28 minute read
ENVIRONMENT & OUTDOORS
Is more ‘awe’ the magic we need to save Greater Yellowstone?
BY TODD WILKINSON
EBS COLUMNIST
A few days ago, a flare on the surface of the sun sent a burst of radio-magnetic waves toward Earth. If you were paying attention and happened to reside in certain northern latitude locations and ventured in the wee hours outdoors away from a city, you might have observed the emerald-hued glory of the Northern Lights, aka Aurora Borealis.
It got me thinking again about the power of such celestial delights that even in this age of A.I. and digital artifice to wow us. And I reflected back to that August morning in 2017 when we in our approximate region were treated to the Great Eclipse.
If you were here, what kind of sobering sensations fired across the ancient synaptic pathways linking your mind to body and spirit?
Quite possibly, the conjunction of moon and sun was, for some, just another one-off event, a been-there, done-that moment, enabling the seeker to boast forevermore of having witnessed a cosmic alignment yet holding little capacity for pondering its deeper meaning.
For others, the eclipse was a lesson in humility, summoning reflection on what the rendezvous might offer in making them better people.
Mother Nature gives us reasons to stand in awe every single moment. But could it be that by dwelling in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, a region so resplendent with natural mysteries, we become desensitized sometimes, needing an eclipse or Northern Lights to remind us of the impact of awe?
We know, based on thickening reams of scientific evidence, that letting awe seep into our being can be transformational. When awe happens on a mass level, experienced jointly by tens of millions at a time, could it—should it—result in greater appreciation and respect for the natural world?
While I was researching my book on Ted Turner, “Last Stand: Ted Turner’s Quest to Save a Troubled Planet,” a few years ago, there were several things I wanted to know: one was there any correlation between Turner the fiscally conservative, sociallyprogressive billionaire and Turner the successful businessman who became a selfless conservationist and philanthropist.
For Turner, awe for nature played a pivotal role. As he was building the satellite TV cable channels TBS and CNN, an internal impulse began taking hold. During the start of middle age, he deepened his connection to the wild outdoors by buying properties and protecting them with conservation easements. The reasons were amorphous yet instinctual.
As it turns out, science offers an explanation: People who spend more time immersed in nature tend to be more empathetic, kinder, gentler and more giving souls. As exposure increases over their lives, they become more capable of thinking not only about their own self-interest but across generations.
In Turner’s case, it resulted in a realization that doing what one can to protect nature also yields benefits for human communities. While still possessing a large ego, he derived enormous satisfaction from being magnanimous.
A few years ago, a study titled “Awe, the Small Self, and Prosocial Behavior” was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. It corroborated other scientific findings showing that people who derive awe in nature admirably become better citizens.
“Awe arises in evanescent experiences,” leader author Paul Piff from the University of California-Irvine wrote with colleagues. “Looking up at the starry expanse of the night sky. Gazing out across the blue vastness of the ocean. Feeling amazed at the birth and development of a child. Protesting at a political rally or watching a favorite sports team live.
“Many of the experiences people cherish most are triggers of the emotion we focused on here—awe,” Piff continued. “Our investigation indicates that awe, although often fleeting and hard to describe, serves a vital social function. By diminishing the emphasis on the individual self, awe may encourage people to forego strict self-interest to improve the welfare of others.”
Another study titled “Approaching Awe, A Moral, Spiritual and Aesthetic Emotion,” featuring research by Dacher Keltner and Jonathan Haidt, noted this: “Fleeting and rare, experiences of awe can change the course of a life in profound and permanent ways. Awe can transform people and reorient their lives, goals and values … awe-inducing events may be one of the fastest and most powerful methods of personal change and growth.”
Looking around Greater Yellowstone, I have seen plenty of people, many with significant means, drawn to the awe of the region’s wild lands. Many of them care, upon encountering this place, but they don’t know how to respond.
