A call to follow in Mowgli's footsteps

“There is more in the Jungle now than Jungle Law, Baloo.” The old bear said nothing, but he thought many things.^[1]

Check out the statistics presented by Chuck Schwartz in a Jackson Hole Star Tribune article about the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) grizzly bear population from this year. [This story is also available here with comments.]

• 25 "known and probable" grizzly deaths have occurred in the GYE this year against a population of ~571. If that mortality rate were applied to the USA, 12 million people would die. That's most of the NYC metro area (more than the New York City, White Plains NY and Wayne, NJ combined).
  
• 94% of those deaths were caused by humans.
• Of the female deaths older than 2 yrs, (i.e. sexually mature or within a few years of sexual maturity) 44% were caused by hunting "incidents" so they probably were defending either a food source or cubs and got shot in defense.

  This seems to be a common theme, as seen in a 10/26 Great Falls Tribune article where a hunter killed a sow with a cub near an elk carcass in self defense. Although obvious, it's worth quoting; "Survival of adult females is particularly critical to the recovery of grizzly bears" says Chris Servheen of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (grizzly bear recovery coordinator). Note that when a female with a cub is killed, the cub is often also counted as a mortality due to their almost zero survival rate. Also note that in this NW Montana population, totally separate from the GYE population, 23 grizzlies have been killed this year.

The biggest obstacle to restoring grizzly bear populations is to minimize human/bear interaction. This is stated clear as day at http://www.grizzlybear.org/bearbook/grizzly_or_brown_bear.htm:

Although tigers, wolves, and mountain lions may have the ability to kill brown bears (especially cubs) their only real enemy is man. And men are such effective killers of bears that even though an area may have everything else that brown bears need, if it is easily accessible to people, brown bears will probably not use it. The exception to this is in areas where bears are totally protected such as National Parks.

You can see by the map below, from The Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST), that the mother grizzlies of the GYE do not wander beyond federal lands were human activity is limited and habitat/food sources/etc is protected (compared to, the city limits of Jackson, WY, let's say).


It seems from these articles and data, the best way to minimize human/bear encounters is to reduce hunting in grizzly territory. I know that some people would mind this, but I think it comes down to making utilitarian decisions and acting as good stewards of the land. [A heavy dose of Aldo Leopold's land ethic would go a long way in this regard.] Although it's been said that sometimes the bear wins, the bear never really wins because if a bear kills a hunter it is usually trapped and killed too.

We are at a time right now when we have the opportunity to fix something that was broken. We came into the west and we fragmented the habitat through roads and human development and various other things. We have the tools, we have the partnerships in place, and we have the knowledge to fix this.^[2]

Reducing roads in National Forests would also be a way to limit human reach in wild areas. I also wouldn't be opposed to this alternative, even though it would make it harder for me to access wild areas I'd like to enjoy. That's a price I'd pay if it meant grizzlies would be able to search wider for food in lean years and wander further for mates to increase genetic diversity and co-mingle disparate populations.

In a bit of good news (have to end on a good note, right?) grizzlies have recently been discovered in an area where they had previously been considered extinct for 60 years and rumored to be seen in the last decade. [I'm currently reading Rick Bass' THE LOST GRIZZLIES, A Search for Survivors in the Wilderness of Colorado and it seems it will be a while before that population is confirmed.] Last month, as reported in the Missoulian, a hunter (surprised?) killed "a large grizzly bear in a roadless area of north-central Idaho." Note the word roadless in that quote, and the fact that evidence often comes in the form of a dead body. This kind of news re-emphasizes the need for efforts such as Vital Ground and Yukon to Yellowstone to piece together connected roadless (read: lacking humans) areas where grizzly populations can safely thrive undisturbed. It would be nice if one day there was a San Juans to Yukon initiative, and the rumors of San Juan grizzly populations become true... I can hope, right?

