perceive and interpret the meaning of events in our life. Simply stated, how we react to life events over time forms a pattern, which either leans more toward the frequencies of love or more toward frequencies of fear. The overall pattern forms a “lens”—a state of being in our consciousness, through which we automatically interpret whatever life brings. Why does this matter? Because the universe matches the energy of our thoughts, beliefs and actions, bringing things into our experience that match the frequency of our energies. While it’s helpful to become aware of your “go to” state of being. It is always possible to upgrade.
Feeling fear when it is warranted is not the same as living from a place of fear. Fear and its accompanying fight or flight biochemistry are important survival tools when there is something immediately threatening.
The fear lens: ego mind
Coming from a loving state of being does not mean you are walking around in bliss loving everyone and everything in your path all the time. Coming from a loving state of being includes using judgment, saying no, and having healthy boundaries. The human heart and soul are our linkup to the greater love and higher intelligence of creation. As a result, loving states of being can bring impeccable guidance for living our best life. Coming from love means at the deepest level of being you know there is always a higher plan in effect, regardless of how it may seem, and that life is supporting you. Looking at life through this lens supports generosity of spirit, inner peace and contentment, promoting higher states of health and of consciousness. And by the law of attraction, we inform the universe to bring more of the same into our experience.
Real example: Losing a job via the fear lens
Losing a job via the soulful lens The heart/soul response is very different. “I am really upset and disappointed. I kind of sensed this might happen given what was going on, but it’s still a shock. It still feels awful. What can I learn from this? Was I totally fulfilled in this job? Did I contribute in any way to being let go? What worked for me there and what did not? “Hmm, this is a chance for me to ask myself what I really want to do next, maybe to revisit goals and dreams I have for my life. I still need to earn some money, so I’ll see what’s available, check the classifieds and choose something while I sort this out. I’m getting excited about the possibilities and curious how this will all unfold.”
Ultimately, it’s a choice Coming from fear limits all aspects of well-being, which feels awful and changes nothing. Living through the lens of the heart/soul builds a positive response pattern to what life brings, setting the stage for thriving. If you know there are deep reasons you are not yet able to take the high road even though you’d like to, seek professional help to support the change you want to make. PJH
Here’s a sample of the fear-based interpretation of losing a job. “Why me? It’s not fair! (Cue the hurt, anger and expletives.) Other employees are worse than I am. How
Carol Mann is a longtime Jackson resident, radio personality, former Grand Targhee Resort owner, author, and clairvoyant. Got a Cosmic Question? Email carol@yourcosmiccafe.com
MAY 24, 2017 | 29
A fear-based state of being/consciousness does not mean you are walking around terrified all the time. The fear lens generates the underlying perception that life does not support you, evoking a survival state in which
The love lens: heart and soul
am I ever going to make it in this place? There are no good jobs in this town. Life sucks.” Next, you retell the story to everyone, reigniting your anger, adding more toxicity into your body, and reinforcing the victim role.
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
Appropriate fear
you cannot trust you are safe. The ego is the part of our human psyche that is always poised to view life through “fear-colored” glasses. The fear lens brings endless discontent as you perpetually compare yourself to others, see yourself as the victim of circumstances, and/or feel you’re not enough. This lens breeds mistrust, jealousy, and insecurity, undermining happiness, taxing the immune system and dampening well-being. And by the law of attraction we inform the universe to bring more of the same into our experience.
WELLNESS COMMUNITY These businesses provide health or wellness services for the Jackson Hole community and its visitors.
DEEP TISSUE • SPORTS MASSAGE • THAI MASSAGE MYOFASCIAL RELEASE CUPPING
Oliver Tripp, NCTM MASSAGE THERAPIST NATIONALLY CERTIFIED
253-381-2838
180 N Center St, Unit 8 abhyasamassage.com
No physician referral required. (307) 733-5577•1090 S Hwy 89
www.fourpinespt.com
T2BB.COM
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
30 | MAY 24, 2017
Professional and Individualized Treatments • Sports/Ortho Rehab • Neck and Back Rehab • Rehabilitative Pilates • Incontinence Training • Pelvic Pain Rehab • Lymphedema Treatments Norene Christensen PT, DSc, OCS, CLT Rebekah Donley PT, DPT, CPI Mark Schultheis PT, CSCS Kim Armington PTA, CPI
To advertise in the Wellness Directory, contact Jen at Planet Jackson Hole at 307-732-0299 or sales@planetjh.com
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
HALF OFF BLAST OFF!