Once infected with biophilia and embracing conservation, I’ve seen people grow happier. In Latin, the term alteri huic means “to this other.” In English, it is the root of the word “altruism,” i.e., exhibiting selfless concern for the well-being of other humans, animals and even places. Simply put, within the context of Greater Yellowstone, it translates to putting the best long-term interest of a place ahead of our desires to exploit it in ways that might do it harm.
With the eclipse, countless millions of dollars and mountains of human time and effort were expended simply to put people in a position to witness a natural event that arrived and passed within a couple of hours.
What a shame that these kinds of events do not result in our greater appreciation of real wild and wildlife wonders in our own backyards. Wonders that, with continued exposure, produce better communities and generous citizens heeding the power of awe.
Todd Wilkinson is the founder of Bozeman-based Mountain Journal and a correspondent for National Geographic. He authored the book “Grizzlies of Pilgrim Creek,” featuring photography by famed wildlife photographer Thomas D. Mangelsen, about Grizzly Bear 399.
US Forest Service unveils long-awaited forest plan New Custer Gallatin plan product of extensive collaboration
BY GABRIELLE GASSER
BIG SKY – After six years of extensive public engagement, the U.S. Forest Service on Jan. 28 released an overarching revised land management plan for the Custer Gallatin National Forest. Left without updates since the 1980s, the plan will serve as the guiding document for the highly diverse, more than 3-million-acre forest for up to 15 years.
Forest Supervisor Mary Erickson signed the record of decision for the plan, a long-awaited moment which resulted from far-reaching collaboration across diverse stakeholders including 18 tribes, local governments, state and federal agencies and numerous individuals.
Forest plans are intended to be updated every 10 to 15 years but according to Mariah Leuschen-Lonergan, public affairs officer for CGNF, the Forest Service’s capability hinges on funding from Congress.
A new USDA Forest Service planning rule implemented in 2012 created a focus on sustainability requiring plans to include sustainable forest restoration, climate resilience, watershed protection, wildlife conservation, ecosystem services, recreation, and uses such as grazing, timber harvest and mining.
That new rule triggered a nationwide review of needed forest plan revisions and identified the Custer Gallatin as one forest requiring an update since the last plan was written in the late ‘80s. The Custer and Gallatin forests were separate until 2014 when they were administratively combined to create one contiguous forest that spans 400 miles east to west.
As part of the planning process, the forest was divided into six geographic areas: the Sioux Ranger District; the Ashland Ranger District; the Pryor Mountains; the Absaroka Beartooth Mountains; the Bridger, Bangtail, and Crazy Mountains; and the Madison, Henrys Lake, and Gallatin Mountains.
Key decisions in the revised plan address native species, designated areas, wildfire and protection of communities, sustaining the forest, and human values and uses.
“There's a lot of pressures on these landscapes, there's a lot of values, and the plan lays out our framework for sustaining the forest over time,” Erickson said.
Designated areas created through the planning process include eight Recommended Wilderness Areas, 13 Backcountry Areas, two Key Linkage Areas, 10 Recreation Emphasis Areas, 30 eligible Wild and Scenic Rivers, and one platinum and palladium mine. the assigned tentative classifications for each river segment. The 30 rivers found by the plan to be eligible for this designation equate to approximately 433 miles.
In August 2018 Congress designated 20 miles of East Rosebud Creek as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Thirteen miles of this creek are classified as wild and 7 miles as recreational both as part of outstanding remarkable values.
Johnson has been involved in the process since early conversations about a decade ago. At a certain point, he said, it became clear that a collaborative agreement wasn’t going to happen.
In the interest of providing cohesive feedback to CGNF, Johnson and other individuals from the surrounding area formed the Gallatin Forest Partnership in 2016 and submitted the final Gallatin Forest Partnership Agreement to the forest service in 2018. Johnson said that agreement became the basis for the plan the forest service ultimately produced.
The agreement details a future for the Gallatin and Madison Ranges that protects wildlife, clean water, wilderness and recreation opportunities through recommended protections and wildlife management areas. Specifically, the document incorporates new land protections that will help guard clean water and ensure safe passage for wildlife while maintaining existing recreational opportunities and seeking to limit new development.
