Summer 2011

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The animals under our care are complex multi-leveled beings, as we are, with strong physical needs, intense emotional lives, and, as part of the tapestry of life, with a spiritual aspect as well. It is our mission to address all these levels; it is our belief that seeing animals one-dimensionally is a disservice to them, to us and the wonder that is life. The vision of Earthfire is to become an interdisciplinary center, integrating cutting-edge ideas from all these levels and helping create momentum to radically change our relationship

to nature. To accomplish this we offer retreats by leaders in the fields of conservation biology, wildlife art, enlarging our sense of community to include all beings, and spirituality. In all these retreats the animals of Earthfire will be active participants, vividly adding the animals’ voices to the deliberations.

The vision is coming to fruition. Harvey Locke, conservation leader and founder of the Yellowstone to Yukon Wildlife Corridor (Y2Y) came for a “think tank” session, along with Y2Y wildlife artist Dwayne Harty. Dwayne, Artist-in-Residence at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, is giving a workshop here in July. Penelope Smith, founder of the animal communication movement, Catriona MacGregor, multi-award winning author of Partnering With Nature and Dr. Bernie Krause, brilliant contributor to acoustic ecology will all be leading retreats (see page 5). Many are already filled, with participants coming from around the world. A major theme of our retreats this summer is art as a potent force in conservation: music contributing to the field of acoustic ecology; painting and nature writing moving people to save habitat, and a Residency Program for students from the California Institute of the Arts making a film with Earthfire animals.

Our national and international community continues to grow as people respond to the web site and e-newsletters. We have had prayers from around the world for Major Bear - what an impact he has made! Requests for interviews keep coming in; I just completed one to be included in a book called “Turning Points in Compassion,” edited by Australian Gypsy Wulff (I struggle to find time to work on my own book, half done now).

Jean continues to work hard to improve the animal homes as best he can with limited financial resources. We can’t rest until all the animals have their own place to play. Most urgent - the Bear Gardens. And though it is more appealing to give directly to the animals, another reality-based need is an assistant director to help meet the increasing demands for retreats, fundraising, and outreach, to make it possible to reach more people with the animals’ voices.

The annual Tin Cup Challenge is a wonderful opportunity to have any donation that you give through July 25th matched by up to 50% (see back cover). Any gift will be very much appreciated.

In sum, we are still here and succeeding!!! We are excited; the retreat visitors are excited. We look forward to a very rich summer. Warmly,

Letter from the Director

Cover art: Dall Sheep at the Gates of the Nahanni, courtesy of Dwayne Harty and the Yellowtone to Yukon Conservation Initiative

Susan and Earthfire

The Small Animal Garden is open for business!

The baby fox playing in and on a hollow log in the garden

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Held securely around her rapidly expanding tummy by Jean’s big hand, she sucks down the contents of her bottle with fierce intensity; the major focus of her life. If a bit of ground chicken clogs the nipple her whole body enters into the effort to pull out the milk, every fiber in her body trembling with the concentrated effort, her tiny hind legs flailing in the exertion. She wants to LIVE. As the milk starts to flow again she relaxes and there is an inner look of concentration in her half-closed eyes, something close to ecstasy as she sucks in a blissful rhythm that any mother would recognize. Her front paws, tipped in white, knead the air in an attempt to make the bottle give more. This is everything. This is the gateway to Life. How she wants it! And we are going to do everything in our power to see she has a good and long one.

Jean bought her from a fur farm at two weeks old. $140 dollars. We had thought about it for months. Beloved Feather, herself purchased from a fur farm, is going on 14 years old. With her sweetness, she has been a wonderful spokesfox for her kind and we wanted to continue the tradition.

How do you pick the one that will have a chance at life from all those precious lives? We meditated on it, hoping that we would somehow pick the right one, if there is such a thing. We were calling a “fox being” towards us even as she was conceived and in her mother’s womb. When Jean arrived at the farm she was the only one outside the breeding boxes, already exploring, as if saying “I am the one.” I don’t know if she was in effect saying that, but it is true that she was the one who came home to join the family.

