During class the other day it was discussed that perhaps zoos and taxidermy displays are similar. While animals are killed, taxidermied, and often put on display for our viewing, animals at zoos are put on display in small enclosures for our viewing. This idea resonated with me while on my conservation biology class trip to the Lehigh Valley Zoo. Initially as the guide started pulling animals out in an exhibit room I felt this way. I felt as though these animals were be kept in cages, handled, and shown for our benefit. However, after reading more about this zoo and hearing about this zoo from the guides and Doc R, I found this zoo does not keep animals just to display them. The Lehigh Valley Zoo is part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) meaning it emphasizes the importance of conservation to guests, contributes to field conservation, and contributes, participates in, and initiates wildlife conservation programs at home and in the field.

As Erik mentioned in his earlier post on the zoo, the Lehigh Valley Zoo contains more than 294 animal ambassadors representing 88 species, 24 of which are considered to be endangered, threatened, or species of concern. The endangered and threatened species at this zoo are bred in captivity to contribute to the Species Survival Plan (SSP). The SSP is a plan in which threatened and endangered species at zoos have their genetics cataloged and mates that will produce offspring with genes most beneficial for contributing to the specie’s gene pool are matched across the nation. The resulting higher diversity gene pool gives species a better chance of surviving and re-establishing numbers to deliver them from the endangered and threatened classification. The guide specifically told us a great deal about this program in relation to their Black-Footed African Penguins since they currently have a female mate in from a zoo in New York for one of their males in hopes they will produce viable offspring due to their compatible genes. Unfortunately their offspring will be sent to another zoo for breeding, but the hope is that that next generation could be placed in the wild to help bring numbers back up. As well, the remaining species here that are not part of SSP are either being studied for conservation research or they came here due to injury that prevents them from surviving in the wild. Hearing about this program and the reasons why the animals at the Lehigh Valley Zoo are there shed some light on zoos for me, as I realized the ultimate goal of this zoo is to benefit the species, conserve nature, and educate the public about conservation.

This is a Prehensile Porcupine (Coendou prehensilis), one of the SSP species at the Lehigh Valley Zoo.

Injured Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio)

Despite the good intentions of this place to conserve species and educate others about conservation, it was saddening to see these animals in captivity are put on display; it would appear that is trade off for zoos to have the funding for conserving and caring for these species. It is unfortunate that one of our methods for conserving endangered and threatened species involves the captivity of individuals, but hopefully this is worth it and will benefit these species in the long run.

This past Sunday I went on the Hawk Mountain and Cabela’s trip by myself. As I was preparing to leave around midday I could tell I was not going to see very many raptors. The air was warm and the conditions were not prime for migration. I didn’t let this discourage me though, I dressed in layers and started my drive to Hawk Mountain. In the early afternoon I arrived at the Hawk Mountain Visitor Center, and after going in to pay, I decided to leave the center and start my hike and try to explore the various lookouts. I only had until dusk to see as much as possible, so that was my plan.

The first thing I noticed while starting my trek was the variety of age groups and how they were prepared for their own experience. There were many parents with their young children, elderly couples with binoculars, teenagers, and an assortment of others as well. It was a bit of a surprise to me how few people I saw with binoculars, but I thought to myself that this was the initial part of the trail maybe I’d see more as I continued on. I wasn’t in any position to judge because I didn’t own a pair of binoculars; I had hit the trails with just my field notebook, a pen, the reading and trip over view, and a trail guide.

As I continued the hike I was starting to get a little disappointed. The further in I went the more Hawk Mountain seemed like just a tourist destination, where I had been expecting it to be a more secluded entity where only interested bird watchers would go. I started to try to avoid the other people on the mountain. After about five minutes of hiking I came across the Bald Lookout and, seeing it was mostly empty, decided it would be my first real stop. Climbing over the scattered rocks I got myself to the edge and sat down. I was there for approximately twenty to thirty minutes, simply enjoying the silence and the view. Around this time a group of four or five teenagers showed up and it became clear within seconds it was time for me to find a new location. The first thing out of the mouths of the group was, “take a picture of us on this rock.” They were loud and slightly obnoxious. Realizing this group was going to subtract from my appreciation of the lookout I left having not seen a single bird, let alone any raptors.