“[The partners] came to the table with a spirit of ‘let's work something out’ and we did,” Johnson said in a Feb. 7 interview. “I'm tremendously proud to have been a part of that. And given what's going on in the country these days, anything that actually comes to an agreement amongst disparate parties is sort of a miracle.”
Leuschen-Lonergan explained that the recommended wilderness and type of land allocations drew some of the most diverse perspectives and sparked the most disagreements. The balance of sustainability and preserving public access struck by the plan was informed by focusing on the common ground in the extensive public comment received by the forest.
“It was a pretty lengthy process, and we're very thankful and fortunate to have people … across the Custer Gallatin, all seven districts, that really care about and are passionate about these public lands and want to be involved in the process,” she told EBS. “Because of that, we were able to build a more … inclusive and robust plan that as we move forward for the next 10 to 15 years, incorporates a lot of people's thoughts and perspectives and is a better plan because of the involvement that we had.”
CUSTER GALLATIN NATIONAL FOREST STATS:
Over 3 MILLION acres
SPREAD OVER 2 STATES Montana & South Dakota
400 MILES from west to east 400 miles from west to east
HUNDREDS of species of native plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates
CGNF is a highly diverse landscape ecologically, socially, economically and culturally. GRAPHIC BY ME BROWN
Designated areas created through the planning process include eight Recommended Wilderness Areas, 13 Backcountry Areas, two Key Linkage Areas, 10 Recreation Emphasis Areas and one platinum and palladium mine. GRAPHIC COURTESY OF CUSTER GALLATIN NATIONAL FOREST/USDA FOREST SERVICE
CGNF spans 400 miles east to west and includes a variety of designated areas. GRAPHIC COURTESY OF CUSTER GALLATIN NATIONAL FOREST/USDA FOREST SERVICE
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Imagine a great river, flowing free
BY DAVE MARSTON
WRITERS ON THE RANGE
Some environmental groups and water honchos have sponsored a “Rewilding of Glen Canyon” contest, with the winner getting $4,000 “and counting.” The contest’s goal is to reconnect the Colorado River above and below a dismantled dam, to restore the beauty of a glorious place now submerged by Lake Powell — just 26 percent full.
The usual suspects make up the rewilding sponsors: former Bureau of Reclamation Chief Dan Beard and Richard Ingebretsen’s Glen Canyon Institute. There’s also Clark County, Nevada Commissioner Tick Segerblom; Save the Colorado’s Gary Wockner; and nature photographer John Fielder. Great Basin Water Network and Living Rivers are co-sponsors.
“Rewilding” is hardly a new concept. In 1996, draining Lake Powell was ballyhooed by David Brower and the Sierra Club, so much so that Congressional hearings were held, though mostly to denounce the very notion.
“Circus atmosphere” is how one observer described the packed hearings. Colorado Republican Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell went all the way over to the House to say, “This is a certifiably nutty idea,” reported Ed Marston in High Country News.
It was the Glen Canyon Dam’s heyday as cheap and plentiful electrical energy poured out of its eight hydro turbines. The 5-billion-kilowatt hours of power it produced each year was enough to power 650,000 homes. You could say that the Southwest’s building boom was enabled by cheap electricity that made air conditioning routine.
The biggest opponents of plug-pulling 26 years ago were water managers from the Upper Basin states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming. They considered Lake Powell their “savings account” to ensure compliance with the 1922 Colorado River Compact. Other opponents were the 3 million annual visitors to the reservoir, appalled at the mere suggestion of losing southern Utah’s flatwater paradise. Houseboat shares, for example, are passed down generationally like heirlooms.
Now, rewilding is back for consideration, and while the contest is fuzzy on details — see www.rewildingcoloradoriver.org — its goal is crystal clear: How do we pop the cork on the 710-foot-tall concrete and steel structure holding back Lake Powell, the artificial 186-mile-long lake rimmed by sandstone cliffs?
As the West faces increasing aridity, rewilding advocates see the Bureau of Reclamation, the agency that built and operates the dam, on its heels. Last year, it shifted water in a game of musical chairs, draining upstream reservoirs in Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico, to shore up Lake Powell. The water shuffle was barely enough as water levels in the reservoir plunged 50 feet.