In my opinion the only way to get grizzlies back in the San Juans and other previous home ranges is to "let in the jungle" just like Mowgli by removing hunters and roads. Some people may call this irrational or extreme, but I think we can give back a bit. I say rape and pillage Manhattan forever -- no bear will ever live there again -- but give back what could be used again by the original inhabitant when we don't necessarily need it. Colorado is working to reestablish a lynx population in the San Juans, and may attempt wolf reintroduction. I don't know if anyone would attempt to reintroduce Grizzlies, so I think their best shot is to let them wander in on their own.

--
[1] Letting in the Jungle (click title to read) from The Second Jungle Book, first published 1895, by Rudyard Kipling. This story is highly worth the read, and definitely NOT in the Disney cartoon movie due to the violence against man handed down by the animals. It's probably my favorite in the entire Jungle Book collection though.

[2] Chris Servheen, quoted at http://www.focuswest.org/predators/intro_preds.cfm

divine intervention?

This could also be called, "looking back from point B to see how I got here from point A" but whatever. Anyways, some people wonder if there is a God. Some believe in a God and wonder if God has any effect or guides us with or without our knowing. I'd like to reflect a bit on the past and consider whether the following is divine intervention or simply a long chain of cause/effect... this goes back as far as 10 years, but focuses mainly on the major life changes in the past few years. I'll try to keep this brief, but include the pertinent (read: "can this really all be the result of chance?") details. The only other thing I'll say is that I couldn't make that up if I tried, and all the people mentioned below will vouch for its accuracy.

1. While in high school my father accepts an internal promotion at his job which leads to my family moving from Kentucky to Ohio... or rather, back to Ohio after 7 years away from the Heart of it All. I move away from friends and/or bad influences, and regain an interest in doing well in school.
   
2. When it comes time to visit colleges, I am led to consider Miami University in Oxford, OH because of the number of other students from my high school that go to Miami. I am nearly 100% certain Miami would not have been on my list if we had not moved to Ohio. [The out of state tuition alone might have been enough to bump it off the list. The out of state tuition eliminated CU in Boulder.] Literally within 30 minutes of arriving in Oxford for the first time, after having visited several other schools (including CU and CSU in Colorado), I recognize Oxford as my new home. I don't even apply to CU or CSU but know well that Colorado is a place I want to live "some time down the road" in my life.
   
3. While at Miami, I meet someone who becomes my girlfriend, which lasts for about 5 years. We continue to date after Miami. She applies to several graduate schools and ultimately decides on UT in Austin. Prior to moving to Austin, I knew nothing about Austin, had never been there, and had no desire to ever live in Texas. Austin turned out to be one of the best things that's ever happened to me.
4. While job hunting for Austin, I contact an Austin professional user group message board and the email is directed to Christoph. Christoph doesn't work for the company I ultimately end up working for, but contracts there. With his suggestions, I find a job in Austin and move there. While at my job in Austin, Christoph is a great influence who helps my career growth. I discover it is the same Christoph from the professional user group. While at one of the user group meetings I meet Scott, who knows some folks in Boulder. Christoph later moves to Dallas to work for Microsoft.
   
5. While in Austin at U. Texas, my girlfriend interviews with several oil companies in the fall of her first year of grad school. After disappointment and lack of interest she decides not to even sign up or attend interviews with oil companies the next fall for full time employment.
6. In the spring of my first year in Austin my sister visits from Washington DC during her spring break. She enjoys the visit so much that she decides to move to Austin. A strange series of events at her school force her job to be cut in DC... this helps make the decision. Her profession is in high demand in Austin and she finds a job easily. She is still in Austin and has no plans to leave. [Coincidentally, during that same first visit, the NCAA March Madness tournament takes place, and the UK Wildcats are in the Austin bracket. UK wins their first 2 games and head to Austin. She and I get to attend the games. We watch UK win a game and Duke lose in person... both are lifelong dreams. I can say without a doubt she and I would not have been at the games if I didn't live in Austin and she didn't have spring break on that specific week.]
7. During what becomes my final summer in Austin, my employer decides to change software platforms and sends me to training. The only available training, given time constraints, is a week-long event in Denver. The trip reminds me of what I had either forgotten or suppressed regarding my desire to live in Colorado.
   