After leaving the Bald Lookout I continued up the trail towards the fork separating the Sunset Overlook from the North Lookout. I was becoming even more discouraged the further I went up. I seemed to only see families and younger individuals ascending the mountain. The people descending were elderly couples, folks with binoculars, general people who appeared to fit the mold I was expecting Hawk Mountain to be filled with. When I finally reached the fork in the trail I took the path towards the North Lookout. From my observations I had seen less of the tourist crowd headed in that direction, it was my hope that there would be less people on this trail. Shortly after heading to the North Lookout I came upon to Kettle View, and seeing it empty, I once again decided to stop.

Just like I had at Bald Lookout, I climbed out as far as I could and still be able to sit comfortably. I honestly couldn’t be sure how long I sat at Kettle View, but I did not see a single raptor. I did not mind though. The size and location of Kettle View, the view from this lookout, and the general traffic at this point started to seem more like my expectations. It was a smaller overlook that came across as more secluded. As I sat on a large rock I started to hear a lot of noise from rustling leaves. I took my eyes off the view and started to look around, wondering if it was someone approaching or an animal nearby. Soon enough the animal emerged; it was a tiny little field mouse scuttling around. This siting caused my mind to wander. I was curious if this mouse would be a raptor’s breakfast or dinner in one of the upcoming days. It continued to appear and disappear during the duration of my time at Kettle View.

Once I tired of Kettle View, I moved on to the North Lookout. I initially was discouraged by the amount of people I saw from a distance but as I got closer I realized many of the people were staff of Hawk Mountain. The few people there who weren’t employees of the mountain were mostly quiet, observing the skies. There were a few children with their parents who were being noisy and disruptive but the parents attempted to keep them in line. Although I stayed at this look out until nearly 4 P.M. the only birds I managed to witness was a small gathering of what I assumed were finches. I could not tell from the distance they were at, but I overheard the employees talking about finches a few minutes before I had seen them. It was interesting watching people interact at the North Lookout. For most of the day I didn’t notice people in different groups interacting, with the exception of passersby saying hello to each other, they mostly kept to themselves. At the North Lookout though I noticed visitors interacting with the mountain employees, asking questions and having conversations about what they are seeing or missing. The North Lookout had been the most respectful which helped to eliminate some of the tourist attraction feel Hawk Mountain had been emanating the whole day. Once satisfied with my exploration of the mountain, I went back to observe the Visitor Center.

The visitor center I think was a good representative of Hawk Mountain itself. On the one hand it was extremely informative and appeared to only care about informing visitors of the various raptors that could be seen from different lookout spots. At the same time it gave off this very tourist attraction feel. On the opposite side of the center, where the store was, they were selling stuffed animals, clothing, children’s books, and bird feeders. Many of these things, I noticed, are contributors to anthropomorphism. I couldn’t help but wonder what Sterba would have thought about it. I was also curious to know how many young people actually read any of the facts in the visitor center. If I was a child I know I would have instantly gone over to the store to explore before thinking about looking at the information in the displays. While I believe that Hawk Mountain portrayed nature as a place to be observed and appreciated, I feel it subtracted from itself by drawing in people who could be seen as “the masses,” individuals not there to appreciate nature as we have studied it in class but to gawk at as if it were a picture in a museum.

As Rachel Carson points out in Silent Spring, specifically her chapter And No Bird Sings, birds have a significant impact on the ecosystem they live in. In the chapter she explains that, in the attempt to save the elms, we are actually killing them. By spraying insecticide, we are killing and poisoning the insects that are eat by various bird species. This, in turn, is poisoning and killing the various birds in the region that rely on the insects as a food source. Once the birds start dying off, the insects, that are mostly surviving the various chemicals, are still there to transfer diseases from tree to tree. Carson explains that, although it isn’t the as explicit with other species, eagles and hawks that migrate along the coast are starting to die off from DDT and other insecticides poisoning them. She mentions that counters that track the population of various species have noted smaller numbers of various birds of prey using Hawk Mountain as an example of a site where the numbers of reported sightings has decreased. These decreased sightings also mean a less healthy ecosystem. Birds of prey in an area is a sign of a balanced ecosystem. If they are in a particular area it is a sign there is flourishing life for them to feed on. This is not to say if there is no raptors in the area there is no food just that the environment isn’t necessarily balanced. If no predators live in an area than there is no population control of its prey. Without any form of population control ecosystems are doomed to fail.