Meanwhile, big technical challenges face the empty-Lake Powell crowd. More than 1,000 dams have been removed throughout the country, and nature seems to start healing the land quickly. But draining Lake Powell with existing water outlets is impossible: The lowest diversions are the so-called “river outlet works” at 3,370 feet of elevation, which is still 237 feet above the canyon floor.
To make a river wild, it has to flow fast, at grade. Yet at grade is where the rebarreinforced, 300-feet base of the dam shoulders hundreds of millions of tons of fine sediments behind it.
Drilling this beast would require advanced engineering and construction techniques. Then, releasing water through the hole is akin to popping a giant water balloon without getting a face full of sandy water.
Forty years ago, it was a wetter world, says commissioner Tick Segerblom, an exriver guide and fourth generation Nevadan. “The dam was nearly overtopped, lost in spring floods, and now it’s nearly drained.” He points to the damage the dam causes as sandbars disappear in Grand Canyon downstream and silt builds up behind the dam.
If there was ever a time to consider this radical rewilding notion, it’s now. A free-flowing Colorado River, says the Glen Canyon Institute, would still be a major tourist attraction, and Segerblom sees Page, Arizona, becoming the gateway to a new place called Glen Canyon National Park.
Restoring a wonder of nature — why not imagine it? A solution would have pleased David Brower, who regretted not fighting the dam. “Glen Canyon died,” he lamented in a Sierra Club book, “and I was partly responsible for its needless death.”
Perhaps this contest cracks the door to rebirth.
Dave Marston is publisher of Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, a nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West.
The Way I Ski It: Imperative of Ecosystems
BY EMILY STIFLER WOLFE
EBS CONTRIBUTOR
Thirteen stunning photographs of area wildlife grace the downhill-facing side of the new Swift Current 6 chairlift seatbacks. The chairback photos are the biggest display yet of the ForeverProject, an initiative by Big Sky’s parent company, Boyne Resorts, committing all of its 13 properties to sustainable business practices, including reaching net zero by 2030. Each of the three stories in this series focuses on one of the photographers—their work, their stories, and their passion for protecting the Greater Yellowstone.
Charles Post was working as field research assistant on the remote South Fork Eel River in northern California when he first grasped the power of photography.
Among bear, elk, mountain lions and 3,000-year-old redwoods, Post was helping renowned food web ecologists, Dr. Mary Power and Dr. Sarah Kupferberg, study Foothill yellow legged frogs, which migrate from small mountain streams to the mainstem river to breed every year.
In addition to his work as a researcher, Post carried a camera to document their work, the scenery and the wildlife he saw.
“Photography became a way for me to reflect on the places and people who were filling my mind and heart with meaning and purpose,” Post said.
Post spent the following four years documenting North America’s only fully aquatic songbird, the American dipper. That work shaped his graduate research at University of California, Berkeley, and eventually, he leaned into photography and film as a way to communicate the value of wild places and creatures to the general public.
Now based in Gallatin Gateway, 40 miles north of Big Sky, Post has published photos for National Geographic and Outside and through his consulting business has environmental marketing and brand strategy roles at Sitka Gear and HipCamp. He’s a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Species Survival Commission and a Fellow at The Explorers Club.
Next, he and his wife, artist Rachel Pohl, are selling everything and moving to Norway, where Post dreams of going back to work as a bird researcher.
Gallatin Gateway-based photographer Charles Post has published photos for National Geographic and Outside and through his consulting business has environmental marketing and brand strategy roles at Sitka Gear and HipCamp. PHOTO COURTESY OF CHARLES POST
The ForeverProject is about committing to sustainable business practices that protect the environment, human health and society. What does the word ‘sustainable’ mean to you?
Sustainability speaks to the inherent connection we have with the planet and the broader communities we’re part of—whether the decisions we make with our spending, the food we eat, or the organizations, people and companies we support. But it’s also not really the metric we should be worried about. We’ve overdrawn the bank account. We need to focus on reinvestment and regeneration. How can we get the planet back in the green, as opposed to being in the deficit?
