Under the Big Sky
Post by Clemson Montana Summer Program student Sarah Coleman
Even the smallest differences can have a great change. A statement that seems simple enough, but has a deeper meaning in the various ecosystems that make up Montana. One does not have to travel a great distance to see the change in the landscape. Hills covered in Ponderosa Pine that enclose meadows make way to the great expanse of the prairie only to be momentarily interrupted by mountain ranges before flattening out once more. Salt marshes, ponds, and tanks for watering cattle dot the landscape. The change, however, is not simply skin deep. The soils change, the plant species differ, animal species come and go under the Big Sky.
The vastness of the prairie is awe inspiring. It is easy to see from Point A to Point B, but what it takes to go from one place to the next is remarkable. You can drive hours without passing more than 10 cars, then turn off on a dirt road and avoid human contact for what seems like days. I find this truly refreshing compared to South Carolina. There seems to always be something attacking your senses back home, but here, you see “nothing” while seeing everything. However, it’s easy to keep moving when you have 70 mph speed limit and miss all the amazing gifts the prairie has to offer. For example, trees do not often come into the picture when one is asked to imagine the prairie, and of course they are not often seen. Nonetheless, they are there. One here, a cluster there, if you’re lucky you’ll see the cottonwood forests along a portion of the Missouri River Breaks; an area teaming with wildlife, most specifically birds, taking advantage of larger housing. Birds like the Lazuli Bunting and the Common Yellowthroat adding tiny pops of color to a seemly monotone area. Their songs break the simple silence of the wind blowing through the cottonwoods and willows, almost making me forget that I am on the prairie.
Conflict of the Mind and Heart
If you asked me what I found to be the most beautiful place in Montana, you would have to be far more specific to certain area or region. Everything is beautiful, fresh, and new to me. So, being specific to the eastern portion of Big Sky Country, the picture that I included barely does justice to what I found to be extremely breathtaking. Anyone could look at this picture and simply see the majesty of what is on the surface. They could not, however, understand the conflict of what lies below. This area is ranched and has been for countless numbers of years. Cattle graze and roam the land surrounding this scene. There is where the conflict lies, not only on the landscape but also in my heart. Cattle ranching, a livelihood for many that has been passed down among the generations. A different structure back east, but I still have a connection that can make my blood boil when someone is deeply critical, though they have little understanding. Simply studying that life does not communicate an understanding. It’s all the experiences that one has to face, the hardships and conflicts of interest that have to be overcome. I am deeply conflicted. I am a Wildlife and Fisheries Biology major that has deep roots on a farm in South Carolina. I love wild animals and sweeping landscapes with quickly moving streams. I love watching cattle range on the open prairie. CONFLICT. There has to be a way that both can occur without hindering the other.
In the picture you see a few cottonwoods, none of which look to be extremely healthy, including the largest one. There is also a water source. So why are there no more cottonwoods that what you see here? The water source here is called a tank. A natural stream or possibly an offshoot of the Missouri River that was damned up to become a water source for cattle. If the water had never been damned and was allowed to change with the coming and going seasons there could be more cottonwoods, possibly even a forest like at the Breaks. That would lead to more species diversity in the area. Did I see either the Bunting or the Yellowthroat when we took a point count of the area? No. Why? Not enough cover; not enough contiguous forest. There are many “what ifs”, “ands”, and “buts” that play into this scenario. What if the ranchers never damned up the water? What if they never allowed cattle to range the area at all? Those questions can never be answered honestly, only presumed. Imagine the picture with cattle drinking the cool water, lazing under the sparse trees, and grazing in the grasses. In my eyes, that’s just as beautiful. Why do I find that beautiful? Maybe it’s the familiarity or the connection with home. Now, erase the cattle from the landscape and replace them with bison who would be ranging in the background, maybe coming occasionally to the water (which would not be damned in a tank), but moving quickly back to the open range. That new image is beautiful too. CONFLICT. One image being altered by man, the other in a seemingly “pure” state. It is extremely hard for me to wrap my mind around the situation because my heart and my brain are pulling me in two different directions that I hope one day will have an intersection.
The “Hidden” Beauties of Montana
I can never truly express how much I love being under the Big Sky of Montana; words and pictures seem dull compared to the beauty surrounding me. There are little surprises hidden everywhere, you just have to take time to look. While we were on the American Prairie Reserve (APR) we took point counts of birds, but found much more. Walking through the grass and the sage, that are seemingly monotone, it is easy to spot something with a vibrant color that does not seem to belong. The image below is of Mammillaria grahamii, one of the three cactus species that inhabit Montana. These cacti are no bigger than a baseball, but are a strange and beautiful sight to behold. I personally have never been so excited to see a plant in my life, and took more pictures of these cacti than I did some of the animals.
By far, my favorite part of the trip to APR was seeing the bison herds. Large groups of younger males sizing each other up for the rut; female herds with their young calves still by their sides; more mature males hanging off in the distance waiting. Though they are by no means little, they seem to disappear then reappear in the blink of an eye. To some these animals may seem bulky, aggressive, or aloof; I find them calming. They seem stable and secure. They know where they are supposed to be and what their roles are. They are one with the prairie; created to survive in any condition of nature that is thrown at them. What adaptations cattle lack, bison have in a greater capacity.
The conflict begins again between my heart and my mind. For now I want the conflict to cease, just for a little bit, so I can meditate on the amazing things I have seen the past 5 days and clear my mind for the new concepts I will soon learn. What have a learned thus far? Don’t just look at the horizon though it is extremely pleasing to the eye. Look on the ground, under the sagebrush and behind the large clumps of grass, you might just find something that can help you find yourself under the Big Sky.
