The trip to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary and Cabela’s proved to be a day of contrasting views of nature. The experience exposed me to the people, ideas, businesses, goals, and gear associated with different ways to encounter nature. Hawk Mountain sells a culture of nature, where education and conservation are the primary goals, whereas Cabela’s sells an entirely different culture, presenting the interaction between humans and nature as a relationship where man is greater than animal and nature exists as a trophy to be earned or a game to be won.

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary promotes discovery and conservation of nature, while Cabela’s encourages the idea that man is greater than animals in nature. Both places promote starkly different perspectives on the place of humans in nature, as evidenced by their advertising slogans. A handout from Hawk Mountain lists the slogans: Discover the Many Sides of Hawk Mountain and Enjoy Nature’s Beauty. Signs and bags at Cabela’s are emblazoned with the phrase: It’s in Your Nature. Visitors to Hawk Mountain explore the area and its educational exhibits or programs and enjoy the opportunity to then encounter nature on the trails and lookouts. The patrons of Cabela’s spend hours shopping for items for their own benefit, whether a benefit on a daily basis or during their outdoors experiences, and this is the norm in preparation for their conquests of nature. People may be physically involved with nature at both sites, but people at Hawk Mountain are better able to appreciate and enjoy it. People at Cabela’s are more emotionally removed from nature, seeing man as superior to nature. Hawk Mountain visitors may feel as if they are one with nature, supporting the idea of a land ethic and seeing equal value in humans and in raptors.

The presentation of exhibits at the two locations further emphasizes the cultures of nature as something to be conserved versus nature as a competition or prize. Education is a key component of conservation, and Hawk Mountain features engaging exhibits and knowledgeable staff to facilitate this involvement with nature. Life-sized birds give an idea of how one bird’s wingspan might equal my own height, illuminated displays give a visual understanding of migration patterns, and a table with staff members offers information on trapping and tracking the birds on the trail. Raptors are birds of prey, so they play an integral role in the ecosystem by hunting other animals with their strong eyesight and claws. The Sanctuary has been called a “school in the sky” because these birds offer such an interesting perspective to those willing to learn. Cabela’s takes a far different approach in its exhibits, as they tend to glorify hunting for a prize. In Deer Country, an excessive amount of deer taxidermy is illuminated as the focus of the otherwise dimly lit room. Plaques present a narrative of who killed each animal, including “famous” deer and the history behind the death and killer. This promotes the idea of interactions with nature as competitions, such that nature and the animals within it are a prize to put on display. Patrons interact with this deceased and constructed nature and look upon the Deer Country exhibits with admiration, as opposed to how those at Hawk Mountain look upon the living birds with admiration.

The exhibits themselves at these places both contribute to them being interactive destinations, a major way in which they are similar. Hawk Mountain is more than just a trail, and Cabela’s is more than just a retail store. Both offer a variety of options to supplement the experience there, and they know well who their audiences are and how to appeal to them. Hawk Mountain offers programs about the raptors and conservation efforts to sell that version of nature, whereas Cabela’s sells a version of nature where man asserts his superiority or admires a trophy because they know they have a culture of people to whom it will sell. Hawk Mountain includes interactive exhibits on migratory patterns, while Cabela’s offers a Shooting Gallery and video games for fun practice. Both locations are immersive experiences into these drastically different cultures. Hawk Mountain features numerous programs each day, such as the golden eagle presentation we attended, and Cabela’s also features Diver Dan shows in the aquarium section on a regular basis. The unsettling eagle display pushed the boundaries of valuable education and appreciation with an actual eagle, and pushed the eagle to be uncomfortable and anxious in the extra time allotted for an unnecessary photo opportunity. Everyone had phones out to capture the majestic creature, but I am just as satisfied having my own mental images. In regards to photo-taking, people across Cabela’s could be seen taking selfies with the taxidermy. The display of an elephant with a picture of its hunter, Dave Cabela, and a sign explicitly calling it a trophy, was one of the most disturbing sights I have ever seen. The killing of elephants is a huge problem, so this is not something to be proud of and put on display, yet families took photos with it. This illustrates the disconnection between people and nature. Furthermore, the Diver Dan show emphasized the trophy in the tank with a poor catfish that gets manhandled multiple times every day, perpetuating the idea of man’s superiority to the trophies of nature as people looked on in awe. As true destination locations, both had relatively large amounts of their own merchandise for people to buy and wear. Hawk Mountain had a surprisingly extensive collection of hawk-related apparel for babies to adults, and the main brand across Cabela’s is their own brand. Everything seems to have the title plastered onto it, possibly even with some camo patterns. I felt much more comfortable with the educational exhibits, trails, bird watching, community, and even the odd composting toilets than with the mountain of dead things, the gun library, and the attitude that man is above nature.

The members of each culture differ greatly in their perspectives and interactions regarding nature. The North Lookout at Hawk Mountain features a community of people enjoying the escape to nature and its beauty. These people call out observations of birds and their locations, in order to ensure that others see the same magnificent sights. Everyone wants to enrich each other’s experiences in this culture of bird watching. Although bird watching may be observational, inaction is actually action for conservation. People have a deep respect for nature and its creatures. Cabela’s takes a bit of a confusing approach to their visitors because a sign in the Deer Country area encourages support of wildlife conservation, yet they have an extensive gun collection and numerous seemingly obscure products that they know their customers will buy. As far as the culture of these customers, it is pervasive through the merchandise available at the store. This includes jerky blasters and meat grinders to prepare one’s own food, camouflage electronics cases, camouflage furniture and home décor, antler chandeliers, deer hanging lights, rifle plungers, hunter nutcrackers, and incredibly expensive guns and gun safes. The gun section speaks to customers passionate about their guns and hunting, offering extensive options, informational tables, and shirts with phrases like Ban Idiots, Not Guns and Keep Calm and Carry Guns.

A lot of merchandise comes in forms of pink camouflage, and herein lies the gendered culture of nature at Cabela’s. There should not be any reason to market distinctly different versions of things to women, especially when a pink camouflage jacket will not actually be effective as camouflage. This merchandising singles out women as not being worthy of the same gear as men. Plush deer come in two versions: one is camouflage with large antlers and the other is pink camouflage with small, dainty antlers. Personally, if I were to buy a plush deer, I would choose the former, so would I be wrong to choose the more masculine option? The entire store seems masculine with these particular feminine items pointed out as such. Hawk Mountain, on the other hand, has a much more feminine touch. Its founder, Rosalie Edge, was involved in the women’s suffrage movement and the establishment of this conservation movement. She proved that one person can make a difference in simply choosing to do something about an issue. Rachel Carson illustrated the importance of birds of prey in Silent Spring with scientific data, addressing the increased rarity of “immature birds” and effects of DDT on reproduction, to help support the hawks. Also, the biologist who spoke to the group at the lookout was a very intelligent female, who has worked there for quite some time. The passive approach of conservation at Hawk Mountain starkly contrasts the aggressive approach of hunting at Cabela’s.

Overall, the Hawk Mountain and Cabela’s experience was an enriching one to better understand these two different cultures of nature. Hawk Mountain’s might be best represented by the setup at the lookout with dedicated volunteers counting the birds with fancy binoculars and the community of people invested in the bird watch. Cabela’s might be represented by the mountain of taxidermy, which catches the eye upon entering the place and serves as a central location in the store. Hawk Mountain promotes a nature of education and conservation, while Cabela’s promotes a nature of trophies and man’s superior place in nature.