So, how do we get back in the green?
It’s all about small drops, and then over time and at scale, big things happen. I see sustainability as a starting place of having a meaningful relationship with the planet that will hopefully have a positive impact over time. There are so many ways for companies to do good. So many levers they can pull and push that didn’t exist in the past, or weren’t as widely known, vetted and available.
Let’s talk about your photography. Where did you take that bighorn sheep image?
That was an early spring day in Paradise Valley. I saw this band of rams marching along, so I pulled the car over safely and gave them ample space. I let them choose which way they wanted to go, and they kept walking toward me. As a field scientist, I learned that observation of wildlife exists up until their behavior is influenced, so as a photographer that’s my number one goal. How can I have this experience, take this image, have this observation, without influencing their behavior?
And the bison photo?
That was this epic day near Cooke City. We were parked in a pullout on the side of the road. There were two moose in the willows, and I was looking at a bighorn sheep on a little bluff when this bison came over the horizon. It was one of those moments you couldn’t expect, and yet it’s also a Montana moment. With all these healthy wildlife populations, things like that can happen.
Why did you want to work with Big Sky on the Swift Current 6 chairback photo project?
Big Sky is an important first touchpoint for visitors. This project gives them a chance to be reminded of or be exposed to the concept of an ecosystem. The plants and animals here are what make this place so amazing and unlike anywhere else. I remember watching Steve Irwin on TV as a kid and seeing National Geographics and being captivated by the videos and photos of wildlife. Who knows, maybe a young person sees those images on Swifty and wants to go a little further, go to Yellowstone, take a hike.
Q&A WITH CHARLES POST
The seatbacks of the new Swift Current 6 chairlift feature 13 wildlife photographs, the biggest display yet of Big Sky Resort’s ForeverProject, a sustainable initiative by Big Sky’s parent company Boyne Resorts. PHOTO BY SETH DAHL
It’s one of the last remaining intact interconnected ecosystems in North America and one of the few on the planet. It’s a relic of what once was, and a reminder of what we’ve lost and how much we have to save. While I’m not focused on the Greater Yellowstone, a big part of my work is highlighting the importance of and our connection to ecosystems.
Why do you focus on that connection?
One way we can save ecosystems like the Greater Yellowstone is by engaging with people in their ecosystem around the basics of ecology, so they understand that there are still intact ecosystems as rich and diverse as this, and that there are upstream and downstream consequences for all ecosystems. It’s all about creating context, because most people will never go to the Greater Yellowstone, but they’re making decisions every day that impact it or the ecosystems in their community and watershed.
Post captured this photo of a bison on what he called an epic day near Cooke City. PHOTO BY CHARLES POST Find more of Charles Post’s work at charlespost.com. Read more about the Forever Project and the photographers involved in the Swift Current 6 chairlift chairbacks at bigskyresort.com. Emily Stifler Wolfe is a writer and business consultant based in Bozeman, Montana. Find her at emilystiflerwolfe.com. This article originally appeared on Big Sky Resort’s blog: The Way I Ski It on December 6, 2021. For more stories, visit blog.bigskyresort.com.
The power of powder
BY DAN EGAN
EBS CONTRIBUTOR
At the core of every winter morning, even before the coffee is poured, the possibility of fresh tracks is the motivation for most skiers and riders. A pristine powder slope sparkling with snow diamonds is a vision that is hard to forget. That same slope with arcing tracks on it tells the world that we were there that day.
It’s a magical moment when a skier or snowboarder complements the mountain scenery. These moments are most commonly captured in our mind’s eye, through the goggle lenses of our winter companions, or by the lens of a camera. When riding a chairlift on a powder day, gazing off toward the horizon, you can often pick out tracks left by a snow-rider bold enough to venture off the beaten path. On long drives through mountainous regions, I frequently find myself daydreaming about the possibilities of carving up the slopes beyond my windshield. Oh how quickly these moments trigger memories of powder days gone. Sometimes after a fellow skier has ripped a fresh line, I will relive that vision and try to complement their tracks by making figure eights with my own. The result is an inner grin as I discover the rhythm and pace of their turns.
