Dear HCN,
I can’t quite figure why
Peggy Godfrey’s story got front-page coverage (HCN, 12/6/99: Peggy
Godfrey’s long, strange trip). While she is certainly an
interesting person, her life and outlook are neither unique nor
visionary. She appears to view the world through the same narrow
slot common to many other ranchers. Her awareness and emotional
connections are focused on and limited to the creatures she is
charged with managing. She weeps for the mauled lambs, but shoots
the pup without remorse. She reads the coyote’s signal to find the
cow in distress, but fails to see any environmental impact from
grazing.
She is full of contempt for those who
don’t see what she sees, but this is simply
provincial.
I learn of the presence of predators
on my rural property by watching the behavior of my house cats and
the wild birds. The suburbanite’s instincts home in on the wail of
a child in trouble or the subtle signs of domestic trouble in a
neighbor’s house. The urbanite’s antenna tells him where it is safe
to park the car and when to cross the street to avoid
confrontations.
We all learn to read what we
need to know about, and contempt is a poor way to teach others to
see the same things we do.
Peg Ferm
Monroe,
Washington
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline One rancher’s narrow viewpoint.
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