Reflecting on the Absaroka TIM, November 29

Dec 13, 2011

"It didn't take me long to realize that the A-B Front is the most important, fully-functioning ecosystem outside of a national park in America." -Dave

by Dave ShowalterA blustery November wind sends a chill through North Fork Canyon, which is of no concern to mating bighorn sheep. I visited the sheep for several days in a row to give our Tripods In The Mud story a heartbeat, thinking occasionally about the future of bighorns and their rightful place as a Rocky Mountain icon. Mostly, I was just trying to make compelling images of a majestic creature that migrates from Yellowstone National Park to grassy winter range in North Fork Canyon. It's natural to focus on the big rams with their full curl that wraps under the eye. That's what I was doing when this juvenile approached me and looked straight into my lens, captivating me with his translucent eyes. The moment lasted for a burst of images, just a few seconds.Bighorn sheep have been reduced to less than 10% of their historic population and are among the species that Greater Yellowstone Coalition advocates for. They are vulnerable to disease from domestic sheep; and because bighorns travel long distances, their range frequently overlaps. Bighorn sheep need freedom to roam between winter and summer range, a classic case for protecting critical lands outside of national parks. They are both emblematic of the Rocky Mountain Region and the struggle to protect both our natural and Western heritage.This Tripods In The Mud project began when GYC's northwest Wyoming director Barbara Cozzens emailed me in the summer. Barb had an outside the box idea to use images and advocacy to bring attention to the Absaroka-Beartooth Front (A-B) while land management agencies are establishing a 20-year plan for BLM and Shoshone National Forest lands east of Yellowstone. GYC's plan protects the A-B Front and steers energy development to places that are appropriate for oil and gas development - conserving lands that are critical for wildlife and human recreation. With GYC and ILCP's support (and Barb's enthusiasm and passion), we crafted a plan for the Tripods In The Mud project; by definition a way to address an urgent conservation need - in this case a 20-year land management plan with an imminent threat of development in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Most people don't know the Absaroka-Beartooth Front; which is understandable considering the notoriety of YNP. What we all need to better understand is that our national parks aren't big enough to be sustainable, that wildlife need to move freely, and people need places to recreate, to hunt, fish, birdwatch, hike, bike, backpack - to find peace in wild places. These are our public lands and every American citizen is a stakeholder. Our story is about all of those things and much more.It didn't take me long to realize that the A-B Front is the most important, fully-functioning ecosystem outside of a national park in America. It's not perfect, but all of the animals that belong here are here; migrations are intact, and people have unlimited access to the wildest places in the lower 48. I learned that you can hike on any trail and have it to yourself, with the added bonus of being second or third in the food chain. I hiked through, drove around, flew over, rode horseback, photographed a rodeo, mountain biked, and hiked some more; solo and with like-minded companions. And I reflected a lot, thinking about what matters most. In Pavillion and Clark our Western neighbors would simply like to have clean air and water, both fouled by industrial drilling for gas. Elsewhere, we make room for grizzlies, Yellowstone cutthroat trout, bighorn sheep, sage grouse, migrations of mule deer, elk, and pronghorn - a web of life above timberline, in sub-alpine forest, riverine riparian habitat, and mixed sagebrush grassland. It's easy to get sidetracked and talk about a single species that some folks love and others hate; or caught up in ideology about how to use the land or bend it to our will. GYC has a great plan that offers a sustainable future for the A-B Front, it's wild residents, folks who make their living off the land, and those of us who visit for a little while. It's Yellowstone without the crowds and outside of the imaginary lines, the Western interface. If we care about the West and a sustainable future, the Absaroka-Beartooth Front deserves protection.The photography expeditions are completed and a lot of heavy lifting is needed to conserve the A-B. Stay tuned to learn how you can support protection for the A-B, news about a traveling photo exhibit, social media outreach, and a multi-media piece. It's a privilege to work with two world-class organizations in the Greater Yellowstone Coalition and the International League of Conservation Photographers and I'm grateful for the opportunity. And many thanks to GYC supporters and friends in Cody country for your support and friendship. It's been a wonderful journey so far! Share or comment on this story >