Even the smallest differences can have a great change. A statement that seems simple enough, but has a deeper meaning in the various ecosystems that make up Montana. One does not have to travel a great distance to see the change in the landscape. Hills covered in Ponderosa Pine that enclose meadows make way to the great expanse of the prairie only to be momentarily interrupted by mountain ranges before flattening out once more. Salt marshes, ponds, and tanks for watering cattle dot the landscape. The change, however, is not simply skin deep. The soils change, the plant species differ, animal species come and go under the Big Sky.
The vastness of the prairie is awe inspiring. It is easy to see from Point A to Point B, but what it takes to go from one place to the next is remarkable. You can drive hours without passing more than 10 cars, then turn off on a dirt road and avoid human contact for what seems like days. I find this truly refreshing compared to South Carolina. There seems to always be something attacking your senses back home, but here, you see “nothing” while seeing everything. However, it’s easy to keep moving when you have 70 mph speed limit and miss all the amazing gifts the prairie has to offer. For example, trees do not often come into the picture when one is asked to imagine the prairie, and of course they are not often seen. Nonetheless, they are there. One here, a cluster there, if you’re lucky you’ll see the cottonwood forests along a portion of the Missouri River Breaks; an area teaming with wildlife, most specifically birds, taking advantage of larger housing. Birds like the Lazuli Bunting and the Common Yellowthroat adding tiny pops of color to a seemly monotone area. Their songs break the simple silence of the wind blowing through the cottonwoods and willows, almost making me forget that I am on the prairie.
Conflict of the Mind and Heart
If you asked me what I found to be the most beautiful place in Montana, you would have to be far more specific to certain area or region. Everything is beautiful, fresh, and new to me. So, being specific to the eastern portion of Big Sky Country, the picture that I included barely does justice to what I found to be extremely breathtaking. Anyone could look at this picture and simply see the majesty of what is on the surface. They could not, however, understand the conflict of what lies below. This area is ranched and has been for countless numbers of years. Cattle graze and roam the land surrounding this scene. There is where the conflict lies, not only on the landscape but also in my heart. Cattle ranching, a livelihood for many that has been passed down among the generations. A different structure back east, but I still have a connection that can make my blood boil when someone is deeply critical, though they have little understanding. Simply studying that life does not communicate an understanding. It’s all the experiences that one has to face, the hardships and conflicts of interest that have to be overcome. I am deeply conflicted. I am a Wildlife and Fisheries Biology major that has deep roots on a farm in South Carolina. I love wild animals and sweeping landscapes with quickly moving streams. I love watching cattle range on the open prairie. CONFLICT. There has to be a way that both can occur without hindering the other.
In the picture you see a few cottonwoods, none of which look to be extremely healthy, including the largest one. There is also a water source. So why are there no more cottonwoods that what you see here? The water source here is called a tank. A natural stream or possibly an offshoot of the Missouri River that was damned up to become a water source for cattle. If the water had never been damned and was allowed to change with the coming and going seasons there could be more cottonwoods, possibly even a forest like at the Breaks. That would lead to more species diversity in the area. Did I see either the Bunting or the Yellowthroat when we took a point count of the area? No. Why? Not enough cover; not enough contiguous forest. There are many “what ifs”, “ands”, and “buts” that play into this scenario. What if the ranchers never damned up the water? What if they never allowed cattle to range the area at all? Those questions can never be answered honestly, only presumed. Imagine the picture with cattle drinking the cool water, lazing under the sparse trees, and grazing in the grasses. In my eyes, that’s just as beautiful. Why do I find that beautiful? Maybe it’s the familiarity or the connection with home. Now, erase the cattle from the landscape and replace them with bison who would be ranging in the background, maybe coming occasionally to the water (which would not be damned in a tank), but moving quickly back to the open range. That new image is beautiful too. CONFLICT. One image being altered by man, the other in a seemingly “pure” state. It is extremely hard for me to wrap my mind around the situation because my heart and my brain are pulling me in two different directions that I hope one day will have an intersection. The “Hidden” Beauties of Montana
I can never truly express how much I love being under the Big Sky of Montana; words and pictures seem dull compared to the beauty surrounding me. There are little surprises hidden everywhere, you just have to take time to look. While we were on the American Prairie Reserve (APR) we took point counts of birds, but found much more. Walking through the grass and the sage, that are seemingly monotone, it is easy to spot something with a vibrant color that does not seem to belong. The image below is of Mammillaria grahamii, one of the three cactus species that inhabit Montana. These cacti are no bigger than a baseball, but are a strange and beautiful sight to behold. I personally have never been so excited to see a plant in my life, and took more pictures of these cacti than I did some of the animals.
By far, my favorite part of the trip to APR was seeing the bison herds. Large groups of younger males sizing each other up for the rut; female herds with their young calves still by their sides; more mature males hanging off in the distance waiting. Though they are by no means little, they seem to disappear then reappear in the blink of an eye. To some these animals may seem bulky, aggressive, or aloof; I find them calming. They seem stable and secure. They know where they are supposed to be and what their roles are. They are one with the prairie; created to survive in any condition of nature that is thrown at them. What adaptations cattle lack, bison have in a greater capacity.
The conflict begins again between my heart and my mind. For now I want the conflict to cease, just for a little bit, so I can meditate on the amazing things I have seen the past 5 days and clear my mind for the new concepts I will soon learn. What have a learned thus far? Don’t just look at the horizon though it is extremely pleasing to the eye. Look on the ground, under the sagebrush and behind the large clumps of grass, you might just find something that can help you find yourself under the Big Sky.
