Breaking Out of Winter
April – 2008
Wendell Berry wrote rather famously, that "eating is an agricultural act". Anyone paying attention to food these days must also acknowledge that it is a political one. The genesis of my own political eating came in an unlikely spot, with food the last thing on my mind. It was a late summer evening in a meadow in Yellowstone National Park. I was there 11 years ago to do a field study on the reintroduction of gray wolves to the region – a highly controversial program that began in 1995. Having lived in the hinterlands of Northwest Montana 3 years prior, I knew this issue to be an ideological tinderbox. I returned to the region to explore the cultural dimensions of the reintroduction program.
Little did I know this adventure would lead to my very last hamburger.
I spent several weeks learning about the greater Yellowstone ecosystem – an area which extends far beyond the boundaries of the park itself – and the many species who make it home. The most vocal objection to the reintroduction of wolves came from ranchers, who argued that the presence of this "vicious" species would decimate their herds and flocks. Needless to say, I came away from the experience convinced that ranching posed the greater risk to a healthy and viable West.
That summer, there were approximately 90 wolves in the park, including the spring litters of pups. The greater ecosystem is approximately the same size as the state of Maine, so my chances of seeing one were impossibly small and I tramped around for days, practicing wolf calls, seeing nothing canine. But on that hazy summer evening, I happened upon an adult wolf and two pups on the other side of the clearing– the adult teaching her wards the basics of hunting field mice. Feeling fundamentally that eating beef was incompatible to the future of these creatures, I promised them then and there that the burger I had had just days before was the last of its kind. From this moment on, I became more aware of the foods I chose and the impact they had on a healthy world.
Fast forward 11 years: Late last month, as they often do annually, buffalo from the park attempted to cross out of it and north into Montana. The impetus for this migration is that the snows in Yellowstone are incredibly deep, and any grazing to be had lies buried under feet of snow and ice. Breaking through such piles for a buffalo is an act of enormous caloric waste, especially for ones on the brink of starvation. Just north of the park are plains that the wind has swept bare and precious nutrition remains exposed. Access to this grazing is literally the difference between life and death for herds that have made it through a fierce Wyoming winter.
Regrettably, while there is no visible border for the buffalo to acknowledge, no fence to keep them in, their journey takes them across the state line and into Montana, where they are distinctly not wanted. Imagine a bunch of armed vigilantes waiting for you on the other side of the divide between winter and spring, armed with shotguns, ready to mow you down or herd you off to slaughter. This is essentially the fate that meets the buffalo.
Wendell Berry wrote rather famously, that "eating is an agricultural act". Anyone paying attention to food these days must also acknowledge that it is a political one. The genesis of my own political eating came in an unlikely spot, with food the last thing on my mind. It was a late summer evening in a meadow in Yellowstone National Park. I was there 11 years ago to do a field study on the reintroduction of gray wolves to the region – a highly controversial program that began in 1995. Having lived in the hinterlands of Northwest Montana 3 years prior, I knew this issue to be an ideological tinderbox. I returned to the region to explore the cultural dimensions of the reintroduction program.
Little did I know this adventure would lead to my very last hamburger.
I spent several weeks learning about the greater Yellowstone ecosystem – an area which extends far beyond the boundaries of the park itself – and the many species who make it home. The most vocal objection to the reintroduction of wolves came from ranchers, who argued that the presence of this "vicious" species would decimate their herds and flocks. Needless to say, I came away from the experience convinced that ranching posed the greater risk to a healthy and viable West.
That summer, there were approximately 90 wolves in the park, including the spring litters of pups. The greater ecosystem is approximately the same size as the state of Maine, so my chances of seeing one were impossibly small and I tramped around for days, practicing wolf calls, seeing nothing canine. But on that hazy summer evening, I happened upon an adult wolf and two pups on the other side of the clearing– the adult teaching her wards the basics of hunting field mice. Feeling fundamentally that eating beef was incompatible to the future of these creatures, I promised them then and there that the burger I had had just days before was the last of its kind. From this moment on, I became more aware of the foods I chose and the impact they had on a healthy world.
