“When a particular story about a group of people is told over and over again, it becomes our single story. It becomes a stereotype that although may be true for some, it is incomplete because it is not true for all.”
~ Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
~ Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The above quote goes on to discuss the incredible but harmful power the single story holds when told over and over. When you stick to the assumptions or stories others have told you, you miss out on the real story, which is often the story we all need to hear.
Just as there is a balance in nature, there needs to be a balance in how we work with others and in how we go about our advocacy work. By sticking to a single story, we create a barrier of assumptions that inhibit our ability to move forward in a meaningful way.
We often hear statements such as: "all ranchers are wolf killers, and all grazing on public land is bad," OR "all wolf advocates/environmentalists are hypocrites, crazy, and out to destroy our way of life." These blanket statements do not help move the needle forward for wolves or ranching.
We all have an individual responsibility to be sure we know the whole story so that we do not spread or encourage biases, not only because they are un-true or half-truths, but they can harm the cause we claim to serve.
In my early experience as a wolf advocate, I had a single story based on what I was taught and heard. I had no reason to believe otherwise. I was part of a community I respected. These were like-minded people with shared values and doing great work for wildlife. Even as I first began coexistence work, my single story was the basis of my agenda and my goal.
Just as there is a balance in nature, there needs to be a balance in how we work with others and in how we go about our advocacy work. By sticking to a single story, we create a barrier of assumptions that inhibit our ability to move forward in a meaningful way.
We often hear statements such as: "all ranchers are wolf killers, and all grazing on public land is bad," OR "all wolf advocates/environmentalists are hypocrites, crazy, and out to destroy our way of life." These blanket statements do not help move the needle forward for wolves or ranching.
We all have an individual responsibility to be sure we know the whole story so that we do not spread or encourage biases, not only because they are un-true or half-truths, but they can harm the cause we claim to serve.
In my early experience as a wolf advocate, I had a single story based on what I was taught and heard. I had no reason to believe otherwise. I was part of a community I respected. These were like-minded people with shared values and doing great work for wildlife. Even as I first began coexistence work, my single story was the basis of my agenda and my goal.
I was very linear, my efforts easily measured, because I knew only my single story, which was only half of the story.
Then I had my story turned completely upside-down due to a few livestock producers who took a risk on me, the hardcore wolf advocate, and as they opened their hearts and homes and shared their stories, I realized all that I was missing. Initially, I found myself confused and a bit overwhelmed. What I saw, heard, and learned didn’t match my single story, and I didn’t know what to do with this newly discovered whole story. The veil of my single story was lifted. As the light came in, a new opportunity presented itself.
My early experiences on these ranches enabled me to see things from the inside out. I soon discovered that theories, polls, and studies often don’t translate to the realities on the ground. Without actual real-life experience working within these ranching communities, you cannot possibly measure, put on paper, or truly understand the actualities that exist. However, the power within the whole story emerges through sharing, and listening to understand rather than just trying to be understood.
There is nothing single or linear about wolf conservation or ranching. The real story is dynamic and multi-dimensional. It's about the real and the raw. In the whole story, great hope exists, and tangible solutions can finally lead us to create a lasting environment for wolves, livestock, and people to successfully live on shared lands.
Then I had my story turned completely upside-down due to a few livestock producers who took a risk on me, the hardcore wolf advocate, and as they opened their hearts and homes and shared their stories, I realized all that I was missing. Initially, I found myself confused and a bit overwhelmed. What I saw, heard, and learned didn’t match my single story, and I didn’t know what to do with this newly discovered whole story. The veil of my single story was lifted. As the light came in, a new opportunity presented itself.
My early experiences on these ranches enabled me to see things from the inside out. I soon discovered that theories, polls, and studies often don’t translate to the realities on the ground. Without actual real-life experience working within these ranching communities, you cannot possibly measure, put on paper, or truly understand the actualities that exist. However, the power within the whole story emerges through sharing, and listening to understand rather than just trying to be understood.
There is nothing single or linear about wolf conservation or ranching. The real story is dynamic and multi-dimensional. It's about the real and the raw. In the whole story, great hope exists, and tangible solutions can finally lead us to create a lasting environment for wolves, livestock, and people to successfully live on shared lands.
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Single stories go both ways. Last fall, while in the field, a ranching couple approached, and as our team introduced ourselves, the ranchers asked, “Are you one of those wolf people?” And I knew they weren’t referring to the British rock band depicted in this picture.
At first, I felt defensive and even guilty for being a “wolf” person. But, they based their question on their single story of me, and I had an opportunity to expand the conversation. My answer was, “Yes and no. It depends on how you define wolf people.” And thus followed a productive discussion. To move forward, we must first lower the barriers of assumptions. |
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"The wolf is neither saint nor sinner, except by those that make him so."
~ Dr. David Mech
Just as the wolf is neither saint nor sinner nor are those who are working towards wolf recovery and those who steward the working lands that wolves reside. It is neither helpful to over-glorify or over-vilify the wolf or the people working the lands wolves call home. Know the story.