BY ROB BREZSNY
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Generation Kill is an HBO miniseries based on the experiences of a reporter embedded with American Marines fighting in Iraq. Early on, before the troops have been exposed to any serious combat, they’re overflowing with trash talk. A commanding officer scolds them: “Gentlemen, from now on we’re going to have to earn our stories.” Although you are in a much less volatile situation right now, Gemini, my advice to you is the same: In the coming weeks, you’ll have to earn your stories. You can’t afford to talk big unless you’re geared up to act big, too. You shouldn’t make promises and entertain dares and issue challenges unless you’re fully prepared to be a hero. Now here’s my prophecy: I think you will be a hero. CANCER (June 21-July 22) In your mind’s eye, drift back in time to a turning point in your past that didn’t go the way you’d hoped. But don’t dwell on the disappointment. Instead, change the memory. Visualize yourself then and there, but imagine you’re in possession of all the wisdom you have gathered since then. Next, picture an alternative ending to the old story—a finale in which you manage to pull off a much better result. Bask in this transformed state of mind for five minutes. Repeat the whole exercise at least once a day for the next two weeks. It will generate good medicine that will produce a creative breakthrough no later than mid-June. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) You’re being invited to boost your commitment to life and become a more vivid version of yourself. If you refuse the invitation, it will later return as a challenge. If you avoid that challenge, it will eventually circle back around to you as a demand. So I encourage you to respond now, while it’s still an invitation. To gather the information you’ll need, ask yourself these questions: What types of self-development are you “saving for later”? Are you harboring any mediocre goals or desires that dampen your lust for life? Do you tone down or hold back your ambitions for fear they would hurt or offend people you care about? VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) “Dear Dream Doctor: I dreamed that a crowd of people had decided to break through a locked door using a long, thick wooden plank as a battering ram. The only problem was, I was lying on top of the plank, half-asleep. By the time I realized what was up, the agitated crowd was already at work smashing at the door. Luckily for me, it went well. The door got bashed in and I wasn’t hurt. What does my dream mean?—Nervous Virgo.” Dear Virgo: Here’s my interpretation: It’s time to knock down a barrier, but you’re not convinced you’re ready or can do it all by yourself. Luckily, there are forces in your life that are conspiring to help make sure you do it.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) “There are no green thumbs or black thumbs,” wrote horticulturalist Henry Mitchell in a message you were destined to hear at this exact moment. “There are only gardeners and non-gardeners. Gardeners are the ones who get on with the high defiance of nature herself, creating, in the very face of her chaos and tornado, the bower of roses and the pride of irises. It sounds very well to garden a ‘natural way.’ You might see the natural way in any desert, any swamp, any leech-filled laurel hell. Defiance, on the other hand, is what makes gardeners.” Happy Defiance Time to you, Aquarius! In the coming weeks, I hope you will express the most determined and disciplined fertility ever! PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) II believe it might be the right time to tinker with or repair a foundation; to dig down to the bottom of an old resource and consider transforming it at its roots. Why? After all this time, that foundation or resource needs your fresh attention. It could be lacking a nutrient that has gradually disappeared. Maybe it would flourish better if it got the benefit of the wisdom you have gained since it first became useful for you. Only you have the power to discern the real reasons, Pisces—and they might not be immediately apparent. Be tender and patient and candid as you explore. ARIES (March 21-April 19) “Sin” is a puerile concept in my eyes, so I don’t normally use it to discuss grown-up concerns. But if you give me permission to invoke it in a jokey, ironic way, I’ll recommend that you cultivate more surprising, interesting and original sins. In other words, Aries, it’s high time to get bored with your predictable ways of stirring up a ruckus. Ask God or Life to bring you some really evocative mischief that will show you what you’ve been missing and lead you to your next robust learning experience. TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
Attention, smart shoppers! Here’s a special spring fling offer! For a limited time only, you can get five cutesy oracles for the price of one! And you don’t have to pay a penny unless they all come true! Check ’em out! Oracle 1: Should you wait patiently until all the conditions are absolutely perfect? No! Success comes from loving the mess. Oracle 2: Don’t try to stop a sideshow you’re opposed to. Stage a bigger, better show that overwhelms it. Oracle 3: Please, master, don’t be a slave to the things you control. Oracle 4: Unto your own self be true? Yes! Unto your own hype be true? No! Oracle 5: The tortoise will beat the hare as long as the tortoise doesn’t envy or try to emulate the hare.
Go to RealAstrology.com for Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes and daily text-message horoscopes. Audio horoscopes also available by phone at 877-873-4888 or 900-950-7700.
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MAY 24, 2017 | 31
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) By now I’m sure you have tuned in to the rumblings in your deep self. Should you be concerned? Maybe a little, but I think the more reasonable attitude is curiosity. Even though the shaking is getting stronger and louder, it’s also becoming more melodic. The power that’s being unleashed will almost certainly turn out to be far more curative than destructive. The light it emits might at first look murky but will eventually bloom like a thousand moons. Maintain your sweet poise. Keep the graceful faith.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) “In youth we feel richer for every new illusion,” wrote author Anne Sophie Swetchine. “In maturer years, for every one we lose.” While that might be generally true, I think that even twenty-something Capricorns are likely to fall into the latter category in the coming weeks. Whatever your age, I foresee you shouting something akin to “Hallelujah!” or “Thank God!” or “Boomshakalaka flashbang!” as you purge disempowering fantasies that have kept you in bondage and naive beliefs that have led you astray.
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) As long as you keep Syria, South Sudan and North Korea off your itinerary, traveling would be food for your soul during the next 28 days. It would also be balm for your primal worries and medicine for your outworn dogmas and an antidote for your comfortable illusions. Do you have the time and money necessary to make a pilgrimage to a place you regard as holy? How about a jaunt to a rousing sanctuary? Or an excursion to an exotic refuge that will shock you in friendly, healing ways? I hope that you will at least read a book about the territory that you might one day call your home away from home.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Life is inviting you to decode riddles about togetherness that could boost your emotional intelligence and earn you the right to enjoy lyrical new expressions of intimacy. Will you accept the invitation? Are you willing to transcend your habitual responses for the sake of your growth-inducing relationships? Are you interested in developing a greater capacity for collaboration and synergy? Would you be open to making a vulnerable fool of yourself if it helped your important alliances to fulfill their dormant potential? Be brave and empathetic, Sagittarius. Be creative and humble and affectionate.
32 | MAY 24, 2017
| PLANET JACKSON HOLE |