So many interesting questions. David Shlim, a Tibetan Buddhist, visited Feather last year and wondered aloud “What was her karma that she was chosen out of all the others?”

Penelope Smith, noted author and animal communicator, talks about how if you help one member of a species, give it respect and care, somehow energetically you help the whole clan. I like that idea.

She is five weeks now and she already has had a momentous life - accidents, triumphant visits with humans, and financial accomplishment:

•At three weeks she was stronger and more energetic than we believed possible. We kept her in the bedroom, away from the very jealous Talkeetna, my malamute, who does not think she is cute. At all. The foxlette somehow managed to pop open the top of her box, clamber out even though the sides of the box were taller than she, and fell to the floor. I heard the loud protest and rushed to find her splayed out on all fours, now silent from shock. She was unhurt, but the world had reached out and bitten her. A loss of innocence at such a young age!

•Jean brought her to the office while I was meeting with Missy, our terrific bookkeeper who is helping to reorganize our accounts. Drawn like a magnet, she held the little body close to her neck whispering “I love you,” lost in motherly feeling. When I asked her how much she would charge for helping us with the books she said “Nothing.” An auspicious beginning to a possible fundraising career.

To all who see her, she brings the

wonder of new life as she grows into her abilities and discovers the joy of living. At five weeks now her tail has grown long enough that she can chase it. Gloves twice her size are things to be attacked and shaken, bowls on

the floor to be climbed into and leaped over. All is exciting and new. I am reminded of a wonderful scene in the movie “Michael,” when John Travolta, who plays an angel temporarily embodied, comes down to earth and says a long Ahhhhhhhh” as he sniffs the air and begins to feel into the sensuous delight of having a body and five physical senses.

Carrying her around in my arms outside she is for the moment quiet, as she takes in the new signs and sounds and

smells – you can almost feel her brain developing. When we put her down she scoots around not knowing where she is going, just scooting, incredibly fast already, stretching her little legs, a tiny bit of black fur with feet and tail tipped in white.

We have not yet named her as we have to live with an animal for a while until the name feels right. Meanwhile, watching her is bittersweet as I think of the fate of those we left behind. Racing around the cabin floor she already has more freedom than her mother ever had or will have. She has been seen and recognized as an individual and a being, not a number and a thing. For the future of our planet and all of us on it, it is critical that we raise peoples’ awareness of the preciousness of the gift of life to each individual creature, and that we care for it well, even (or especially) those whose bodies we end up using for our own needs. She will do her part splendidly in helping with this.

I hear an unholy screaming from the bedroom. She wants food NOW; she has the serious business of growing to do. I have to go. My duties as a steward call.

Animal Tails: The Foxlette

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The Y2Y (Yellowstone to Yukon) wildlife corridor is the last complete mountain wildlife corridor left in the world. Corridors are “wildlife highways” that are essential to the long

term survival of wildlife. We have discovered that genes must flow over vast tracts of space and time in order for species to survive; much larger than any individual national park and longer than several human lifetimes. An entire new field of corridor ecology has developed with this recognition and people are now working

around the world to maintain “connectivity” – safe passages between bigger areas of good habitat. This gives animals the opportunity to roam over generations. It means we must not chop up the environment, leaving animals isolated in islands of habitat surrounded by roads and development. Even the island of Yellowstone National Park is not big enough to sustain grizzly bears over time.

On the Y2Y map on the left there is a red line – Highway 3, that cuts directly across the corridor. Researchers are urgently trying to find way to help animals

safely cross. As Y2Y founder Harvey Locke says, the science shows that if we want large carnivores in the lower 48, we had better care about what happens in Canada.

Artists often see things first and it was an artist who first painted along what is now the Y2Y; the famous Carl Rungius. His vision led the the Y2Y becoming a reality. Locke believes that art can speak to us and move

us to action in ways that nothing else can. He himself organized the first show at the National Museum of Wildlife Art that focuses

only on art and conservation. The sole painter for the show is Dwayne Harty, who spent four years traveling the Y2Y from

Pinedale, Wyoming to the Yukon to paint and bring to viewers the beauty and necessity of saving these places for wildlife.