Cabela’s was a completely different environment than Hawk Mountain. It portrayed a different view of nature. At Hawk Mountain humans were separate from what was around them, viewing it as an outsider in a respectful manner. On the other hand Cabela’s portrayed a version of nature where humans and nature interacted but not with mutual respect. Although I do believe that a decent amount of Cabela’s loyal customer base has a respect for nature, the store paints the picture of humans trying to tame it as opposed to work with it. Cabela’s customer base tend to be hunters and fishermen and women, because of this many of the things the store sells and displays revolve around these two hobbies. These activities have the inherent nature, in today’s society, to be a controlling activity. In a world where one doesn’t need to hunt or fish for food, the respect behind the activity is almost all but lost. A prime example of this is the various animals that had been stuffed and displayed around the store. They were stuffed and posed to paint the portrait the store wanted. A taxidermist controlled the once wild creature that the hunters brought to them.

One of my favorite things about Cabela’s was how they combined the living fish with the mounted and stuffed wildlife. Although fish taxidermy exists, it is extremely difficult. Plus when a taxidermist mounts a fish, it typically mounted on a wall which would not give the same feel for the countless customers taking pictures with the mounted displays as having live fish swimming in a pond full of stuffed ducks floating around. I thought it was interesting how the store tried to compensate for not having mounted fish by having the aquarium. It allows them to appeal to their fisherman customer base. It was definitely a funny, but understandable, aspect of the store’s mountain display.

Walking around the clothing section of Cabela’s was interesting as well. All their clothing brands were outdoors brands such as Carhartt, North Face, Under Armor, Timberland, Cabela’s brand, Wrangler, Columbia, etc. This was expected, what made it interesting was how the target demographic was reached. All the men and boys were typical camouflage, the women’s clothing, however, all had a conventional “girl color” added to it. Even the baby clothes had this motif. I observed the “boys” baby jumper was clad in camouflage while the “girls” jumper was purple and had sparkly lettering on it. The store definitely was feeding into a stereotypical notion of gender roles.

Another interesting thing I noticed was the holiday themed gifts Cabela had on display. Because it is the holiday season there were many Christmas themed gifts throughout the store. Originally I noticed prepacked snacks for hunters to eat while they are in their blinds for hours. This is an understandable gift. I also noticed displays for field kits that allowed you to make quick jerky of various animals you have just hunted. Again this didn’t take me too much by surprise. The gift display that stopped me in my tracks, do a double take, and walk back to get another look at it was pork skin candy canes. I was in shock. I am very aware people enjoy eating pork skin and pork rinds but I was not expecting someone to make them into candy canes. Thinking about it now I am curious if they have a peppermint flavor like typical candy canes do? The candy canes followed the normal white, or in this case tan, and red swirled. I couldn’t help but wonder how my uncle would respond to me buying him any of these Christmas gifts.

For a while I have debated with myself which place I liked better. I am not sure if I have an answer to that question even now. I will say that I have a little more respect for Cabela’s than Hawk Mountain. The reasoning behind this is how honest I feel Cabela’s presents itself in comparison to Hawk Mountain. My experience was different than everyone else’s for a multitude of reasons including, but not limited to, the time of day I went, the group versus solo dynamic, the weather, etc. This may be the reason I have this opinion. I knew going to Cabela’s what I was getting myself into. I have actually driven past that specific Cabela’s every summer for nearly five years now, possibly even longer, when I drive home from my family’s annual trip to Knoebels Campground. Having relatives who hunt and shop at Cabela’s I had a general idea of the environment and the people that were going to be in the store. It was great watching people take pictures with the mounted animals and watch the fish swim around.  I felt Cabela’s was very true to itself, almost to the point of being satirical although it obviously is not.

Hawk Mountain, however, gave me the impression that it did not know fully what it was trying to be. It came across as both a tourist attraction and a museum. I know these two things do not have to be mutually exclusive, but it seems counter-intuitive. For me, my favorite part of Hawk Mountain was sitting on a ledge, by myself, and observing the skies. It was a reflective experience and made enjoyable through the silence and lake of disturbances. By being a tourist site, I feel that experience is detracted from. Having families with loud little kids or noisy teenagers around was disruptive. It subtracted from my enjoyment. Perhaps I am getting this impression because I wasn’t expecting Hawk Mountain to give me that feel. Unlike with Cabela’s, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I had expectations of a quiet, quaint environment. The only people I expected to be around were the truly dedicated raptor watchers. With that said, I thoroughly enjoyed Hawk Mountain and would like to go again on a day where the weather is more beneficial to seeing birds of prey and to give it another chance to be the place I expected it to be.