Absaroka TIM Dispatches from the field 11/12 Shoshone River

Nov 12, 2011

By Dave ShowalterWinds roared all night in the Bighorn Basin, offering no clue that winter had arrived at higher elevations. I traveled the North Fork of the Shoshone River with Dave Burke, Park County Commissioner, photographer, and all around nice guy. We looked for grizzly bears that hadn't denned up yet, spotted rutting bighorn sheep in the sage flats, a pair of river otters on the icy river, and a cow moose in the willows. This bald eagle was fishing from a dead pine at river's edge. The Absaroka-Beartooth Front has some of the most crucial winter range in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Share or comment on this story >

Absaroka TIM Dispatches from the field 11/11 Elk Fork

Nov 11, 2011

By Dave ShowalterI joined Cody resident Justin Hawkins for a hike above the Elk Fork, a stream the feeds the North Fork of the Shoshone River. This is Justin's home field - he supervises the forest campgrounds along the North Fork. We ducked out of the howling wind and ascended a thin trail on snow through the forest, following fresh grizzly tracks the whole way. We never saw the bears, but experienced the exhilaration of hiking with the great bears. The sow and cub probably watched us pass from a thicket. We rose to this 8,000 foot overlook and absorbed views of the snow-capped Absaroka Range, a wild and vital range in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Both the bear tracks and expansive views give a sense of just how much freedom to roam is needed for a fully functioning ecosystem. Share or comment on this story >

Absaroka TIM Dispatches from the Field 9/29 Bear Track-ing

Dave Showalter

Sep 29, 2011

I met local Cody wildlife photographer Matt Riebel at the GYC event this week and casually mentioned that I had heard about bear activity on the Pahaska Trail and would like to hike... before I could finish, he says I'm in!Matt and I met at the trailhead in grey dawn light and set out with giant camera bags stuffed with 600mm lenses, burly tripods - miserable loads for hiking, but worth it if we could find a nice grizzly bear. We traveled the rolling trail above a creek flowing from the Absarokas just south of Yellowstone National Park, calling out 'hey bear" when rounding blind corners and small rises. Warm morning light dropped slowly into the shaded valley as we made our way four miles into the North Absaroka Wilderness. We spotted a lone bison but no bears and decided to turn around. Bears cover big distances and we thought we may see something on the way back.The first track really got my heart racing. It was clearly fresh in the dusty trail, pressed over our bootprints. Matt studied the track and judged it to be the rear paw of an average-sized adult grizzly. We followed these fresh tracks for about a mile and a half, bear spray in hand and hyper-aware of every sound along the trail. At a fork in the trail, our bear left a bunch of tracks as if he as trying to decide which way to go. We lost him there and wondered if he watched us pass from tall brush. Although we never saw the bear, the very presence of grizzly bears made for an exhilarating hike, the thrill of traveling the same path as Greater Yellowstone's keystone predator. Our experience underscores the need to conserve large areas outside of the National Parks and keep this functioning landscape intact - the goal of this Tripods In The Mud campaign with Greater Yellowstone Coalition. Share or comment on this story >

Absaroka TIM Dispatches from the Field 9/28 Clark's Fork Canyon

Dave Showalter

Sep 28, 2011

Today is my ninth day in the field for this leg of the expedition and I was reflecting while hiking in Clark's Fork Canyon this morning.We had a reception in Cody last night, with 25 Greater Yellowstone Coalition supporters coming out to learn about our Tripods In The Mud Campaign. I've met so many remarkable folks in my travels and the group last night was very passionate about protecting the Absaroka-Beartooth Front. It's great when like-minded people from all walks of life gather because they care about the land - their land. And it's important that GYC stepped up for the Tripods In The Mud partnership to build support for the AB-Front across the country. Our partnership is a big step forward for Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem conservation. I'm grateful for the kind people I've met in Cody and the opportunity to work with GYC on such an important project.The Clark's Fork Canyon image makes the connection of sagebrush flats to the ruggedly beautiful canyon. It also shows an intact and functioning ecosystem, increasingly rare in the American West. Share or comment on this story >

