SAVE THE BEAVERS!!!
The following blog post was originally posted at jaywalkerlodge.com.
Solutions peers, staff, and a grateful alumni spent last week working with the Grand Canyon Trust in Utah to aid a local rancher in returning his land to a pristine state. Free range cattle had substantially damaged the property due to overgrazing, resulting in the devastation of many of the native plant and animal species. Our men along with Steve (the rancher), his buddy Sid and 2 GCT staffers spent 4 days constructing new fencing to prevent the local cattle from entering the property. It was hard work in hot conditions but spirits remained upbeat throughout. Biting flies, barbed wire scratches, and dips in an ice cold reservoir to bathe gave rise to some language not fit to print here. In hindsight, those minor discomforts only acted to make the trip even more substantial. As we stood in an open meadow Steve shared with us his vision of someday having a cabin overlooking a grand panorama, of having beaver back in his streams and native flora back in the forest. He beamed a broad smile as he thanked us for helping him realize his dream is now within reach. While building a fence was the task, building a dream was the result. Gets no better than that. ~ Dan Reed