Locke’s instructions to Dwayne were “Don’t just paint the animals; paint them in their habitat,” to stress the

importance of the ecosystem to their survival.

It would have been better if we had thought about mitigating the impact on wildlife before

building Highway 3. Short term and local thinking without a larger understanding of

how nature works can have devastating and unintended consequences. It does not have to be development versus wildlife. Science, cooridors, and thoughtful planning can meet the needs of humans and wildlife – and having wildlife is a human need.

Wildlife Art as Advocacy

Y2Y Map

Big Grizzly - by Dwayne Harty

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Residency ProgramsCalifornia Institute for the Arts

This summer three top students from California Institute for the Arts, a musician/composer; a filmmaker/writer and a film animator are coming for a two-week residency to co-create work of art together with the Earthfire animals. The focus is to take the beauty, soul and voices of the animals to a larger audience through art. It will be posted on the CalArts and Earthfire web sites - look for it! www.calarts.edu

(see www.earthifreinstitute.org for indepth information)Cal Arts student Jesse

with Miss Clover the badger, 2009

Tibetan Lama and arctic wolf North Windby Jamye Chrisman

2011 RetreatsConnecting with Wildlife Heart to Heart June 17-19 (Sold Out) and September 16-19. For humans who want to live more deeply and “in the moment,” with the help of the animals of Earthfire. There will be time for meeting the animals, contemplation, storytelling, rich conversation and celebration, with the Grand Tetons in the background, as we work towards healing ourselves and the planet. Led by Earthfire co-founders Susan Eirich, Ph.D. and Jean (John) Simpson.

Acoustic Ecology:Sounds of Nature: An Introduction to Wild Soundscapes with Bernie Krause, Ph.D. and Martyn Stewart June 20-23. This 4-day course with world-renowned sounds recorders will take place both indoors and in the field as we learn to listen and record with an emphasis on the sound of the ecosystem and what it reveals. Visit www.wildsanctuary.com or www.naturesound.org for background information.

Wildlife Communication Retreat with Animal Communication Specialist Penelope Smith - July 23-24. Sold Out.www.animaltalk.net

The Tonglen Healing Arts for Animals with Polly Klein - August 5-7. (Sold Out) www.tonglenhealingarts.com

Writers’ Workshop – Wild Creatures: Guides to Our Creative Source - August 13-14. Encounters with animals as creatures with souls as unique as our own will help us engage our deepest creative selves and discover gifts we may not know we have. Co-led by Susan Marsh and Earthfire founder and writer Susan Eirich. A Walk on the Wild Side: Answering the Call of the Wild with Rose De Dan - Sept. 30-Oct. 2. “We return to meet in ceremony a second year with the animals of Earthfire, expanding and deepening our connection. I invite you to join me, Rose De Dan, for another ground-breaking three-day adventure at Earthfire. Our intention for being with the animals is to connect with them, to learn from them, and — as partners, to work together in ceremony. With the support of spirit allies and in sacred space, we will weave together the energy from storytelling, education about wildlife, shamanic journeys and ceremonies, along with visits, interactions and guidance from the wild animals themselves.” www.reikishamanic.com

Wild Synergy – Day-long programs throughout the summer. Join biologist Cathy Shill of the Hole Hiking Experience and Jean and Susan in Earthfire’s Wildlife Garden where humans and animals connect with mutual respect for each other and the earth. Touch the richness and mystery of life through intimate interspecies meetings with the wild animals of the area that live at the sanctuary; then hike in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to further connect with the landscape these amazing animals call home and perhaps meet some of them in the wild, seeing them with new eyes. www.holehike.com

