August

August 20

• By Bex

Wrapping up summer days. I have been on vacation for a couple of weeks, doing something I'm sorry to say I have not done before - travel to Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore and the surrounding areas. While in Yellowstone I was in awe at the beauty of nature, the amazing power of the Earth and the strength of the forces in the center of the Earth. The volatile Earth core that bubbles up the steaming hot water in such unpredictable power. The colors of the minerals could only be that of nature, they are so beautiful. What I love about Yellowstone, there is such a passion for the animal welfare, keeping their natural environment protected. In Cody Wyoming, we went to the Buffalo Bills Center of the West museum, this museum is very impressive. There were close displays of wild life and discussions about their environment within Yellowstone and their needs. Even though I struggle with taxidermy for the purposes of a display for a prideful hunter, taxidermy for the purposes of education is so valuable. I can imagine the child wandering through the museum and learning about the animal - how can you not feel the beauty and love of the animal? I have always been soft-hearted to the animals. Even as a child, watching “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom”, (I hear the narrators voice as I type this), I would root for the poor animal that is about to be eaten by the hungry lion, I would feel sorry for the slowest antelope. In the museum there was a display of an area where the bison were herded toward a cliff by the native indian tribe, then as they ran full force to run away from the hunters chasing them, they plunged to their death off the cliff. Even those that tried to stop at the edge, were pushed over by the force of the herd. In the museum they had a partial dig that displayed the layers and layers of bones from below a cliff from which a hunt had happened, this hurts my heart. Or what do you think about this, in Yellowstone the red wolf restoration project reintroduced the endangered red wolf, they were first brought into Yellowstone National Park via truck on January 12, 1995 and were released from their acclimation pens in the park between March 21 and 31, 1995. This year marks the 25 year anniversary to the project, and has been successful as the wolf population has significantly increased. The question now asked, because the wolf is a predator to all of the other animals, they work in packs and are a threat, should they be hunted as sport to control the number?

Ok, what does this have to do with THIS newsletter? Number one, it is healthy to know the beauty of our Earth. It is somehow calming in the face of chaos in this troubled world, to remember there is something more important than some of our petty concerns. Also, being a plant-based eater, I want to share the possibilities of life without eating meat as the primary part of a diet. These amazing creatures of the Earth have a circle of life controlling populations of animals as carnivores in their environment. Humans have choices - what will yours be?