Students Get Up Close and Personal

We slept in until around 7:45 a.m. on Monday at our West Yellowstone campground and enjoyed a breakfast of French toast and complimentary cappuccinos. By 9 a.m., we were on the coach and heading toward a ranch owned by Pat Povah. There, he talked to us about the bison issue from a cattle-farmer’s point of view, emphasizing that the bison herd is too large for the park to sustain. He told us that the bison knock down his fences and graze his fields. In the near future, he would like to see the bison herded and tested for brucellosis, and those that test positive be eliminated. Meanwhile, the elk, who also carry brucellosis and are responsible for cattle infestations, are left alone and free to roam where they please.

We entered Yellowstone National Park where we met Chris Geremiah, a bison biologist. Chris gave us the park’s view on sustaining the last wild herd of bison. When asked if eliminating brucellosis was a goal of the park, he firmly said no. However, the Yellowstone Park Services have been engaged with many of the hazing and killings of bison outside of the park boundaries.

En route to visit Old Faithful and the hot springs, we finally saw some of the wildlife we’d been waiting to see. We took pictures of lone bison laying along the road or in the field, and eventually we saw herds of bison grazing in valleys and on hillsides. At one point, a group of two or three bison and a calf crossed the road in front of us and a dozen other cars. It was a neat sight to see.

Being able to talk with a rancher who’d grown up on the family farm and a member of the park service about the bison territorial issues was very enlightening. To see the passion in Pat’s eyes when he explained  the labor he put into his ranch and how much effort the job takes showed me that this issue is very close to home for him. We also were fortunate to talk with Chris, and he cleared up a lot of confusion about what the park thinks about the issue. They don’t want to manage the bison like cattle because their policy demands that they sustain a completely wild herd of bison in the park’s boundaries. Chris showed us the enthusiasm he has for animals and preserving them and the tight bind that the park is in because once the bison cross the boundaries, they can no longer protect them.

Actually seeing the people involved and affected by this issue had a greater impact on me than if I’d just heard names and opinions from a textbook or lecture. We were actually standing on Pat’s farm while he told us the realities he is living with, and we sat in the park during a thunderstorm while Chris explained the capacity of the park and the climate changes. I think that if I had been sitting in a classroom learning about these issues, they would have still interested me, but I wouldn’t have been completely engaged with them like I am now.

Kelsey Blosser
Junior
Eastern Mennonite School