Wildlife Art and Wildlife Corridor Ecology:Painting Mammals of the Yellowstone to Yukon Wildlife Corridor with Dwayne Harty - July 29. Wildlife artist and conservationist Dwayne Harty is the National Museum of wildlife Art Artist in Residence and the featured artist of the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival. He will be teaching the first day of a two day workshop at Earthfire Institute. In the morning he will lecture on wildlife art, as well as its relationship to conservation. In the afternoon we will paint the animals of Earthfire. The second day will be spent at the Museum and environs. For information and reservations contact Jenny at the Art Association of Jackson Hole. www.artassociation.org

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A New Beginning

by Barb Scholten

I spent the first forty years of my life in a mid-western city in a county with over a million people. As time passed, I felt more and more of a desire to absent myself from the hustle and bustle, materialism and people spending their time in trivial pursuits who I encountered more and more each day. It seems, at times, like the human race has lost its sense of what is important and a lot of us tend to overlook the beauty with which the earth surrounds us. We get caught up in our busy lives and seem to focus on things that, in the end, really don’t matter. I was finding myself moving more and more in that direction as well, and it was not a place I wanted to be. Recently I decided to take that first step toward “feeding my heart and soul.” I headed west and fell in love with Teton Valley, Idaho. The winter here was different from the Michigan winters I was used to! Bitter cold at 6,200 feet and negative thirty degree temperatures were something I had never experienced before. Extreme weather and poor road conditions kept me house-bound a lot, and being a stranger to the valley, I began to experience cabin fever. Seeking

employment, I had a few decent job interviews, but with no luck . . . or so I thought. Little did I realize that not being offered a position was a blessing in disguise. Had I been hired by anyone else, I would never have continued searching, and may never have discovered Earthfire Institute. At Earthfire, I have found so much more than a “job”. I have been introduced to an amazing family of human beings and animals. It seems each and every one of them has helped me open my mind to new possibilities and grasp a better sense

of the world around me. I have learned to close my eyes and listen with my heart. I no longer walk past that bird’s nest in my front yard. Instead, I stand back and observe . . . concerned about how low to the ground mama robin has built her babies’ home. There are many phases of life, and

we all know what a roller coaster ride of emotions life can be. The spark of a new life can be such a magical experience, whereas the end of a life always seems so tragic. But birth and death are merely the natural order of things. It’s what one does in between those days that count. For the past ten months, I have been dealing with the end of life way too often, and most recently with the passing of my Grandfather. I had had an exhausting and extremely emotional week, and I drove to Earthfire the following morning with a heavy heart. Somehow that changed as I walked to the office cabin. The wolves and coyotes were singing in harmony, and the geese and I exchanged “good mornings” as usual. Even Bluebell, the bison, greeted me that morning for the first time. I felt welcomed back, helping to sooth my heart and mind. As if all of that wasn’t incredible enough, I will never forget what happened next. As I sat at my desk and tried to begin my day, Jean “brought me a gift”. He handed me a nineteen-day-old fox that he had rescued from a fur farm during my absence. Her cries subsided as she sucked on my finger and cuddled up under my sweater near my heart. Holding that tiny baby fox brought peace to both of us, and I thanked Jean for helping heal my heart. In a sense, baby girl fox and I were both rescued by Earthfire, and I look forward to growing together, along with her. Even after only two months, my daily experiences here have enriched my very being, and I feel blessed to have been welcomed into this family with open arms.

A Fond FarewellWe would like to say a fond good-bye and thank you to Linda Miller, who has been helping Earthfire since 2001. She has been an invaluable, loving, caring part of our growth and she will be very much missed. She is following her dream of moving to Washington state. I hope that when she is settled she will write of her experiences at Earthfire and what they have meant to her. All the people and animals here at Earthfire wish you every happiness Linda.

