Into the Mountains
Allison Melcher
Post by 2016 Montana Summer Program student Allison Melcher
John Muir who once said, “the mountains are calling, and I must go.” Although heavily clichéd now as a romanticized gesture to entice people to the outdoors, having spent some time in the mountains of Montana while at Montana State University, I now understand the phrase in a way I never could before. There’s something alluring about seeing snow capped mountains in the middle of June, but also something alluring about the mountains in general. Here, they offer an alternative to the great expanses of prairie we’ve seen previously. Though both landscapes hold beauty, there is just something about mountains that has an unparalleled grandeur, a captivating essence that is unique to these land masses that reach up into the sky. Perhaps we feel closer to our deities as we look upon them, or perhaps we are simply awe-struck by the sheer magnitude, the ineffable beauty of the mountains, but either way, they are a source of happiness unlike any other.
In Bozeman at Montana State University and also at Fort Keogh in Miles City, we were able to see first hand some of the research that is being done with cattle in terms of cattle nutrition and grazing. In Miles City, we saw the work that was being done to explore the affect of drought and rainfall on vegetation in rangelands, as well as cannulated cows. Cannulated cows have had holes cut in the sides of their stomachs such that researchers can remove the contents of the rumen to determine what exactly cattle are eating. Though I wasn’t brave enough to reach my own arm in, the process itself is fascinating, and in conjunction with the other vegetation research it could provide some insight into the forage quality as well as selectivity of cows on the available forage. Similar research can be seen at Montana State University as well, but there we were able to see another face of the livestock industry out west, and that was sheep.
The sheep industry used to be one of the largest industries in Montana, but fewer sheep farms are seen today. Used mainly for wool, this decline in the utilization of sheep could likely be derived from the decline in the profitability of the wool industry. There are cheaper and more easily accessible forms of clothing available, and today there are only two places in the United States that have wool processing facility: Montana State University and Texas A&M. Having seen a few sheep farms before and knowing the incredible and unique properties of wool, it was a great experience to be able to tour the process and see what exactly goes into grading wool and how it is sorted. I am incredibly impressed by the mix of history and technology being used; as one of the last remaining wool producers, it is important to both remember what once was as well as push forward to enhance the process to ensure that it can continue far into the future with furthered ease and accessibility.
Being in Montana and seeing the many, differing aspects of life here, I am becoming increasingly aware of the relationship between people and wildlife. Everywhere you look there are wild plants and animals, after every turn there is a deer or a rabbit or something new to see, like the bull snake we saw while visiting Little Bighorn. But there are also roads that cut through the middle of the prairie, there are cattle in nearly every field, there are horses, sheep, and man made ponds, each evidencing the mark that humans have made here. Granted, these marks are incomparable to the marks humans have made in places like New York City or Boston, but they are still there, and they have made their impact on wildlife. What I find to be so interesting, then, is the work that is being done that combines issues of wildlife with human issues, whether that be livestock production or something else. One such issue that we discussed while at Montana State University was domesticated sheep passing on viruses and diseases to wild bighorn sheep, and there is some research being conducted to try and understand more of both how and why transfer occurs, and what can be done to stop it so that both populations can be protected.
It seems as though nothing can rival the dominance of the mountains; their strength is felt through every part of you when you look upon them. But what is perhaps more powerful than the mountains themselves is the people who have dedicated their lives to promoting and conducting research so that life in Montana can continue and improve. The people at both Fort Keogh in Miles City and those at Montana State University in Bozeman are not only looking for ways to increase livestock production, they are also looking for the most productive option that still benefits wildlife. It is a continued theme that I have noticed in my time here and it’s one that I talk about often, but only because I believe it to be so incredibly important. Every researcher that I have had the opportunity to talk to has repeated nearly the exact same thing: we cannot have one without the other. We can’t stop livestock production any more than we can eradicate all forms of natural wildlife. People have altered the landscape everywhere they’ve ventured, and much of the damage that has been caused is irreversible, but we also also have the opportunity to save these landscapes, too, both mountains and prairies alike.