On our field trip, I jokingly suggested to Professor Brandes that we make the swim team’s upcoming meet (on Friday, 6pm, Ruef Natatorium… just sayin’) a field trip to which he jokingly responded that I should figure out how it pertains to nature.

Naturally, while at practice two days later, I gave it some thought, and came up with a few things. Having grown up around lakes and ponds and oceans and pools, I’d never given much thought to how different pools are compared to the other three in their impacts on the environment. Actually, I still don’t really know much about their impacts on the environment, but it has occurred to me with increasing frequency and alarm that they probably aren’t that great. I know that the pool has a filter that cycles mostly the same water through the pools we use here but I also know that the pool and its machinery are quite old and probably not very efficient. I also wonder about the impacts of the chemicals we use to treat the pool and whether or not if we used fewer or different substances to maintain it’s cleanliness, could we use the water in other ways after its life in the pool was over (i.e. agriculture). I have also been observing that with the increased size of our diving team this year (from 3 divers to 7) the amount of hose water used to keep them warm while they wait between dives has dramatically increased. I watch them playing around with the hose in their overflowing kiddie pool and cringe. But does that water get cycled through too?

And what about the air quality, are we polluting the air on Hamilton street every time we open the door? Is the paint coating the walls of a safe quality? Will the upcoming renovations make the pool more efficient or will they harm the campus while they’re in their demolishing and rebuilding?

In a specific meet context especially, there are a number of unsustainable practices that go on in the name of sports without regard to nature. At every meet, there is inevitably an alarming number of plastic water bottles and gatorade bottles that goes around. And coaches tend to have snacks for their athletes, which are generally individually wrapped, bulk-purchased processed snacks. I would be interested in the the amount of waste generated by these events, and how much athletes, coaches, and spectators even notice.

Certainly the swim team would love an audience, and this is 100% a shameless plug to try to get you all interested in coming, but aside from the competition, I will definitely be continuing to pay attention to these thoughts and others in order to hopefully insert any improvements in the relationship between nature and the sport I love.

I am from Northern Westchester NY, the ‘suburbs’ of NYC. Regardless of the stereotype of  Westchester, the area near me is what my dad likes to call ‘rural suburbia’ because most of the houses have large areas of land surrounding them, including forests. I grew up in the outdoors, and it is something that is very important to my family and I.

This morning, I was startled to read on Facebook that Westchester County is planing on cutting budgets that support many protected areas, such as parks and nature centers, including Muscoot Farm, a place I spent many summers at camp. Here I was taught how to milk various animals, collect eggs from hens but also how to fish, hike and learned about the local ecology.

It is quite upsetting to hear about parks and centers like many of the ones in Westchester become defunded and in turn becoming abandoned, vandalized or generally just less educational, I truly believe that these places hold so much value educationally so I hope that grassroots efforts such as signing petitions and writing to local officials can have positive effects!

For reference, here is the petition: https://www.change.org/p/ask-legislators-to-save-our-curators-save-our-parks?recruiter=429543954&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink

Going into my field trip to the zoo for conservation biology I had an very negative view of zoos. I do not enjoy seeing the animals trapped in small enclosures, and often worried that they were unhappy. Yet, my professor, Doctor Rothenberger, stressed that a lot had changed even in the last decade with zoos. She said that while they used to have a goal of simply entertaining those who visited, the new goal is to educate visitors while simultaneously promoting conservation through captive breeding programs.

Upon arriving at the zoo I found that Doc R had been correct. While I still saw some things I did not like, such as the sad kangaroo sleeping on cement below, there were also countless examples of education and conservation, some of which I included in the below pictures.

(Educational and conservation information about the golden eagle)

(The Mexican Wolf)

(A Sad Kangaroo)

The Lehigh Valley Zoo is home to more than 294 animal ambassadors representing 88 species, 24 of which are classified as endangered, threatened, or species of concern. It studies all of these animals to learn more about them, as well as participating in captive breeding for conservation purposes. As a member of the association of zoos and aquariums, the Lehigh Valley Zoo participates in the Species Survival Plan for all of its threatened or endangered species. These animals have their genes catalogued and then individuals are paired with the best match at any other zoo around the country that will create the most genetically diverse offspring. By demonstrating their conservation efforts to me, the lehigh valley zoo helped change my impressions of what a zoo is, and began to erase the moral stigma I held against zoos.