Absaroka TIM Dispatches from the Field 9/27 Greybull Pass

Sep 27, 2011

One of the requirements for this line of work is getting out early and staying out late - night work.I've been getting into the Absaroka Range the last few days, hiking to Greybull Pass to see the headwaters of the Greybull River and up to Copper Lakes, the headwaters of Sunlight Creek with Martin Kidston of the Billings Gazette last night. Catching good light means hiking in darkness with grizzlies roaming, a time known around here as "witching hour." It gets a little creepy, but Wyoming Game and Fish says if you make noise, hike with a partner, carry bear spray, and keep a cool head should you encounter a bear, both you and the bear will be just fine. Use your head, save a bear. The bonus is getting to see these remarkably rugged mountains in beautiful light. Martin and i had a 3 mile, 2,200 vertical feet descent in the dark last night - with fresh bear scat on the trail - a tad nerve-racking. We got down safely, then spotted a massive grizzly bear on the drive out. That's part of the magic and exhilaration of recreating in the Absaroka-Beartooth Front, keystone predators roaming a wild landscape. I hope they'll always have freedom to roam. Share or comment on this story >

Absaroka TIM Dispatches from the Field 9/23 Clark, Wyoming

Dave Showalter

Sep 23, 2011

Thirty miles north of Cody, at the mouth Clark's Fork Canyon, the town of Clark is a wide spot in the road with houses sprinkled across wind-blown sage flats. Spectacular mountains tilted on their sides form the backdrop.I met Deb Thomas of Powder River Resource Council for a tour of the Clark area and to gain an understanding of how things went awry with drilling on private lands. Deb and her husband grew up in the area and settled on a small ranch along Line Creek. It's their special piece of the West, with an apple orchard and unlimited horseback riding. It's also just downstream from the August 11, 2006 drilling rig blowout about 1/2 mile away from the Thomas'. Area residents have been heavily impacted, with severe water and air contamination and the chemicals in the earth continue to migrate through the complex plumbing on the east side of Yellowstone, keeping residents at risk. Unbelievably, Windsor Energy, the company responsible for this catastrophe, would like to drill 1/4 mile west of Crosby 3 on Shoshone NF land. Yet another pathetic example of industry regulating itself. Share or comment on this story >

Absaroka TIM Dispatches from the Field 9/22 Greybull River, Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming

Dave Showalter

Sep 22, 2011

Cody resident and outstanding fly fisherman Dave Sweet took our small group out for a remarkable fishing outing on the Greybull River, one of the strongholds for the imperiled Yelowstone cutthroat trout.A bluebird day with a wild river running through it. The Greybull flows cold and strong out of the Absaroka Mountains to the east of Yellowstone National Park. The upper stretch of the river above Meeteetse holds all Yellowstone cuts - it's the second most important water for these keystone fish next to Yellowstone Lake. Watching three skilled anglers work the river and release 16-18" native trout was uplifting - we have a healthy, functioning ecosystem with all of the animals that are supposed to be here! I got in the act and caught a few too and it occurred to me later that this was a rare time in my life on a truly wild river. It's a special place. Share or comment on this story >

Absaroka TIM Dispatches from the Field 9/21 Pavillion, Wyoming

Dave Showalter

Sep 21, 2011

These are some of the strongest people I've ever met.

I came to Pavillion, Wyoming thinking that I knew about the place from watching the documentary Gasland and reading High Country News.I knew about the terrible problems with air and water pollution, that the residents couldn't drink their water and industry had told them it was just fine. It turns out I didn't know much. Things get more personal when you get to know folks a little bit too. I met some of the locals and was fortunate to meet John and Cathy Fenton, their son and high-spirited dog, Hoss. John and his brothers built their comfortable home with a Western porch that overlooks the pastureland, Owl Creek Mountains, and part of the Wind River Range. We hit it off right away and talked well past supper. Yesterday, I traveled around the pastures with John, learning about all the ranchers in this area have been through and how hydraulic fracturing for natural gas has changed the way of life for an entire community. None of the ranching families here can drink their water and the air is unfit to breathe because of the emissions from the gas field. Health problems are showing up too - human health. No one listens when animals drop dead en mass in a field. It's mind-boggling that this is happening - in America! It was hard to say goodbye to my new friends the Fentons. I'm able to leave and they must stay and fight for their way of life and core beliefs. These are some of the strongest people I've ever met. Share or comment on this story >

NG News Watch: Dave Showalter

"LightHawk pilot Mike Conway guided me over known and unfamiliar terrain to photograph the footprint of wind farms and areas planned for development." - Dave Showalter Share or comment on this story >