Linda and Bluebell the bison

Transitions

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“On my recent trip to Idaho I was blessed with a visit to the Earthfire Institute. A beautiful early spring day offered the gift of the high mountain clarity which seems to envelop that place and opens the heart to a clearer, less cluttered seeing. As I entered the Earthfire domain I realized that I was visiting a very large extended family which includes Susan and Jean. Jean greeted me warmly and proceeded to proudly introduce me to the other family members. I was aware that a general sadness over Major Bear’s illness hung over the place but life was continuing abundantly with lots to be done nonetheless. Like all families each member of this one has a name. And unlike many families the name given very often deeply describes the nature and soul of the animal. Shyness, skittishness, rambunctiousness, courage, spiritedness, beauty, elegance, cleverness, intuitiveness and a myriad of other qualities are welcome in this family. Skitter, Willow, Streak and Faerytale offered themselves to my imagination as well as to my heart and I truly knew coyotes a little bit better after our encounter and a wonderful, heartful, soulful introduction by Susan. And when I asked if Humble Bumble Bear was brain damaged, Susan corrected me and said “he is just himself, differently abled with special gifts.” What makes it difficult for human beings to imagine that animals have souls and intelligence and other faculties? What is the cause of this great disconnection that we are experiencing where we always fill the frame of the photograph or use the animal as accessory and nature as our personal playground? Do we not recognize that when we see we are also being seen by the inner depth of the wolf whose eyes we are gazing into? Do we not imagine that this animal who lives faithful to her pack and mate, whose playful spirit, keen sensing and heightened capacity for devotion is not also taking our measure? Do we not recognize that the encounter with a wild animal is a true gift that reminds us of our place in the web of belonging? What in us wants to harass and diminish and kill our neighbors in the web of belonging whose very spirit is as essential as rain to our continued life on the planet? Have we become so out of touch with our own wildness that we no longer know how to relate to these neighbors? There is a kind of seeing that is recognition, remembering, and includes our imagination and a willingness to bring the depth of the heart into our eyes to truly perceive who we are encountering. In this exchange we are changed forever. Earthfire offered me this opportunity as I meandered with Jean and Susan amongst their family members and met each one. Bluebell the buffalo came to visit. Jean showed me precisely where she likes to be rubbed. She stood patiently as I learned her ways and connected with her in a deeper way. Feeding grapes to Teton and Humble Bumble the grizzlies was an exercise in observing the delicate, as they pursed their lips

to receive the grape from my fingers and reached with their long tongues to relish it. The sense of power was palpable and there was nothing sentimental in the encounter. I find in my own life that to truly see and relate from the heart requires time and the willingness and intention to pay a certain kind of respectful attention to what is not known about the other and what cannot be labeled, but must be discovered. And what we can’t forget is that we are also being discovered in the encounter. I hope that when I return to Earthfire I will have more time and I would choose to spend that time with one animal, having met the whole

family now. In my encounter it would be wonderful if I had the courage to settle into the deep heartfelt communion with my neighbors in the Teton mountains whose lives and continued existence are parallel to my own.

It is my heartfelt hope that we can imagine a new ecology of inclusion both in our hearts and in our landscape in the way that Jean and Susan demonstrate with their family at Earthfire. Thanks to all of you for a lovely visit. I look forward to returning again very soon. All the very best from Ireland. Love, Maired

Maired currently divides her time between several countries including Ireland and the USA. She works with people who are interested in re-imaging relationships with the ancestors, culture of origin, the earth and the Divine Choreography that guides our lives in co-creation. Her professional credentials are Masters Degrees in Education and Psychotherapy from Tufts University and Smith College. Her life-long learning continues on a daily basis.

Seeing Through New Eyes by Maired O’Conner

Humble Bumble Bear by Marilyn Paine

The Tin Cup Challenge, put on by the Community Foundation of Teton Valley, helps local nonprofits raise funds by matching donations by up to 50%. If you donate $1000 to us through the Tin Cup Challenge, we will get up to $1500.

A perfect way to see your contribution to us grow! Last year the match was 46%. Just go to: www.tincupchallenge.org, click on "donate now", follow the prompts and you are done. Or call 208.354.0230.

Deadline to donate is:July 25th at 5pm MDT

Your donation to Earthfire Institute will be matched by up to 50% through July 25!

The Mission of Earthfire Institute is to Awaken Ecological Advocacy through Human Connection to the

Wild Animals of Earthfire

P.O. Box 368 Driggs, ID 83422

Timber wolf Midnight Journey