A very interesting article titled Where the Buffalo Roam: America’s Plains Are Emptying Out, Should We Give Them Back to the Beasts? has appeared in the latest (March/April) issue of Mother Jones Magazine. The article is by David Samuels and it highlights the efforts of the American Prairie Foundation in Montana. The article also references the Buffalo Commons idea which was proposed by Frank Popper in the late 1980s.
The article reiterates many themes which have been known for years: the population is dwindling, the economies are tanking, and the search is on for what will be the next chapter of the Great Plains story.
One statement stood out in particular as Samuels attempts to describe the land. He writes, “The scene of waving grass, exposed riverbeds, and rolling green land below seemed iconic, like something drawn from the collective human unconscious . . .”
It is these scenes and experiences that are nearly extinct from modern life. All it takes is one view, one experience, one walk. It is the intention of the Great Plains Trail to help provide that opportunity.
Note: The link above will take you to the whole Mother Jones Magazine. You’ll have to turn through some pages to get to the article, but it’s well worth it.
