Just pulled into Grouse Creek and passed a cattle jam on my way. Summer must be coming soon. If I have not already described my field site to you, the best way to picture it, is to think of the West 100 years ago. It probably didn't look much different than it does today. This NW portion of Utah is made up of open range cattle grazers. All or at least 99% of the people that live out here (that's only about 80 people) ride their horses more often than their trucks. They drive cattle between March and June and then again from August until October to graze on open ranges with plenty of grass. Yes, it is quite a desert out here, but the ranchers have learned how to monopolize the water resources, tapping into every spring and filling troughs for their livestock. It is a simple but rough way of life. Ranchers toil all day on everything from moving cattle, to cultivating alfalfa, to building fences. They make little money but are rarely affected by the rest of the world, except for beef prices and BLM leases.
It makes me wonder, in times like these when budget cuts rule the world and wildlife careers suffer, should I just become a rancher? Unfortunately, most ranchers do not make much money and health care can be difficult--not just to pay for, but to travel for all medical needs. Grouse Creek "A Place Like No Other" the sign reads. On one of my first days here I asked one of the neighbors, "So, what do you do if you injure yourself?" He said "Well, basically you live or you die." That's the truth. Either your injury is too large that fatality strikes, or you'll survive in pain long enough to get to a hospital. Oh, and he also mentioned that if someone needs Life Flight, it's best to drive to the Idaho border 10 miles away and then call because Idaho will respond faster than Utah.
It is certainly an interesting lifestyle. To idolize it, or be deterred by it, is up to each individual's impression. I'll say this--I can't wait until class is finished in 3 weeks so I can move out here permanently and avoid the back and forth every week of driving. Oh, and it is a great place to contemplate about life's ideologies and begin new hobbies---for me, painting and reading became quite popular last year--hope to continue both of these this year.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Keeping the world civil
So this post may be quite opinionated, and if you disagree that is completely fair, as that is your prerogative.
Let me start off by saying that while driving back to my house I must have turned the radio to a conservative talk channel (I try to listen to them sometimes to hear all sides of stories)--there is a plethora of those in this state (probably even more than in TX if you can imagine that). So, this host kept addressing the topic of marriage. Oh golly gee. Marriage. As I have probably mentioned before, all of the mormons are extremely worried about this concept. You'll hear the 19 year olds running around campus saying "I can't believe I'm going to graduate in a year or two and I'm not even married and no baby on the way!" When I first moved to this state, this sort of attitude astonished me...now I barely roll my eyes. Well, back to the radio show. So, the host was telling his audience "You need to wait at least a year after you are married to buy a house. Because in that first year of being married, you will really get to know each other. And then you can make that decision. This goes for anyone in their twenties and maybe others as well."
Of course, you can imagine my disagreement with this statement. He thinks in the first year you will really get to know each other?! What about getting to know each other BEFORE you get married?! Hello!!!! Welcome to one of the many reasons of why the divorce rate is so high. I know there is pressure (even within my own family) to get married as a young bloke. But I just wish that people would relax and figure things out, before rushing into a decision that could affect their entire life.
Okay, okay enough about the marriage thing. On to my other political comment. Lybia. So many of you know that I am fairly anti-war. After traveling to a variety of other countries and seeing the negative impression that they have of America (throughout the past 10 years), you would think that we could improve our behavior and learn to be more well-received by our fellow humans. My opinion about Libya--I am glad we took the correct measures to not address the issue alone--glad the UN joined us. It's a tough situation. Do we let innocent people die? Not a good idea. Do we get involved with yet another war? Hmm...
What is extra interesting about this situation is that the day before Obama put troops into Libya, Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, and Newt Gingrich all were quoted with some sort of "we need to get our troops in there now!!" The next day, they were all quoted as saying "Obama you are acting like a king and pushing troops in there is an awful idea." God I hate people that try to disagree just for the sake of disagreeing. I even saw that Sarah Palin finally stepped foot onto another country besides the US...but what did she say? "We have a policy of not speaking poorly about our country when abroad." And then she went on to bash Obama. And you wonder why people think of the US as they do.
What is even funnier is that conservatives all have the "support our troops" bumper stickers and Looooveee the fact that the military exists, and when Bush uses them to destroy Iraq and such they are all gung-ho. But the second Obama uses them, for a humanitarian need that is recognized around the globe, there is a backlash of "obama you are the Devil." I know that folks will never open their eyes, and that political parties will strive for disagreements, but of all of the many things I wish for every day, I wish for people to open their eyes and ears, and not ruin our country. Shall I even mention the government shut-down? That doesn't just affect people in DC, it affects, National Parks, National Forests, military, Federal Fish and Wildlife Service (I'm just listing the main ones that I work with), and so forth. I think this country could use a stiff backhand to slap the silliness out of it.
Oh yes, and back to the traveling remark. After spending several months in every country in Central America, I have come to the conclusion that the US could spend its money in much more beneficial ways---instead of creating war and spending billions to destroy countries through bombs or the spraying of their crops and creating war on an "idea" rather than a person or place, we would be have much more acceptance from other countries if we spent that money helping them rebuild their infrastructure or helping them to become more sustainable.
