Let's Talk!
Front of t-shirt
Back of t-shirt
People sometimes assume that because I identify as an environmentalist, I have definite ideas about certain topics related to the natural world. But the reality is that the closer you are to something - the more you know about a subject - the more shades of gray you are able to see. Very little in life is black and white, as much as we sometimes wish it was that easy.
Add that fact to the current state of affairs in which civil discourse seems less and less achievable and I decided to create a t-shirt with the goal of sparking conversation. I found myself uttering the words “it’s complicated” over and over again this past year. So the t-shirt displays that sentiment on the front while suggesting a few topics for discussion on the back.
Obviously there are an unlimited variety of shirts that could be designed, depending on where you live and what the hot button issues are in your area. Immigration, vaccinations, home-schooling, gun laws, abortion…there are so many subjects that deserve debate as long as both sides are willing to listen and agree to disagree while remaining respectful of other’s views.
Because the discussions I find myself involved in much of the time in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem center around wildlife and land use, those are the words I focused on in the design of this shirt. You will see that I left a space at the bottom for anyone to fill in their own favorite topic of the day.
Below are just a few examples of some of the current issues and sentiments from both sides of the debate.
Mountain goats in Wyoming’s Beartooth Mountains.
There is a campaign currently underway in parts of the state of Wyoming to eradicate mountain goats. As someone who has photographed these incredible animals for a number of years, I find it heartbreaking to think of the species being wiped out because of a decision made by man. The other side of the story is that the goats don’t belong here. They were introduced to nearby mountain ranges, primarily for the purpose of hunting, a number of decades ago and have gradually spread into two main areas of Wyoming: the Beartooth Mountains in the northwest and Grand Teton National Park in the west central part of the state. The problem is that goats carry a bacterial disease that is fatal to endemic bighorn sheep. In addition, the goats compete with the wild sheep for the same habitat, with the goats coming out on top in many locations.
Wolf pack in Yellowstone’s Northern Range in 2019.
Few things caused as much controversy in this state as the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone in the mid-1990’s. Forget the ridiculous and easily dispelled claims that wolves have devastated the (ever increasing) elk herds, there are still conversations worth having about the return of the large canines.
Most scientists will tell you that the attempted eradication of large predators in the Park in the early to mid-1900’s resulted in an imbalance in the natural world. Elk herds, in particular, grew to sizes that devastated landscapes. With no hunting and few natural enemies remaining, the numbers of ungulates increased to a point that grasslands and riparian areas were being destroyed. The return of the wolves, along with increasing populations of mountain lions and grizzly bears over the course of the last few decades, has restored a balance that had long been missing.
On the other hand, wolves don’t wear shock collars that tell them where the Park boundaries begin and end. Successful litters mean more animals spreading out across the landscape, often crossing onto ranches that have existed for generations within the ecosystem. To a rancher operating on a tight budget, trying to feed his family through the annual sale of livestock, the loss of even one animal to a wolf can be devastating.
A feral honeybee flies toward a California poppy in search of additional pollen.
How can there possibly be any debate about the benefit of honeybees? They are pollinators of many flowers and feed crops, they produce honey and they are so fun to photograph! But like the mountain goats, they are not native to Wyoming or even, for that matter, North America. They were cultivated because they could be domesticated, in part because they are less aggressive than many native bees. But while we are working hard to save the honeybees, many of the 4,000 species of native bees in North America are disappearing at an alarming rate, in part because they are being pushed out by the darling honeybee. In Wyoming we have around 800 species of native bees, a fact I suspect few residents are aware of, and they are responsible for the pollination of many native species of plants that would suffer if they were to disappear.
A herd of elk rests in the lawn of a house being constructed between Cody and Yellowstone.
I can’t end this post without mentioning the impact of development in more and more habitats that were once the sanctuary of wildlife. Despite current efforts of humankind to destroy our species, the worldwide population is growing at an unsustainable rate. People need places to live but so do all other creatures. We need to work harder to figure out the way forward that is best for all life on this planet.
I sincerely hope that by addressing the many complicated issues of our times through civil, respectful discussions, we can find solutions that allow us to hold our heads high and to look back and say “I did my best!”