While skiing behind someone, I’m often drawn into the power of the energy they create as their skis dive in and out of the snow. That image puts my body into autopilot and their motion occupies my mind as my body mimics their movements.
When a group of skiers or riders have tapped into this energy and emerge from a magical run you can often see it in their eyes, smiles and soft-spoken chatter. You think, ah, they found it and tracked it.
It’s amazing how powder motivates our need for adventure and to arc down a wide-open bowl or dance through the trees, and to leave tracks so others will know we were there first. The power of powder stirs the soul.
Fresh powder: it’s what keeps all skiers hungry for more. PHOTO BY DAN EGAN
This column originally ran in the Jan. 6, 2017 edition of EBS.
Extreme Skiing Pioneer, Dan Egan coaches and teaches at Big Sky Resort during the winter. His 2022 steeps camps at Big Sky Resort run Feb. 24-26, March 10-12 and March 17-19. His newest book, “Thirty Years in a White Haze” was released in March 2021 and is available at www.White-Haze.com.
Staying warm next to a fire while the team considers the steps to take to get out of the backcountry on Jan. 4. PHOTO COURTESY OF GNFAC
Beyond the beacon Thoughts and gear for a safe backcountry experience
BY DAVE ZINN
EBS CONTRIBUTOR
Accidents happen, but they had not happened to me in any significant way. While I do not feel youthfully invincible, I have a confidence built from many years working as a professional rescuer in the mountains. But there I was on Jan. 4, 2022, sitting in the snow with a dislocated shoulder. I was unable to reduce it and the pain severely limited movement and hampered any ability to ride or self-rescue. Here is some of the gear, training and thought processes that stacked the chips in our favor.
At the avalanche center, we emphasize that every member of your group should have a beacon, shovel and probe along with the training to utilize them efficiently in case of an avalanche. However, many backcountry incidents don’t involve avalanches and even minor injuries can quickly complicate a simple day of mountain travel.
After my accident, walking or riding a snowmobile was a challenge, and painkillers and a couple of triangle bandages were invaluable resources. Always carry a good first aid kit that is light and includes supplies to address lifethreatening emergencies and stabilize common injuries. A Wilderness First Aid or Wilderness First Responder class prepares you to put this gear to work.
Do not forget the details of your medical training. Sick and injured patients get cold easily and getting cold exacerbates everything. After my accident, puffy expedition mittens with hand warmers went on and a giant down coat went over everything I was already wearing. Mugs of hot cider provided simple sugars to stoke the internal fire and an external bonfire made from green wood roared to life when a flare—along with a bit of gasoline—was thrown into the mix.
A tarp suspended by parachute cord kept the wind off and served as an emergency toboggan to help move me into the flats. Many of these items had been in our emergency kits for years without being used but were effectively employed during the rescue. None of these supplies would have made for a comfortable night out, but it would have been survivable if we had not been able to evacuate that afternoon. Wisely, we activated local search and rescue in part because we were in fact riding with several members of the Fremont County Idaho Search and Rescue Team at the time. We need confidence to successfully navigate through the mountains and we need humility to know when to ask for help. An organized rescue takes time to mobilize and arrive, and if you are able to sort out your own emergency they can be turned around. Calling them early facilitated a timely evacuation and minimized the chances that we would have had to spend the night in the backcountry.
Ultimately, I am lucky to be on the road to healing and have every intention of being back in the mountains soon. Integrate some of these lessons into your backcountry travel plans and we hope the gear and the training will be a backup you never have to use. Finally, thank you to the members of the Fremont County Idaho Search and Rescue Team specifically and search and rescue volunteers in general. We are lucky that you have our backs.
Dave Zinn is an avalanche forecaster for the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center. He has been with GNFAC since 2019 and has eleven years of ski patrol experience at Bridger Bowl and the Yellowstone Club.
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