The bare heritage

What a view eh?

Its Monday – bank holiday back in the UK. I’m taking half a day to re-centre before leaving Wyoming and the Grand Teton (pronounced “teeton”) National Park, and having a gentle hike around Taggart Lake and beyond.

The Park Authorities (rightly) make a big thing about bears here. There are c 60 Grizzlies and 100 Black bears in the Park and nearby National Forest.

Everywhere people congregate there are signs on bear safety:

Never hike alone. Ahem, sorry lone travellor, so I am hiking alone, however I’d like to think I’m a little more savvy than most to being aware of my surroundings and what’s going on.

When you hike, talk, clap, make a noise. Notice no advice on hitting two sticks together…it’s not mountain lion country here (no, I’ve no idea if that works either). This goes against all my childhood training; you will not get far bird-watching if you make a noise all the time as you scare everything away. With bears I guess that’s the point. Talking isn’t a problem, I can have an argument with myself. I pass this one ok.

If you see a bear (before it see’s you), back away slowly. That’s easy for you to say. Fight or flight mode has a lot to answer for. As I round a corner and spy in the huckleberry bushes a dark, thick furred backside not 10 feet away, I could feel the blood rushing (largely away from my brain and into my feet). To my credit I did start backing – no particularly slowly…then noticed the furry butt was attached to a long neck. Ahhh…moose butt, not bear butt. Moose can still get kind of cranky around people, but at least they won’t eat you after trampling you. Yes, there is a picture of moose butt.

Be aware of your surroundings. Again easier said than done, my eyes go in one direction only. As I face planted the trail for the second time I decided to use my ears to be aware of my surroundings, listen for squirrel or chipmunk alarms, and keep my eyes firmly on the rocky path.

Carry Bear Spray. Now that appealed to me for all the wrong reasons. I’ll admit I think it looks cool, carried holster like, the new “old” wild west. This is for aiming at the bears feet if they charge at you. Parents, it is not for spraying on your children to protect them from bears.

As I made my way back after only 10 miles, I heard approaching in the distance the sound of bells. Goats? (I’ve been to Europe), dinner bell? Morris Dancers? (I am from England after all). A lone hiker strode into view accompanied by the tinkling sound of bells. The jury is out on the effectiveness of bells vs bears. It certainly roused my interest.

I decided after my short hike (emerging alive from the lodgepole pine forest), it is all a question of perspective. Since I have been here I’ve seen 5 Moose (this includes the Moose butt). There are 70 Moose in the Grand Teton. And 160 bears or thereabouts. The odds are that I have passed at least a couple of bears and not even known about it. I’m a rubbish hiker.

What has any of this got to do with Community Land Trusts, I hear you ask? Bear with me (get it?…never mind…). It’s culture and heritage. Ask any tourist here (and yes, I have), what they most want to see – it’s bears and moose. They come for the wildlife experience. Not too wild, as in the flight or fight wildlife experience, just wild enough to feel close to nature. The wildlife heritage draws them into the mountain trails.

Why do people come to the Yorkshire Dales? For the culture and heritage, simple as that. The views, criss-crossed with dry stone walls, and dotted with barns; the land management (whether they know it or not) sheep being herded down the main street, cows halting the traffic on their way to milking, or the colourful swathes of meadow grasses; the welcoming hearths of the pubs and that one local waiting for you to buy him (or her!) a pint in exchange for tall tales of Dales Life. The agricultural shows, sports days, festivals.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park, when you get right down to it, was designated on the heritage and culture of generations of people living and working the land. The landscape is a working one. Without people living and working there, the culture will quickly go. It’s happened and is already happening across lots of the villages. The obvious losses – school, shop, pub, the less obvious ones – residents, people who live and interact and create that sense of community. The people you want to share your woes with, the people who will help you if you need it, the people you can’t wait to tell your good news to. Community.

I think I am homesick.

Community Land Trusts can be part of making that happen, protecting land for the community in perpetuity, ensuring heritage and culture evolves, remains vibrant. The bare truth is, it’s time to protect our communities, and in doing so we will protect the future heritage.