It matters to that one...

This weekend I ventured into Northwestern Colorado to the small town of Craig, otherwise known as the "Elk Hunting Capital of the World". Just outside of town, the Colorado Division of Wildlife is conducting an effort to reestablish populations of the Sharp-tailed Grouse, a medium-sized prairie grouse that sort of resembles a small chicken. These birds are declining in numbers and range due to habitat loss.

(male juvenile sharp tailed grouse)

I had the opportunity to ride along with Justin, wildlife biologist and all around amazing guy, to witness the grouse during their mating period. What I experienced was something straight out of a Discovery Channel, Planet Earth episode. The birds put on a display in open areas known as leks. About 20 male birds will occupy one lek and attempt to attract females by stamping their feet rapidly and rattle their tail feathers while turning in circles or dancing forward. Purple neck sacs are inflated and deflated during display. The females select the most dominant one or two males in the center of the lek, copulate, and then leave to nest and raise the young in solitary from the male. Occasionally a low-rank male may disguise himself as a female and walk to where the dominant male is and fight him.

We arrived at our assigned lek at about 5:00 a.m and already the males were stomping and cooing in attempts to attract some females and spread their seed. The Division of Wildlife had earlier scouted out the leks and set up traps out of chicken wire and netting in hopes that the males would chase females into the traps. Our job was to watch for the grouse to enter the traps, jump out of the truck and run to the traps and grab the birds, then stuff them into pillow cases. Their goal was to capture at least 40 females and 15-20 males and relocate them. As we watched with binoculars through the dirty windshield of the pickup truck, female grouse entered the lek checking out the males on display. After about 30 minutes of waiting and watching, a female finally got caught in one of the traps and we jumped out to retrieve her.

(yours truly holding a female adult grouse)

While we sat and waited for more birds to arrive and get caught in the traps, the sun rose over the mountains and a herd of about 200 elk appeared across the fields. There were also pronghorn antelope and a plethora of other birds surrounding us. "I feel like I am working on the Serengeti when I work out here", Justin said. I could understand why.

(view of the "Serengeti" from the lek)

After we caught more grouse and stuffed them into pillow cases, we transported them to be counted and tagged. The grouse later would be released in another area of the state several miles away.



(releasing the grouse into their new habitat)

The day's events reminded me of one of my favorite stories:

There was a man who would take a walk every morning along the beach. As he walked, he would pick up starfish and throw them back into the ocean. He would do this all down the beach on his entire walk. The man would walk back up the beach on the way home probably picking up many of the same starfish and throw them, yet again, back into the ocean. He did this same routine day after day.

A neighbor watched this man do this each day. The tide would come in and so would the starfish. The man would throw them in the ocean. They would wash back up on the shore.

The neighbor watching could not stand it anymore. Finally, one day the neighbor asked the man why he spent so much effort throwing the starfish back into the water. "They just get washed back up on the shore again. What does it matter?"

The man reached down, picked up a starfish and threw it into the ocean. "It mattered to that one!"

To much of the world, the efforts of some people don't seem to matter. It just looks futile. It just seems to be a whole lot of effort and not much to show for it. In fact, it just drives some people crazy.

To the starfish being washed up on the beach and left stuck in the sand, there is a different perspective. They are kept alive because of the effort of just one person.

To the species of sharp tailed grouse - the efforts of the Colorado Division of Wildlife could be their savior - and I got to be a part of it for a day.

"It matters to that one!"

(self portrait)