Blaine Tucker, one of the
"cowboys" featured in your December issue in October, was shot in the back in a tragic hunting accident. He was flown from here in Wyoming to Denver where he is still hospitalized. His pelvis was shattered and he had numerous internal injuries. He also has suffered some strokes due to blood clots. He has no insurance because of being a "cowboy". It is not known if he will recover enough to ever ride or perform his duties again...but we who know him hope so.

There is no doubt that being a cowboy is a difficult profession filled with hard work from sunup to sundown. Also, there is no denying that ranching has left a cultural impression.

However, there is plenty of evidence that aspects of the cowboying profession have deep, negative effects on habitats and cultures from Canada to Patagonia. Recent court cases in the Western United States have protected bighorn habitat from grazing practices.

In my home state of Idaho, public lands are prepared for grazing by first removing native vegetation through “chaining.” This is the process of stretching heavy chain between two bulldozers and pulling it through native habitat. Stands of sage, pinion and juniper are utterly destroyed, as is habitat for native species such as the sage grouse.

Next, crested wheatgrass is planted. Oddly, while cattle don’t eat much of this. It does serve to increase the fuel load for fire, as does the cheatgrass which cattle bring into an area.

In order to support cattle in the arid west, vast water projects and pipelines are constructed. Watersheds disappear, taking fish with them. Water tables drop and the land becomes more arid, again increasing fire risk.

We’ve recently had devastating wildfires in Idaho, and it’s upsetting to note that most ranchers feel that replanting the burned areas with native vegetation a waste of time and effort.

There are other impacts. Idaho is currently coming to grips with a reintroduced wolf population. While science from our own Fish and Game Department shows minor impact on native ungulate populations and livestock from wolves, ranchers are calling for the deaths of around 70% of the 800-some wolves currently here. They insist that the wolf population be managed as close to just 15 breeding pairs as can be managed. Idaho has the largest acreage of wilderness of any state in the lower 48, and yet ranchers insist that there is no room for wolves. The recently released Idaho Wolf Management Plan suggests that wolves could be poisoned, trapped and killed from the sky even in wilderness areas where their impacts on human activity are most minor.

I respect cowboys, but history is replete with professions which have proven to be harmful to wildlife and unneeded by a modern society. Cowboys have joined the ranks with the New England whaler and the professional buffalo hunter.

Rick Hobson
Boise, Idaho

"Cowboys" when viewed in one way is a modern update on the last few holdouts living an iconic American lifestyle, mixing the historic and the current, the romantic and the every day reality. Alternatively it could be viewed as an article about people doing their jobs, illustrated with lovely photos taken with a special kind of camera that makes everything feel nostalgic. What if you took the same attitude and applied it to other professions?

Almost all professions have an element of nobility, self-sacrifice and dignity to them, as well as photogenic and/or whimsical moments. For instance, you could take a relatively prosaic profession like the people who clean the train stations or plumbers and have two page spreads with pictures of the things that get swept up with the daily cleaning or a family watching a plumber drain the water from their basement. You could ask an IRS agent what the most fun part of their job is and a cell phone tech support person what motivates them to do a good job at their work.

It would point out both the exotic-ness of the worker we see everyday as well as the every day-ness of those who do jobs that seem inexplicable.

That you people could be so heartless and absent minded that you would post such insults against an entire profession, after a lady had just mentioned a horrible accident involving one of the subjects of the article, is beyond the realm of acceptable human behavior. (Blaine Tucker). You miserable people should repent and thank God for people who are willing to do the tough part of the job so you can get a hamburger at the drive through or buy a leather belt or pair of shoes. (Of course, there are always vegans and "tree huggers" who want to be hyper-critical of every one else and to even write about such non-sense). Every occupation and profession, from U.S. Presidents to janitors, have had people in them who range from the debased and immoral to noble kind-hearted people who care about others deeply and act accordingly. Where people fit in on this spectrum of humanity becomes obvious when they value their opinions and personal agendas more than they do their fellow humans.

I wish to respond to insensitive and inappropriate comments made by
the "man from Idaho". This man obviously has an agenda that is very important to him--
I would like to respond by giving some factual information about not only the lifestyle of these cowboys but his beloved wolves.
Blaine is a 5th generation rancher. These are people who love the land and are good stewards of the land you profess to care about. We've never heard of chaining or removal of sage pinon or juniper and indeed protect the native growth.
This summer Blaine was attacked by
grizzly bear four times. Twice he was accompanied by federal or state fish and game or wolf personnel. He also had to put down 6 cows who had about 6-10 inches of their rear ends eaten out by the wolves and left to try to keep up with the herd. How they kill is gruesome and savage.
They leave many animals alive and
wounded beyond salvage after they have eaten their fill or have just had their play.
The article however, was not about wolves or ungulates nor the
wildfires etc. The article was a
comentary on a way of life that is
vanishing. These buckaroos and cowboys do work very hard--they do not seek the attention of the masses, nor the thanks --any more than do the natives of Africa or other countries whose stories are
well told by the authors of these articles in National Geographic.

Addressing the woman who belittles the cowboy by saying that there are others not recognized who labor in thankless and dreary jobs,some colorful and some are not -- but that does not mean that the featuring of the cowboy was anything but interesting and that it is a labor of love by those who bear that title. It does not diminish the valuable contribution of many in other walks of life. Let them have their moment of glory.
Kudos to Mark Milhollin for his well written letter.

i was hoping to get more info on the picture of the cowboy from williams lake in the december 2007 issue. i'm from williams lake and was just interested. any help would be awsome,,

thanks.

travis kier