This past weekend, our class was immersed in two starkly contrasting cultures of nature. Conservation and the role of humans in nature are defined in opposing ways at Hawk Mountain and Cabela’s. While Hawk Mountain has a rich history of conservation, even attracting the likes of Rachel Carson, Cabela’s marketing strategy of protecting the environment in which we hunt is flawed. Because Hawk Mountain prohibited hunting since the early 1930s and began to collect data on migrating raptor populations, Carson was able to see trends of decline in the number of immature eagles. Carson linked this decline to the use of DDT; eggs were not hatching and newborn eagles were dying rapidly. Being a unique sanctuary along a raptor migration path, Hawk Mountain became a case study for Carson’s Silent Spring. In opposition with these concepts of conservation, Cabela’s conflates a respect of nature and conservation with the ability to take from nature what you can and rise as a victor, taxidermy trophy and all.

According to the Hawk Mountain Visitor Center, “nature” is “The world outside our window.” This is phrase was written above the windows located in the back of the visitor center where guests can sit and watch birds gravitate to the feeders placed outside. To the Hawk Mountain Visitor Center, nature is to be viewed and conserved. It is picturesque – worthy of a calendar, puzzle, or picture book. This concept of nature as a picture was also evident in the Golden Eagle presentation when the eagle was held in front a large crowd and the bird handler assured viewers that they would have the opportunity to take photos.

At the Hawk Mountain Visitor Center, the aftermath of mass hunting of raptors was shown in a dramatic black and white photograph – an image that prompted Rosalie Edge into action in founding the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. This starkly contrasts with Cabela’s promotion of hunting. In the store, a photograph placed beneath a large elephant mounting shows a member of the Cabela family smiling proudly with his kill behind him. Though admired in the form of a picture, nature at Hawk Mountain is respected in its living state as something to be watched and cared for. The regulations to protect raptors in the sanctuary, birdwatchers stationed with binoculars, and HMS staff tracking population counts demonstrates this respect.

Cabela’s provides customers with opportunities to interact with dead, constructed forms of nature. In this way, Cabela’s becomes a destination. Nature in this constructed and conquered form becomes a museum of interactive entertainment. Not only are guns sold, but you and your family can pay a visit to the Gun Library. Patrons can play at the Wilderness Creek Shooting Gallery or shoot some bucks in a video game at the entrance to Deer Country. Our group was lucky enough to catch the afternoon Diver Dan show in the Aquarium. During the show, Diver Dan scooped of the largest catfish in the tank and jostled it around, opening its mouth for the viewers to see inside. The shooting games, the mounts and glorified hunting stories presented in Deer Country, the photo of Cabela and his elephant, and Diver Dan clearly demonstrate Cabela’s overarching theme of man dominion over nature, the “sportsmanship” that is promoted is a competition of man versus nature.

At Cabela’s nature is respected as a challenging arena of sportsmanship – a place to conquer. Animals are hunted for “bragging rights” as one sign at the front of the store bluntly states. Cabela’s true narrative of conquering nature clearly overrides the companies attempt to come across as an environmental steward. When leaving Deer Country, visitors are confronted with a sign stating, “Ensure the beauty of the outdoors. Support wildlife conservation. Meanwhile, trophies for conquering nature – in the form of taxidermy – are displayed in their still, lifeless form posing the recreated scenes of the nature from which they were “taken” (i.e. in Deer Country and on the central-store mountain of miscellaneous game). These posed animal figures give “silent spring” a whole new meaning. Why, after all, would we “take” animals out of nature to have them pose in a plastic recreation of the environment in which they once lived? The store uses the word “taken” in the labels of where and how each animal was hunted and killed. Using “taken” over “killed” further emphasizes the concept of nature as something to be conquered and attempts to avoid the negative association of hunting with purposeless killing.

This narrative is set up from the time one first approaches the store and into the depths of Deer Country. The statue in front of the store, entitled “A Leaf On a Stream,” presents the image of the American frontier with a pioneer and a Native American together on a canoe. The plaque explains that both cultures sought ways to survive and overcome the challenges of nature. Woodsmen such as Daniel Boone “made the woods, mountains, ad rivers ours,” according to the plaque. Paired with this narrative, the most emblematic image of the Cabela’s experience can be found in Deer Country. I saw children experiencing the museum of constructed nature. They reached the point in the exhibit where there was a model cabin with an artificial human sitting outside by a fire pit. A young boy pressed a button and the human figure became animated and stated, “Took some mighty fine woodsmanship to get them with a bow and arrow. Those bucks were smart. They don’t get that way [large and strong] by being stupid.” It was startling to see that the only animated portion of the museum was the human. Everything else was silent and posed.