Fast forward 11 years: Late last month, as they often do annually, buffalo from the park attempted to cross out of it and north into Montana. The impetus for this migration is that the snows in Yellowstone are incredibly deep, and any grazing to be had lies buried under feet of snow and ice. Breaking through such piles for a buffalo is an act of enormous caloric waste, especially for ones on the brink of starvation. Just north of the park are plains that the wind has swept bare and precious nutrition remains exposed. Access to this grazing is literally the difference between life and death for herds that have made it through a fierce Wyoming winter.
Regrettably, while there is no visible border for the buffalo to acknowledge, no fence to keep them in, their journey takes them across the state line and into Montana, where they are distinctly not wanted. Imagine a bunch of armed vigilantes waiting for you on the other side of the divide between winter and spring, armed with shotguns, ready to mow you down or herd you off to slaughter. This is essentially the fate that meets the buffalo.
The threat, according to cattle ranchers across the border, is that buffalo carry a disease that is transmissible to cattle, called brucellosis. What they, and major media outlets covering the story won't share with you, is that it is extremely difficult to transmit this disease from buffalo to cow. And the effects of infection, while ominously made out to sound like the bovine AIDS, are that a cow may miscarry her first pregnancy, but not subsequent ones. In order to contract the disease, a cow must amble upon a fresh, spontaneously aborted buffalo fetus, and lick it. I assure you that the chances of this occurring are extremely small. The issue at hand boils down to the fact that if your state doesn't have any buffalo in it you can declare it brucellosis free, which is a boon to interstate cattle trade. And protecting the cattle trade is the economic and cultural heritage of many Western plains states.
One of the very first laws enacted in the newly formed Massachusetts Bay Colony in the early 1600's was to put a price on the head of wolves. Through this bounty program, the species was shot out of the northeast. Vehemence against wolves eradicated them from every part of the lower 48. In the 19th century, enormous herds of buffalo were shot en masse from passing trains – a form of colonialist sport. (The second photo above depicts the aftermath of such a slaughter) The eradication of the species was also designed to impose cultural, spiritual, and economic genocide on Plains Indians who depended on them utterly.
One of the very first laws enacted in the newly formed Massachusetts Bay Colony in the early 1600's was to put a price on the head of wolves. Through this bounty program, the species was shot out of the northeast. Vehemence against wolves eradicated them from every part of the lower 48. In the 19th century, enormous herds of buffalo were shot en masse from passing trains – a form of colonialist sport. (The second photo above depicts the aftermath of such a slaughter) The eradication of the species was also designed to impose cultural, spiritual, and economic genocide on Plains Indians who depended on them utterly.
What is it about us that we seek not to live in balance with the wilder creatures who share our Earth? It seems instead that we choose utter antagonism. I'm interested in the cultural mythologies that contribute to how we choose to feed ourselves and our families. In this light, please let it be time for a new myth, one where there is more room for the buffalo to roam.
Since my moment with the wolf pups and my education on the struggle of the buffalo, I have reneged on my promise in word, but not in spirit. I have had a taste or two of beef, and I regularly eat lamb. But I look for the most sustainably raised meat I can possibly find. And if the price is a barrier, well then it is for special occasions only, and there are plenty of other choices to be had. The point of politically conscious eating is not to excise specific foods, but to have as holistic an understanding of the source of my food as is manageable. It is quite possible to be an environmentally squandrous vegetarian. Simply eliminating red meat didn't make me the most responsible eater on the block. But having the good sense to investigate the origins of my meals has brought me a lot closer to my promise.
It shatters my heart to think of a mighty buffalo – and if you have seen one up close you can confirm that they are truly mighty – struggling her way through chest deep snow in search of the calories to sustain her and her kind for another season of this life, only to face the unrepentant sights of a shotgun.
Please. Eat responsibly.
Want to learn more about the struggle for Yellowstone’s bison herds? Click
posted by Ariane Michas @ 11:34 AM
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2 Comments:
This is so beautifully written, and the message I took - "you can always do a little better even if you're not perfect" won't be forgotten.
My memory dims about most things these days but I don't think I'll forget those bullets for buffalo in Yellowstone.
You have written a powerful post. Thank you for sharing some of your insight into the real cruelty toward animals which is happening right now. Eating responsibly is a mission with application in more fields than gastronomy and is one to be conscious of always. Thank you for that message.
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