Idaho Falls

Outdoors by Gregg Losinski 94 IDAHO FALLS MAGAZINE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016 There was a time, especially in places like Idaho, when winter literally was the make-it or break-it time of year. Either you had your act together and had all your supplies laid in for the winter or you ended up on the menu for the Donner Party Christmas Dinner. Fortunately, times have changed and the onset of winter is nowhere near as dramatic for most of us, but perhaps we've gotten overly complacent and a bit of perspective might be appropriate as we plan our holiday feasts. The natural world is full of winners and losers. Sure, it seems like it would be nice if nothing ever had to die, but how realistic is that? As cliché as it might sound, death is a part of life; everything must consume some- thing to survive. Even the Sun, the source of all life on Earth must consume itself to keep going. When it stops being able to feed upon itself, it will truly be a cold day on Earth, but fortunately none of us or even any of our grandchildren's grandchildren will be around when that takes place. So while the Sun merrily consumes itself, we are free to go along and consume to our hearts' desire. But just like the all-you- can-eat buffets at some of our local restau- rants, just because you can eat everything, doesn't mean that you should. Often our eyes are bigger than our stomachs and we eat way more of the jalapeno mac 'n' cheese than we should. The same thing can happen to wildlife too. Just because there is something that seems edible, doesn't mean that it is exactly healthy. For animals, the consequences of eat- ing whatever is available can be mixed, just like people. Bears getting into gar- bage might actually put on the weight they need for winter and while their diet might literally be trash, it physically sus- tains them but the proximity to humans is what will be their undoing. Bears too accustomed to being around humans and our related foods, whether it is garbage or livestock, are bound to end up in trouble of the terminal variety. This summer we had the big Henry's Creek Fire east of Idaho Falls. The fire burned some very important winter range for the deer and elk. Given the short win- dow of opportunity, trying to make sure these ungulates have what they need to survive the winter will be a real challenge. The fires ultimately may create better habitat, but in the short run the buffet table might run out of the dishes that they need to survive this winter, especially the deer. Elk are tough and generally carry on their bodies what they need to make it through the winter, like your rotund rela- tions that show up at your house expecting a full holiday spread and only find butter cream mints and peanuts. They survive, but they aren't very happy! Deer are dif- ferent. They are like teenagers that always need to be eating, and like teenagers, they don't always eat what is best for them. The problem is that deer need time to be able to adjust their guts to digest whatever they are eating. Many people think feeding is the universal antidote to starvation, but the situation is actually pretty complex and expensive to do properly, kind of like trying to eat healthy at a fast food restaurant. It's possible, but not easy or cheap. So as we head into the holiday season, it might be a good idea for all of us to take a second and ponder the holiday banquets that are spread before us. Perhaps we should assess what we truly need versus what we merely desire, or what commercial advertising tells us what we need. Maybe if the Donner Party was a little smarter about what they ate, more of them would have made it through the winter. Laying In For Winter IF

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