I’ll never forget the day that I became aware of the importance of sharing the wild, not just with other adults, but particularly with young children.
Back in 2011, I was taking some journalism and photography classes in preparation for the great journey that lived in my dreams. You know how it is, you dream something big and then spend the rest of your life preparing for the event and pretty soon it is too late. Well, fate intervened on my preparations and sprung me into action.
I looked at the newspaper and there on the front cover of the Spokesman Review, was a photograph of 399 with three tiny little cubs. The article told me that 399 was raising her cubs near the road and people were flocking to the park to see her. My head exploded! When would I ever get another chance to see a mama grizzly with her three little babies? Truthfully, I did not know that GTNP was the home of those beautiful mountains that I saw on Flickr and didn’t care. I just needed to see those bears.
I had no money to speak of but one way or the other I was going to see 399.
But, why not make it a well-rounded national parks trip, (after all visiting the parks was my dream, and camp in Glacier, Yellowstone and Teton? I hadn’t camped in years due to 7 back surgeries,) which equated to years of anguish and trauma, not to mention a life changing infection in my brain, and wasn’t sure I could pull it off. But, by now you all know how stubborn I am. This would work and a blow-up mattress wouldn’t hurt!
I did Glacier and Yellowstone and it was all fabulous. But, the day I entered GTNP for the first time was the one that would change my life forever. Not long after checking in at Colter Bay (I gave myself 2 nights in cabins during this trip) I came upon a crowd watching 399 and her cubs as they came out of the forest into a patch of early spring flowers. The flowers were more beautiful in my mind than in my photos. But, I was hooked.
Three days in GTNP turned into 3 weeks of camping at Signal Mountain and life was good. I was a new, lousy wildlife photographer and I had stupidly purchased a D7000 on my way out of town. That camera was the worst! But, everyday I followed the crowd and clicked away. My focus on 399, I barely knew that her daughter was just down the road with two cubs of her own, and the mountains were just a backdrop that I came to appreciate later.
One day, while a large crowd of people were standing along the road, near Cattleman’s (a favorite spot for 610) trying to see 610 amongst the tall willows and aspen trees, a young boy was dancing at my feet. We stood behind his adults who were watching the bear, and the youngster was jumping up and down trying to see the animals. Without a thought, I scooped the boy up in my arms and showed him those bears! It was the best moment, to share a grizzly family with him – he was probably 5 or 6 – and right then I knew the magic of sharing. His eyes lit up, he was in awe and I got to watch. Luckily, his parents were not alarmed by a stranger holding their child.
My life wasn’t the same when I returned to Spokane and I could no longer sit still and look out the window. I could no longer prepare for the journey of my dreams, it was time to go. And, two months later most everything I owned was gone and I was on the road, visiting national parks.
Wish I could truthfully say that the sharing journey was an easy one but it was not. Oh, in the beginning, I shared and shared. I told people where to find the animals and delighted every time that someone saw a bear or wolf for the first time. But, as my popularity grew in the Yellowstone area, other photographers resented my sharing, and controversy ensued. I was confused, conflicted, being harassed and vilified just for doing what was in my heart. I wanted to please everyone and the journey to easily following my heart and doing what was right for me, has taken years. And, then visitation increased and bad visitor behavior was on the rise, and sharing became a liability for the animals – not because of the masses but because of the few who would leave their car parked in the road, jump out and start chasing a wolf as it fled into the forest. My detractors hated my sharing due to their own selfish needs of wanting the animals to themselves, but over the years it became necessary to be cautious for the sake of the animals.
However, if I drive into the park today and get to show someone their first wolf, their excitement fills my heart and I know that their lives are changed too. Wildlife needs more people who love and understand them – pure and simple. Sharing to create more wildlife lovers should be our goal if we want to continue having wolves and bears to photograph. After a while, the shot just isn’t that important, except for show and tell.
Deby Dixon, author, photographer and wildlife advocate
Little Bear’s Books