Post by 2016 Montana Summer Program student Allison Melcher
John Muir who once said, “the mountains are calling, and I must go.” Although heavily clichéd now as a romanticized gesture to entice people to the outdoors, having spent some time in the mountains of Montana while at Montana State University, I now understand the phrase in a way I never could before. There’s something alluring about seeing snow capped mountains in the middle of June, but also something alluring about the mountains in general. Here, they offer an alternative to the great expanses of prairie we’ve seen previously. Though both landscapes hold beauty, there is just something about mountains that has an unparalleled grandeur, a captivating essence that is unique to these land masses that reach up into the sky. Perhaps we feel closer to our deities as we look upon them, or perhaps we are simply awe-struck by the sheer magnitude, the ineffable beauty of the mountains, but either way, they are a source of happiness unlike any other.
In Bozeman at Montana State University and also at Fort Keogh in Miles City, we were able to see first hand some of the research that is being done with cattle in terms of cattle nutrition and grazing. In Miles City, we saw the work that was being done to explore the affect of drought and rainfall on vegetation in rangelands, as well as cannulated cows. Cannulated cows have had holes cut in the sides of their stomachs such that researchers can remove the contents of the rumen to determine what exactly cattle are eating. Though I wasn’t brave enough to reach my own arm in, the process itself is fascinating, and in conjunction with the other vegetation research it could provide some insight into the forage quality as well as selectivity of cows on the available forage. Similar research can be seen at Montana State University as well, but there we were able to see another face of the livestock industry out west, and that was sheep.The sheep industry used to be one of the largest industries in Montana, but fewer sheep farms are seen today. Used mainly for wool, this decline in the utilization of sheep could likely be derived from the decline in the profitability of the wool industry. There are cheaper and more easily accessible forms of clothing available, and today there are only two places in the United States that have wool processing facility: Montana State University and Texas A&M. Having seen a few sheep farms before and knowing the incredible and unique properties of wool, it was a great experience to be able to tour the process and see what exactly goes into grading wool and how it is sorted. I am incredibly impressed by the mix of history and technology being used; as one of the last remaining wool producers, it is important to both remember what once was as well as push forward to enhance the process to ensure that it can continue far into the future with furthered ease and accessibility.
Being in Montana and seeing the many, differing aspects of life here, I am becoming increasingly aware of the relationship between people and wildlife. Everywhere you look there are wild plants and animals, after every turn there is a deer or a rabbit or something new to see, like the bull snake we saw while visiting Little Bighorn. But there are also roads that cut through the middle of the prairie, there are cattle in nearly every field, there are horses, sheep, and man made ponds, each evidencing the mark that humans have made here. Granted, these marks are incomparable to the marks humans have made in places like New York City or Boston, but they are still there, and they have made their impact on wildlife. What I find to be so interesting, then, is the work that is being done that combines issues of wildlife with human issues, whether that be livestock production or something else. One such issue that we discussed while at Montana State University was domesticated sheep passing on viruses and diseases to wild bighorn sheep, and there is some research being conducted to try and understand more of both how and why transfer occurs, and what can be done to stop it so that both populations can be protected.
It seems as though nothing can rival the dominance of the mountains; their strength is felt through every part of you when you look upon them. But what is perhaps more powerful than the mountains themselves is the people who have dedicated their lives to promoting and conducting research so that life in Montana can continue and improve. The people at both Fort Keogh in Miles City and those at Montana State University in Bozeman are not only looking for ways to increase livestock production, they are also looking for the most productive option that still benefits wildlife. It is a continued theme that I have noticed in my time here and it’s one that I talk about often, but only because I believe it to be so incredibly important. Every researcher that I have had the opportunity to talk to has repeated nearly the exact same thing: we cannot have one without the other. We can’t stop livestock production any more than we can eradicate all forms of natural wildlife. People have altered the landscape everywhere they’ve ventured, and much of the damage that has been caused is irreversible, but we also also have the opportunity to save these landscapes, too, both mountains and prairies alike.
