Final Reflections

Now that I have arrived 'home' in New Hampshire, I've had some time to reflect back on my experiences during the past couple of months.

After graduating from college and almost immediately taking a 4-day train ride out west to Montana, I was full of optimism. Graduating is an exciting and scary step, and it challenged me to take the 22 years of knowledge and life experience I've gained and start an independent life of my own. This challenge continues to prove itself rather difficult, in the best ways possible.

When I first arrived on the prairie my optimism was shattered. I had an incredibly rough first day due to harsh conditions I had not anticipated (aka.. the heat. Fair skinned, red hair? not the best for coping with sweltering heat with no shade or wind). Although my crew was super supportive, it took me a long time to bounce back from that crash in confidence. I wanted to get out of the endless grasslands and seek shelter in the comforts of New England. No way. As much as I wanted to take the easy route, I have learned time and time again that adventures and memorable experiences do not come about when taking the easy route.

Soon the prairie became more beautiful to me. Any resentment I held toward the landscape evaporated and I was able to see the beauty it held: the rolling hills, diverse vegetation, the vastness of the land, the night sky, the solitude, the storms, the wildlife, etc.. My reasoning for coming to the prairie was not only for the adventure, but our work towards conservation. I could feel my bitterness begin to shift inside me as I became more passionate about the wildlife and their roles in the ecosystem. Also, both my mind and body started looking forward to the hikes, as they became somewhat therapeutic.

The trip to Glacier National Park was incredible: backpacking in impressive mountain valleys after watching the landscape shift from flat grasslands to steep, snow-caped peaks during the 6-hour car ride. I expected Glacier to make the prairie a dull comparison, but it was anything but. Coming back to the prairie after Glacier allowed me to appreciate it more because they both hold their own unique beauty and harshness.

I know I will visit the prairie again. It was an adventure and the prairie was an incredible teacher that I will value forever.

The Little Rockies sunset 

Supermoon on the prairie: no headlamp required

Last time seeing the herd!

Prairie weather

The weather on the prairie is a force to be reckoned with. With forceful winds, large thunderheads are blown around in search for the 6 people who live on the prairie. And without fail, these thunderheads have found us every time. Whether the skies actually open up and rain on us or the winds threaten to take our tents to Oz, the storms make their presence known.

I love storms, and the prairie is one of the best places to watch them. With the lack of topography and trees, the storms can be traced from very far away. The rolling thunder is a product of the incredible lightning that allows for some sweet photo opportunities. Better yet, we have had some storms in the middle of the night that consume half the night sky. So one half of the sky displays the Milky Way, and the other half has a angry-looking storm. On these evenings I've come out of my tent and watched the scene.

As nice as these storms sound, they can be a real nuisance. Driving conditions become nearly impassable after a big rainstorm. The prairie roads turn into thick mud and 4-wheel drive is mandatory to get anywhere. I've become a mudding master, getting the car unbelievably dirty and successfully breaking two mudflaps. It's safe to say that my 2002 Ford Focus wouldn't stand a chance out here.

Aside from the storms, the heat is killer. We wake up for early hikes to beat the heat, which means we spend the majority of the day sitting in heat comas. The prairie is not very forgiving when it comes to heat, especially when there is no wind... But I've definitely gotten used to the heat (and so has my skin and hair - I'm freckled/tan, and my red hair is brighter than ever!)

Storm and sunset (4 August 2014)

Beer-drinking and storm-watching, myself and Alex (4 August 2014) (Photo: Jonah Gula)

Lightning west of camp (~9:30pm, 4 August 2014) (Photo: Jonah Gula)

jonahgulaphotography.weebly.com

TV special on prairie conservation

A friendly man at the Malta coffee shop just told me that Dan Rather has a special on AXS TV about the efforts to get the Bison herds back on the prairie, it's called Range Wars on Tuesday, 22 July at 8pm.

http://www.axs.tv/programs/danrather/

WATCH IT, because I won't be able to.
I also have no idea if it'll be good and/or what stance it'll take on the conservation efforts. They may not like what we're doing out here, because many ranchers don't.



