A Note From Yellowstonian
Heartfelt holiday greetings, dear readers, no matter where this finds you. We in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem don’t have flying reindeer; our grand and prolific ungulate emblems are elk, also known as wapiti, and they are yet another reason why this region is heralded as the cradle of American wildlife conservation.
Once upon a time, barely more than a century ago, Greater Yellowstone stood as a last refuge for wild elk, the entire species moving perilously close to being wiped out by market hunters, poachers and ranchers who didn’t like to have wildlife competing for grass with their livestock. What few today realize is that Colorado, which has the largest elk population of any state in the US, owes the genesis of wapiti recovery to transplanted elk imported from Greater Yellowstone to augment the last survivors there. Similarly, elk from Greater Yellowstone have served a powerful role in igniting recovery of the species in many states. In our time, many ranchers and farmers are heroes as abiding habitat protectors.
Elk are living symbols of wildness and we at Yellowstonian are grateful. Below we are sharing a moving video created by photographer/videographer Holly Pippel, a Yellowstonian columnist, naturalist and avid witness who has been chronicling the struggle of wildlife dealing with growth issues affecting her home Gallatin Valley. In particular, Pippel has been tracking the majesty and travails of members of the famous Gallatin Elk Herd contending with sprawl around Bozeman overtaking winter range and habitat where mother elk have raised their young. Elk are facing similar struggles in every corner of Greater Yellowstone.
The video shows members of the Gallatin Gateway elk subherd traveling quietly below the lights of Bozeman and the Bridger Mountain Range in the distance. (Pippel’s acclaimed image of a bison standing on Ted Turner’s Flying D Ranch and looking out toward the suburbs of Bozeman was recently featured in a new scientific analysis on the consequences of sprawl for Greater Yellowstone. You can view the report free by clicking here).
In addition, Pippel has penned a poem. As you enjoy this season of togetherness and loved ones, set aside a chair at your banquet table in remembrance of wild creatures. It’s long been a tradition of indigenous tribes as they ponder the consequences of important decisions. All the best from your friends at Yellowstonian: Gus, Lori and Todd
The Spirit of Elk this Christmas
by Holly Pippel
Twas the night before Christmas and all through the valley
Creatures were stirring and starting to rally
The Bridgers’ aglow with human-made light
The Gateway elk travel contemplating their plight
With snow and cold, development and roads
They dodge and adapt as our sprawl and seasons roll
Fast hooves on the ground and keen noses to the wind
Visions of safe corridors, dance in their heads
With no sense of politics , but only survival
They are counting on us to make amends