Okay, done with the rant of the day. In other news, it is still trapping season here in Utah; which means that I spend part of my week, every week, out in Grouse Creek trying to catch sage-grouse. Thankfully our treatments have not deterred the birds from using the lek as their mating grounds and thankfully as well, the males have calmed down enough to be caught. All of the new grad students presented our projects last Friday and I was thoroughly impressed with all of the presentations. Now, we all just need to get through the next month before we can head out to our field sites permanently. Lots of work to do! Oh, and the baby shower went well--about 50 people came, 1/2 of which were speaking Portuguese, some speaking Spanish, a couple Chinese, and English. It was nice to relax for a day. And Leighton is currently in route to China via Japan for work. He plans on visiting the manufacturing plants and foundries where the products that his company makes get produced. I am super jealous, even if it is for work.
That's about it for now. I promise, the next post will be all rainbows and butterflies. Now I am headed out to GC--wish me luck!
Let me start off by saying that while driving back to my house I must have turned the radio to a conservative talk channel (I try to listen to them sometimes to hear all sides of stories)--there is a plethora of those in this state (probably even more than in TX if you can imagine that). So, this host kept addressing the topic of marriage. Oh golly gee. Marriage. As I have probably mentioned before, all of the mormons are extremely worried about this concept. You'll hear the 19 year olds running around campus saying "I can't believe I'm going to graduate in a year or two and I'm not even married and no baby on the way!" When I first moved to this state, this sort of attitude astonished me...now I barely roll my eyes. Well, back to the radio show. So, the host was telling his audience "You need to wait at least a year after you are married to buy a house. Because in that first year of being married, you will really get to know each other. And then you can make that decision. This goes for anyone in their twenties and maybe others as well."
Of course, you can imagine my disagreement with this statement. He thinks in the first year you will really get to know each other?! What about getting to know each other BEFORE you get married?! Hello!!!! Welcome to one of the many reasons of why the divorce rate is so high. I know there is pressure (even within my own family) to get married as a young bloke. But I just wish that people would relax and figure things out, before rushing into a decision that could affect their entire life.
Okay, okay enough about the marriage thing. On to my other political comment. Lybia. So many of you know that I am fairly anti-war. After traveling to a variety of other countries and seeing the negative impression that they have of America (throughout the past 10 years), you would think that we could improve our behavior and learn to be more well-received by our fellow humans. My opinion about Libya--I am glad we took the correct measures to not address the issue alone--glad the UN joined us. It's a tough situation. Do we let innocent people die? Not a good idea. Do we get involved with yet another war? Hmm...
What is extra interesting about this situation is that the day before Obama put troops into Libya, Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, and Newt Gingrich all were quoted with some sort of "we need to get our troops in there now!!" The next day, they were all quoted as saying "Obama you are acting like a king and pushing troops in there is an awful idea." God I hate people that try to disagree just for the sake of disagreeing. I even saw that Sarah Palin finally stepped foot onto another country besides the US...but what did she say? "We have a policy of not speaking poorly about our country when abroad." And then she went on to bash Obama. And you wonder why people think of the US as they do.
What is even funnier is that conservatives all have the "support our troops" bumper stickers and Looooveee the fact that the military exists, and when Bush uses them to destroy Iraq and such they are all gung-ho. But the second Obama uses them, for a humanitarian need that is recognized around the globe, there is a backlash of "obama you are the Devil." I know that folks will never open their eyes, and that political parties will strive for disagreements, but of all of the many things I wish for every day, I wish for people to open their eyes and ears, and not ruin our country. Shall I even mention the government shut-down? That doesn't just affect people in DC, it affects, National Parks, National Forests, military, Federal Fish and Wildlife Service (I'm just listing the main ones that I work with), and so forth. I think this country could use a stiff backhand to slap the silliness out of it.
Oh yes, and back to the traveling remark. After spending several months in every country in Central America, I have come to the conclusion that the US could spend its money in much more beneficial ways---instead of creating war and spending billions to destroy countries through bombs or the spraying of their crops and creating war on an "idea" rather than a person or place, we would be have much more acceptance from other countries if we spent that money helping them rebuild their infrastructure or helping them to become more sustainable.
Okay, done with the rant of the day. In other news, it is still trapping season here in Utah; which means that I spend part of my week, every week, out in Grouse Creek trying to catch sage-grouse. Thankfully our treatments have not deterred the birds from using the lek as their mating grounds and thankfully as well, the males have calmed down enough to be caught. All of the new grad students presented our projects last Friday and I was thoroughly impressed with all of the presentations. Now, we all just need to get through the next month before we can head out to our field sites permanently. Lots of work to do! Oh, and the baby shower went well--about 50 people came, 1/2 of which were speaking Portuguese, some speaking Spanish, a couple Chinese, and English. It was nice to relax for a day. And Leighton is currently in route to China via Japan for work. He plans on visiting the manufacturing plants and foundries where the products that his company makes get produced. I am super jealous, even if it is for work.
That's about it for now. I promise, the next post will be all rainbows and butterflies. Now I am headed out to GC--wish me luck!
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