I left LaMoure at 4:30 am and was greeted by Dalton at VCSU to get the van ready for the journey,  Everyone was ready to go….as they all settled in….it was dark and very quiet.  As Alex said “we left Dr. Ketterling to his thoughts”.  I was thinking how I wanted this to be a great experience and have the students learn, appreciate the variety of experiences I have had over the years.  As you read through the student’s blogs you will see that we did occasionally get out and get the blood flowing, eat and do all the things that are necessary to make the long journey enjoyable.

Then we came to Paradise Valley (54 miles north of Gardiner) which is being quickly developed because of its beauty between the Absaroka Mountains.  This of course means habitat loss and conflict with wildlife  that have been in the valley for years.  Here we see the herds of deer and elk and their close proximity to the highway among the agriculture laden valley.  This in turns fuels the concerns of Brucellosis (a disease that causes cattle to abort their young) and believed to be spread by the migration of the bison out of the park.  (Actually the bison came in contact with the disease years ago when the park brought in their  domesticated cattle for workers in the park).  Because ranchers become concerned with their cattle  (and rightfully so) the area ranchers become really concerned when bison migrate out of the park in the winter.  This often results in the culling of the bison herd.  This  past year they culled 1500. Don’t worry there are still 4500 in the park.  It is also known that elk can carry brucellosis.  Now you begin to see the complexity of the issue.  The bison herd of Yellowstone is one of the purest genetically of all bison.  How do we preserve this great resource?  How do the ranchers preserve their livelyhood?

Now let’s throw in the reintroduction of the gray wolf.  It is adding to the messiness of the problem but in many ways have brought the predator-prey relationship back to its natural state plus the trophic cascade effect in the park.  (I will save that for a later date) It is important that we begin to think of who the stakeholders are and realize the interconnections of the organisms in this unique environment.  Stay tuned for more.

Tomorrow we are talking with Travis Wyman, manager of the elk and bear research team at the park.  Then we will venture to the center of the park where we are hoping to see the Waipiti wolf pack.  A pack of about 20 wolves…I would like to see the alpha female which is a white wolf.  I also realize that sometimes the timing is just not right and we may not see any…but there is still so much to learn.

Those were some of my thoughts in the dark, quiet journey from Valley City to Bismarck.  The group came alive after some breakfast and coffee.  Another great group to work with…

Gary Ketterling