American Buffalo In Search of a Lost Icon
By Steven Rinella
An extensive history of the American Buffalo, a riveting hunting story, and a call to speak for the buffalo. I could not put this book down once I finally picked it up. If you don't already have extreme respect for these majestic creatures you will after reading Rinella's account.
What I loved most was the ending...don't worry, I won't give it away, I want you to read it for yourself. The author ties the story and information together in an unexpected way. It caused me to feel empowered to fight for the buffalo and reminded me of my current goals for my community and nation (no one ever said I wasn't ambitious) to become more sustainable, to learn about our food and where it comes from, to take a step backward in "civilization" and come to respect our surroundings, to be thankful for the lives that we take to feed our own. It is miraculous that we still have the American Buffalo at all and although the species may no longer be endangered it is limited to captivity and allowed to roam freely only in the confines of certain national parks and refuges.
The cattle industry is the number one enemy of the buffalo and the major obstacle that must be overcome to get the buffalo back in the wild; surprise, surprise. Imagine a world without McDonald's (the largest purchaser of beef), where you go out to eat and have a variety of choices, all of which came from your local community. Local farmers being supported by local restaurant goers, local money going back into the local economy. I know in doing this you may also try to imagine a world without corporate greed which may be difficult, or impossible.
What I hope to do with my time here is to make the difference that I can in my local community. Spokane is a great place to start, I hope all will join the fight.
Thanks for sharing another of your many sources of inspiration and motivation. You are mine.
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