8. The following fall out of seemingly nowhere my girlfriend gets an email from the Dean's assistant asking why she hasn't signed up for an interview with [oil company A] because they are very interested in speaking with her and disappointed she hasn't agreed to meet them. Somewhat begrudgingly, she signs up for an interview. The interview goes well and [oil company A] invites her to Houston. She sees something she likes in them, and is offered a position. It turns out to be a good match, and so she moves to Houston. If it were up to her, based on the previous fall, I find it almost impossible to believe she'd be working where she is now.
   
9. Her moving to Houston is a next step leading to our separation. I find myself in Austin thinking about Boulder. Maybe my ex-girlfriend had done all she was supposed to in my life at that time, and I had done all I was supposed to in Austin for the time being. Regardless, I begin a job search that leads me to make a choice between a job in Boulder and one in south Denver. Even though I feel the position in south Denver would have been a better fit, I am hesitant, feel a draw to Boulder, and accept the position in Boulder. During my visit to Colorado for interviews, a friend from Miami who had just completed his master's degree from CU helps me shop for an apartment in Boulder. The first apartment we look at is where I now live. Shortly after my visit he moves to Los Angeles. Maybe he had done all he was supposed to do in Colorado for the time being. Even somewhat more coincidental is the fact that during my initial research of companies in Boulder I begin an online application for [company x] but do not complete it. I make a mental note to do so, and revisit the website several times to do so, but for some reason do not. I now work for [company x].
10. Before moving to Boulder, I search via the web for a new church home. After less than an hour, I find a church that seems to fit the bill based on weekly sermons/messages hosted as mp3's online. Once in Boulder, I visit and find that church to be a great place for me to worship, grow, etc.
    
11. The night before my last day of work in Austin I find an abandoned cat when parking at my sister's apartment. All of his belongings are in a bag next to him, and he is in a carrier without food or water. I decide after a while that he has been abandoned, and bring him inside. He was extremely underweight, and I believe would have died if left out alone overnight. I decide to bring him to Boulder with me. My apartment complex is very welcoming of cats, so there is no problem with him joining me. He's been a great companion and hopefully will be for years to come.
12. Before moving to Boulder I find out Ryan, a friend from Miami U, is also considering moving to Colorado. He finds and accepts a job in Denver without ever setting foot in Colorado. We move to our new homes within a week of each other and explore the various activities Colorado offers. It's been great having someone with similar interests immediately available to discover the area with. We both agree this summer would not have been as enjoyable or productive (ie we wouldn't have been able to do as much simply because things such as climbing 14ers by nature require a hiking buddy) if only one of us had moved here.
    
13. The first job in Boulder simply didn't work out. I had a feeling it wouldn't but took it anyway. It served its purpose by landing me in Boulder. Out of seemingly nowhere, I get an email from a friend of Scott (who I met at the Austin user group). Scott's friend submitted my resume (not knowing that I had already found work in Boulder and lived in Boulder) to a friend who works down the street from her job... it's the same company I began an application for months ago [company x]. I interview with [company x] and am offered a job. I don't know that I would have been offered an interview or a job without having been already living in Boulder.
    

I now work a 5 minute bike ride away from my apartment and attend a solid church nearby. I had to spend almost no effort to find any of the 3 (job, apartment or church). Not only that, but I live in a place I wanted to be right for me for college but eventually discovered it simply wasn't time... patience pays dividends.

Maybe I'm giving too much credit where credit is not due. Maybe I'm superstitious. Maybe I'm reading too much into things I don't understand and can't control. Or maybe there's somebody guiding my steps and giving me the wherewithal to notice and be thankful for that guidance.