On the surface, the vision is simple: The American Great Plains could recover from the abuses of industrial agriculture and again become a sustainable eco-system. It could happen by restoring buffalo to their rightful place as the dominate meg-fauna of huge tracts of land in America’s heartland. But in this time and place no single person, corporation, or government entity has the where-with-all to affect such a change. Only capitalism has that much power. It is ironic that the very force that caused the decline of the plains biome is the best bet for bringing it back to health. Strange that, if buffalo are to return, they will have to pay their own way as delicious, healthy, red meat.
Of course, when I say buffalo, I am talking about more than the simple, noble beast that once roamed the plains in astounding numbers. I am talking about the entire suite of species, both flora and fauna, which co-evolved on the immense prairie that immerged, from ancient oceans as they dried to grasslands. Let the term “Buffalo complex” stand for all those species that interacted to form a stable and sustainable ecosystem. Let it stand for all the birds and mammals and insects and grasses and woody plants and even the worms and microbes that made it all work. Figure the humans in that mosaic of life and know that they all evolved to depend upon and to lend support to each other’s existence. Understand that the extent of the Great Plains has always been in flux, breathing like a living thing in response to climatic conditions the world over. Think about the profound effect on the atmosphere, of those millions of square miles of grasslands as they pull the carbon from the air and transfer it the rooty world far below the feet of the moving buffalo. Imagine the billions of cubic feet of oxygen, respired to sustain the “buffalo complex.”
Now think of all that has been lost or diminished. We call it declining bio-diversity and very few people have taken the time to ponder what that really means. At Wild Idea Buffalo Company we ponder it a lot. Concern over declining bio-diversity is not only concern for the high profile species that have been pushed to the edge of extinction by human activity. It includes the declining populations of black footed ferrets, wolves, grizzly bears, and buffalo are tragic to be sure. But perhaps equally tragic are many species of warm season grasses, scores of ground nesting bird species, dwindling stocks of amphibians, and the microbial universe below the grass. We at Wild Idea Buffalo Company agree with the notable Great Plains thinker, Daniel Licht, “…bio-diversity ….is a worthy societal goal…” We also wonder, what might happen if bio-diversity is allowed to diminish farther. Will there come a time when enough dependant pieces will have disappeared to push the entire biome into collapse? Where is the tipping point? Surely far-ranging, nearly-wild buffalo are a vital piece of the puzzle.
Wild Idea Buffalo Company thinks about the real big picture. A carbon audit of Wild Idea’s management and production model, strongly suggests that properly raised buffalo meat can be delivered to American homes with a net negative carbon footprint. We try not to get caught up on meaningless marketing slogans that ease our consciousnesses about the carbon footprint of our eating habits. The idea is that these concepts are supposed to guard against the production of excessive greenhouse gasses in the production of the food we eat. In fact, they do not even address the effects of irrigation, the impact of monocultures, or the net loss of sequestered carbon when ground cover is changed from perennial native grasses, to annual farm crops. It is commonly accepted, but hardly acknowledged, that native, deep rooted Great Plains grasses take more greenhouse gasses from the air than the Amazon rainforest. Now that’s the REAL big picture.
Yeah, we think about this stuff a lot. And no – Wild Idea Buffalo Company is not just another meat company.
Comments 12
Thank you, Dan. Your monthly musings are the best of the best, and I like to think that one person’s vision can make a difference. I know yours has.
Now THAT’S a really big idea!! Who could not love it? Where are you going with this?
I imagine you already have an plan; perhaps the Nature Conservancy is part of it. It’s possible that the history and romance of the West and the Great Plains appeals to most of the US population, who would support it.
It’s great that you think about it and articulate your idea so well. I would love to hear more about it.
Starr Foster
Dan, I am very fortunate to have met you and Jill, and of course Gervais and my dear rock hound friend – Erney! This was a great musing, and I look forward to improved health so that I can come to the ranch, I always feel a healing presence when I am out there among the great friends, agates, and of course the majestice buffalo! Thanks for sharing your land with me!! Jim Peacock
Dan,my friend
Keep on passing the message along. I try to do it when ever I get the chance.
Keep it up and hopefully I’ll get to do it as well, if everything falls into place
Bob
Dan, once again I have talked about your
book “Buffalo for the Broken Heart” and
loaned it to a person who seemed very
interested. If she prooves to be so, I
will give her your email, and hope she
receives your monthly newsletter. But,
I still get to keep Curly Bill as my
“special”!. She can’t have him!
Cecelia
Dan,
Yes! This is how it should happen! Because this is how it is, and has been. Here is Canada, we face the same,of course, but oh, the inertia! Oh, the ignorance!
The concentration on lesser things, like $$.
Dan,
Thank you for writing this piece. You have condensed a broad range of complex ideas into a concise, cogent message that everyone should read and ponder.
Regards,
Michael
What a significantly honarable big picture thought. It is like an insignificant rain drop effect that cumulative can become a flood. You are to be commended for your efforts.
An excellent article filled with wisdom. We are at the precipice and there is no going back. Plus, I agree…it is ironic that the current over-riding forces, such as capitalism and corporations, that delivered us (so to speak) to this moment in time are now necessary for progressing forward. There are just too many of us for it to be any other way, and time is of the essence.
Either that or we will become extinct or greatly diminished – as has likely happened for so many other “killer species” in the past, who from “nature’s” perspective provide an important but temporary service in assuring ongoing diversity by virtue of “stirring the pot” for a short time period.
But unlike the Buffalo, best I know humans are not blessed with “delicious, healthy, red meat”. The Buffalo collectively enhance their ability for sustainability by virtue of all the gifts they give so naturally and so freely. They fit in long-term, and it is in the interest of all other species for the buffalo to remain. Humanity, on the other hand, has yet to show a willingness for sustainability – you could call it inter-species “Mutual Aid”. Perhaps we will, but perhaps not. It all depends I think on our ability to rid ourselves of a sociopathic entrenchment that grew out of control in the 20th century and is at the threshold of spiraling out of control. Particularly on the individual level of a few who continue to perptuate so much suffering of innocence with seemingly an apparent lack of empathy for anything but their own ends. It is intolerable to me, but I am just one person and I have a lot left to learn….
Oh – sometimes it is so sad to me when deep down I know there is so much bounty. I hope we can get past this precipice and this hope lies mostly with future generations who may learn from the wisdom of those who came before them.
Thanks again for this fine piece.
Ken
Hi Dan!
This is among your best expressions of important ideas. I remain a fan. Keep telling us more.
Linda, Minneapolis
Always a supporter of retaining and restoring natural lands we’ve harmed, your information is of great interest to me. Just re-read Buffalo for the Broken Heart and reviewed my under-standing of your work. So glad you continue to educate us all and live the life on behalf of all. Your ranch and common sense makes a difference.
Dan,
as always right on the mark and eloquent!
hello to Jill!