These images of Cabela’s contrast with scenes at Hawk Mountain, where humans still relatively still to take in the action of raptors around them. The predominant image of Hawk Mountain is the visitors perched on the peak binoculars in hand, sitting on rocks, announcing the arrival of new groups on birds that are gliding along their migratory path. People sit for hours with a supply of snacks and a thermos holding a hot beverage. In terms of similar images, however, captive animals become a spectacle for visitors. This is seen in the case of the wounded Golden Eagle and the catfish displayed at the Diver Dan show. In both of these cases, the animal, when taken out of its natural setting became a form of entertainment, used by humans as an attraction. Viewing animals as play things can cause people to develop a problematic mentality of our dominion over other creatures.

At Hawk Mountain, birds of prey are viewed through binoculars and in photographs as majestic and powerful creatures. This is a reverence similar to that which is conveyed in Abbey’s “Watching the Birds.” This is a stance that is not often taken in other parts of society where raptors are fear evoking or somewhat repulsive. When taken out of the distanced bird watching context and placed in the context of being seen up close, attacking prey or feasting on dead animals, raptors may evoke a feeling of disgust. Mary Oliver discusses a more complex yet dark feeling toward vultures when she states, “Locked into the blaze of our own bodies/ we watch them/ wheeling and drifting, we/ honor them and we loathe them/…however ultimately sweet/ the huddle of death to fuel/ those powerful wings” (1983). Eagles, however, evoke a feeling of patriotism and pride in our landscape since they are a national symbol. While fostered and protected by Hawk Mountain, certain birds of prey would be fair game to hunt in the eyes of Cabela’s, just as an elephant would be, despite the many efforts to protect such animals.

It is clear that Cabela’s is marketing heavily toward a “masculine,” anti-gun control demographic of white men in a higher socio-economic status. Whole families do go to enjoy the Cabela’s experience so there are items to appeal to children (hunting toys, stuffed animals, and shooting games), young girls (pink camouflage attire and pink toy guns), and women (jackets and home goods). The signs around the store depict white men hunting, fishing, and earning their “bragging rights.” Miscellaneous items around the store tout the second amendment and the masculinity associated with guns – mainly in the form of wall hangings and t-shirts. Cabela’s attracts a higher socio-economic class that A) has the means to spend experiencing the store and spending leisure time hunting and B) the money to afford the high-end, pricy gear and décor available in the store. The store even provides people with the opportunity to purchase home butcher shop equipment such as meat grinders and dehydrators. There is a fee to enter or become a member of Hawk Mountain, which may deter some families from going, however this fee is certainly not comparable to what one would spend during a trip to Cabela’s.

The contrast between Hawk Mountain and Cabela’s relationship with and definition of nature is certainly apparent. These places represent opposing narratives of how humans interact with nature – as picturesque and necessary to protect versus being conquered through sport. This trip presented to extremes of the American human relationship with nature though there are certainly other cultures and relationships that are part of the spectrum of interaction.

Is it impious to weigh goose music and art in the same scales? I think not, because the true hunter is merely a noncreative artist. Who painted the first picture on a bone in the caves of France? A hunter. Who alone in our modern life so thrills to the sight of living beauty that he will endure hunger and thirst and cold to feed his eye upon it? The hunter” (230).

All about perspectives! Reminded me of Cabela’s in a sense, and also how all of us can appreciate nature in very, very different ways.

“Some have attempted to justify wildlife conservation in terms of meat, others in terms of personal pleasure, others in terms of cash, still others in the interest of science, education, agriculture, art, public health, and even military preparedness. But few have so far clearly realized and expressed the whole truth, that all these things are but factors in a broad social value, and that wildlife, like golf, is a social asset.” (Leopold 226-227)

Leopold brings the idea to the surface that regardless of who you are or what you believe in  (whether its hunting or conservation biology), we all see wildlife as an asset. We are consumers. He points to the differences in types of consumers throughout the last few chapters to emphasize that there are conservationists and also hunters who disregard the future of wildlife. There is no way around the truth that wildlife is a social asset, but there is the opportunity to educate for the future of wildlife so that all can enjoy this asset for as long as possible.