8 Sept 2014: 
Here's the link to the documentary! It's a bit long and I admittedly had to watch it in two parts, but the first half is worth watching to get an idea of the current issues APR is dealing with and the landscape. 
http://vimeo.com/101404171

Fun Fact: Bison are not Buffalo

Bison are not buffalo. Contrary to what basically EVERYONE believes, they are a different species. Bison are solely located in North America (their scientific name is Bison bison.. very original). Buffalo, however, are native in Africa and parts of Asia. They both belong to the Bovidae family, commonly known as the ungulates. Hoofed mammals, including buffalo, bison, antelopes, gazelles, cattle, sheep, goats, etc. are all ungulates.

On that educational note, here are photos of some of my many Bison bison encounters.
(ps - I don't understand which idiot named Buffalo Camp, but they need to read this and reevaluate their understanding of bison vs. buffalo).

Crew members Caleb and Alex observing the bison herd from the top of our trusty Toyota Sequoia. 13 July 2014

Bison Crossing! 13 July 2014

Blurry photo from my tent on the morning of 14 July 2014. We woke up and were all stranded in our tents because the bison had taken over Buffalo Camp. Hikes were about an hour delayed that day.. 

A male trio about a mile from Buffalo Camp.

I wish I could take credit for this adorable photo. It was taken from one of our crew members in June. The calves are now larger and starting to get darker in color. 

One week on the prairie

One week on the prairie completed! And boy has it been a wild ride.

I left Boston last Saturday to travel to Malta, Montana by train. That's 2,260 miles on a train. I overnighted on the train from Boston and arrived in Chicago 7 hours behind schedule, causing me to miss my train to Malta. Amtrak put me up in the Hyatt in Chicago for a night, which gave me one more night of comfortable sleep and one more hot shower - I wasn't complaining.
The next train journey was delayed and ultimately ended up arriving in Malta 6 hours late. So my 2,260 mile train journey to Malta took me 3.8 days. A message to all travelers out there: if you plan on traveling across the country by train, give yourself 4 extra days. The freight trains cause ridiculous delays...

I was the only passenger to get off the train in Malta, and the conductors were making fun of me, asking why on earth I'd be going to Malta, MT. In fact, many people asked me that question, and when I responded with 'to do a conservation project on the American Prairie Reserve 40 miles south of Malta' I'd get a wide-eyed response of 'Wow, that's ambitious...'. This didn't phase me. But when I arrived on the prairie, I understood why they responded in that way.

The prairie is a land of extremes. Our first hike almost killed me. We were out on a 95 degree day, with no shade or breeze hiking during the peak hours of the day for 8 miles. And coming off a 4-day train trip with little food, sleep, and water did not help me any. I suffered greatly from heat exhaustion and found myself rather ill for the rest of the day. And when I went to sleep that night, I vomited in my tent. ..What a great first day.

The first couple of days on the prairie were very hard on me. Blisters, heat exhaustion, dehydration, homesickness. I wanted to jump back on the train and head back to New Hampshire. What have I gotten myself in to?! Two months in the middle of no where...? Oy

Since then, however, I've started to change my frame of mind. 
The reason I'm here is to help gain a better understanding of this vast landscape in the name of science and conservation, and it is certainly an incredible place. 10-mile hikes on specific transects in groups of two everyday allow us to see animals in their natural habit. Bison, mule deer, sage grouse, jack rabbits, owls(!), prairie dogs, elk, white tailed deer! We record what we see on a GPS and document them. At first I thought this place was boring and flat, but now I'm realizing the diversity and beauty of the landscape. Nonetheless, it still scares the crap out of me.

My beautiful blisters (2 of 5)

Grouse Camp (not where I'm staying, but where fancy people pay to stay for a 'rugged' camping adventure)

Fourchette Bay, where we go nearly everyday for a quick swim after our transect hikes

Mosquito protection during sunset wildlife

scope. 7 July 2014

Sunset during wildlife scope, looking at the Little Rockies (where Zortman is - more about Zortman to come later). 7 July 2014

Eastern Screech Owl seen on transect on 8 July 2014