Wolves, Bears and Buffalos, God Love 'em!

Yellowstone is the place of the rebirth of the Grizzly Bear, the Gray Wolf, and the American Bison (or buffalo). These critters were getting into short Supply, and the environMentalists, who care about such shorTAGes, did something about it. Now we’ve practically got as many bears, wolves, and Buffalo as we do environMentalist.

I met Maggie Finch-Hunter at Mack’s Inn on the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River. Maggie is not a finch hunter, she is a finch observer. She has one of those hyphenated names. Her husband was blasted out of existence in Bush War Ii, but she has kept a stiff upper lip.

The Wolves

The part about her husband getting killed in Bush War Ii was a lie. I added it to make this narrative look more like a current event.

Wolves, Bears and Buffalos, God Love 'em!

Her husband left her to join the circus.

No, he left her to become a Hollywood star and needed at least one disjunction under his belt if he ever wanted to be famous.

I’ll stick with that last one. It has a trace of truth in it.

Maggie told me to hop into her jeep. She was going to Big Springs.

Big Springs is the headwaters of the Henry's Fork of the Snake River where Rainbow trout spawn in large numbers, development it a predominant Fishing spot in the Mountain West.

Downstream is the Big Springs National Water Trail, a four-hour float trip with scenic forest, mountain views, and wildlife. (One place to read about Island Park and the surrounding area is: [http://www.westyellowstonenet.com/island_park/island_park_idaho.php].)

I hopped into the jeep.

I said, “Maggie, didn’t a hermit live up at Big Springs?”

The jeep hit a bump about throwing me behind in the dust cloud.

She said, “Wasn’t a hermit. Johnny Sack was a German cabinet maker who in 1929 leased land at Big Springs from the Forest Service."

I said, "Is the cabin still there?"

She said, "You were up there yesterday, weren't you?"

I said, “My readers don't know I was up there. You are too callous, Maggie. It’s because your husband left you for Hollywood, isn’t it?”

She laughed and said, “What husband? No man would marry a woman that is never home but always out seeing for Dall sheep that live on alpine ridges in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge. What man would want to chase me up there?"

(Read about Dall sheep at: http://library.thinkquest.org/3500/dall_sheep.html.)

I said, “I guess you do have a point: unless you are rich, of course.”

At the headwaters of the Henry’s Fork of the Snake, folks were loading themselves into canoes and onto rafts for the fun-filled journey downstream.

I said, “Do you know why the Fisherman Fish under the bridge back at Mack’s Lodge?”

Maggie smiled and said, “Because the swallow poop drops from the bridge every time a car or truck speeds by and the fish feed on it. It’s easy to catch fish there.”

She added, “Tee Hee!”

I said, “Yum, yum! That’s why I don’t fish there. I don’t want to eat swallow poop.”

Island Park is down in a huge volcanic caldera similar to the one that encompasses much of Yellowstone Park. (You can read about it at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_Park_Caldera.)

Mack’s Lodge burned to the ground some years ago and was never rebuilt, but they have camping areas for trailers and tents, cabins, and a motel for guys like me who don’t like to pull humongous trailers and hate to camp on the ground. (See http://www.macksinn.com/)

I said, “Maggie, why do you stay down here instead of up in West Yellowstone?”

“Summer crowds. It’s close to Yellowstone Park and I like it down here.”

I said, “We were up in the Park yesterday. We saw a zillion elk and buffalo, but not one black bear. I guess they are still shooing them to the back country.

"I read in the newspapers that the buffalo are overflowing from the park causing brucellosis in ranch cattle (see: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/nahps/brucellosis/)

"Also, the wolves are attacking cattle and sheep, and the Grizzly Bears are terrific ranchers and school children.” problem at: [http://www.bcwf.bc.ca/documents/s=335/bcw1128053820869/])

She looked up at the forest fire that was approaching Mack’s Inn and said, “Isn’t nature wonderful!”

Well, there de facto was a fire even if there was no Maggie!

The End

copyright©John T. Jones, Ph.D. 2005

Wolves, Bears and Buffalos, God Love 'em!

Friends Link : Natural Gas Grills