“We fancy that industry supports us, forgetting what supports industry.” (Leopold 212)

We have lost touch with nature through the mechanization and gadgets of this time, according to Leopold. I think this quote is very relevant to our field trip to Cabela’s because of the amount of merchandise in the store to assist hunters or fishermen in unnecessary and trifling ways.

Hawk Mountain, since its turn to the protecting and counting of and education on the birds that migrate through the area, has become quite the tourist attraction. It has large amounts of people coming through daily, it has a gift shop, welcome center and even international interns with name tags saying where they are from. For these tourists though, they come to admire and they come to learn. There is something for everyone here, a quiet native garden, a variety of different hiking trails (even one that is handicap accessible), educational programs and bird watching. Nature here means being outside and observing nature. Hawk mountain also provides opportunity to help participate in citizen science by watching for birds, and educational programs to learn more about them.  Even the visitors center lays out the history of Hawk Mountain, from its days as a hunting ground to its protection. There are somewhat hands on exhibits that allow you to see where the different lookouts are on the mountain, and to learn more about the birds that fly through the area and their importance to the ecosystem.

Hawk mountain has been counting birds of prey consistently since 1934, the longest of any place. Their data has been immensely important in understanding the size of these populations, aiding in the understanding of population decline because of chemicals. Because they have been counting since 1934, the mountain is very important, as they have been collecting this type of data before anyone else started to.

The north lookout seemed to be where naturalists went to escape the more touristy areas down below. Here there was no educational table, no benches, and a lot less people. The ones here were nestled into the rocks and ready to stay for the long hall. It was much quieter up here than at the first lookout on the trail. These birdwatchers are up with the official counters, also shouting out when they see something, working with the counters to make sure each bird who passes is counted. They were excited by seeing birds, and even got a bit aggressive when identifying them, yelling that it was actually something else. It was as if they were racing to identify it first, and before it was lost in sight. I felt almost as if our class was intruding in their space, not contributing to the spotting and being educated while we were up there.

These birds of prey have important roles in the ecosystems, as predators they keep populations of mice and other small creatures down. Their prey often carry disease so in turn the birds are also limiting the spread of diseases. They are quite important for their ecosystem services. Also though, they can be regarded as important for cultural reasons too, such as the bald eagle for Americans.

Cabela’s, obviously a bit skewed because it relies on consumerism, had a different view of nature. With aquariums, taxidermy museums, food, and games, the store is definitely a ‘destination’, and an overwhelming one. Cabela’s showcases how humans can interact with nature through various recreation, though hunting is the most prominent. Their close mostly include Cabela’s brand, and the majority of it is camouflage but they can be worn hiking, skiing and doing other non hunting activities. The mindset of Cabela’s is that sportsmen are the greatest advocates for conservation and protecting nature. While this may be so that they can continue to hunt, many of the taxidermy animals don’t represent that mindset. There were endangered animals stuffed and on the mountain, or pictures of them dead on the ground, such as the polar bears and the elephant image. A conservationist would never commend such types of hunting.

There is an entire gun library, rows and rows of different types of fishing poles, and bows and arrows. There is cameo for the woods, and for the snow, different accessories for guns and many  things I’ve never seen before in a store. Everywhere the store has different food options, be it hot from the food court or jerky between the clothing isles. This store has everything, and everything somehow relates back to hunting or nature. There were even chairs that were made from fabric that had a forest printed on it. Their products were greatly gendered. Everything for women was pink – even the cameo. For men to be masculine meant to be a hunter or fisher. In the gun gallery, Jackie and I were the only women in there when we went to go observe. While men would walk into Cabela’s wearing a variety of things, there was an astonishing number of women who walked in wearing Cabela’s pink apparel.

Spending time near the mountain at the center of the store was very interesting. Many people stopped to take selfies, especially with the two polar bears. Others stopped to take pictures of the mountain it’s self. In deer county, it was very quiet, and dark. The people there were reading the signs and the articles on the wall. It was serious. There were also people taking pictures, but no selfies. Each animal had a wooden sign below it in each of these places, telling us what species it was, where it was killed, and who killed it and when. I found that very interesting. While these animals (at least in the deer county) were on display for more of a learning reason, they still specified who hunted the animal, making it look just like an actual trophy, with their name engraved in it. This helps us to understand the culture there, while nature should be respected and protected, it should be so that we can use it as recreation, as a sport.