It's time to change the paradigm in how we look at the challenges coexistence brings—in a more comprehensive, meaningful way. If we can consider and include the whole and honest story, we can begin to change the conversation. And we can be much stronger and more impactful long term.
The fact is, the landscape isn’t the same as it was 25, 50, or 100 years ago, and that is the reality ranchers and urban wildlife advocates must work within. As the human population increases and competition for open space by wildlife and human use increases, co-occurrence with livestock and predators is certain. The man-created boundary between wild and working lands has become unsustainable. The “and” in the middle has become a battleground with no winners. It's time to remove the “and” and recognize the value of the overlap between wild-working lands, look forward instead of backward, and focus on holistic approaches to conservation and viable ranching challenges.
It is time to focus on efforts that work to neutralize the polarizing debate that has hindered wolves, livestock, and people from thriving on shared landscapes.
I am not suggesting that anyone give up their values or identity--it's about respecting people where they are. It’s not about changing people’s minds--it's about expanding our understanding of diverse perspectives and the different life experiences that brought people to their place.
It’s about taking the time to understand others whose experience is different than yours. We all may come at the challenges wolves and ranching face from different angles and expertise, but we cannot work in a vacuum. And as stated, it's not always easy. It is much easier to stay safe behind the lines we draw, but this work requires a deeper understanding, and through the stories shared, the solutions to the ongoing conflict emerge.
We all must grow and evolve in our actions to serve the causes we are passionate about. It is time we work together instead of against each other. It is time we take actions that work to neutralize the polarizing debate surrounding sustainable ranching and wolf conservation.
"If our mindset is different, then our activities will be different". ~ author unknown
Change of mindset takes a conscious effort. Especially when it speaks to core values and is identity-based. But we all have a choice, and it is our choice, we can remain stuck, feed into the same old cycle, or take a risk and choose a better path.
Cause Driven Advocacy
There is that old rhyme that says, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”
Well, I disagree because our words can hurt.
Often the actions we take in defense of our cause can be quite counter-productive to the cause we serve. It’s time to think deeper about the actions we take, including the things we say.
For example, when wolf advocates publicly speak against ranching as a whole, making negative blanket statements about ranchers, this just promotes the single story and does not help wolves. Thus, this only creates more cultural resentment towards wolves and resistance from the ranching community to working together, and understandably so.
The same goes for livestock producers who shout their single story and promote the practice of SSS (Shoot, Shovel, and Shut up). These actions do not help gain support for ranching and can negatively affect market support. Angry rhetoric and SSS practices fuel efforts to push cattle off the landscape.
Thus, if you are truly cause-driven, let the cause guide your actions. Ask yourself, will what you say or do serve the cause or harm it long-term?
Sometimes considering all the nuances in advocacy can be overwhelming, and it may often seem too much, even futile. How can one person really make a difference?
We can.
Simply do as bubbles do.
The oceans are as vast as our intent and vision for a better future. The oceans are as powerful as our ability to make a difference, but the oceans do it one bubble at a time. In my past work in marine education, I had the opportunity to work with the National Science Foundation on a fascinating research project on ocean bubbles and their tremendous impact on our climate.
~ Dr. David Mech
Just as the wolf is neither saint nor sinner nor are those who are working towards wolf recovery and those who steward the working lands that wolves reside. It is neither helpful to over-glorify or over-vilify the wolf or the people working the lands wolves call home. Know the story.
It's time to change the paradigm in how we look at the challenges coexistence brings—in a more comprehensive, meaningful way. If we can consider and include the whole and honest story, we can begin to change the conversation. And we can be much stronger and more impactful long term.
The fact is, the landscape isn’t the same as it was 25, 50, or 100 years ago, and that is the reality ranchers and urban wildlife advocates must work within. As the human population increases and competition for open space by wildlife and human use increases, co-occurrence with livestock and predators is certain. The man-created boundary between wild and working lands has become unsustainable. The “and” in the middle has become a battleground with no winners. It's time to remove the “and” and recognize the value of the overlap between wild-working lands, look forward instead of backward, and focus on holistic approaches to conservation and viable ranching challenges.
It is time to focus on efforts that work to neutralize the polarizing debate that has hindered wolves, livestock, and people from thriving on shared landscapes.
I am not suggesting that anyone give up their values or identity--it's about respecting people where they are. It’s not about changing people’s minds--it's about expanding our understanding of diverse perspectives and the different life experiences that brought people to their place.
It’s about taking the time to understand others whose experience is different than yours. We all may come at the challenges wolves and ranching face from different angles and expertise, but we cannot work in a vacuum. And as stated, it's not always easy. It is much easier to stay safe behind the lines we draw, but this work requires a deeper understanding, and through the stories shared, the solutions to the ongoing conflict emerge.
We all must grow and evolve in our actions to serve the causes we are passionate about. It is time we work together instead of against each other. It is time we take actions that work to neutralize the polarizing debate surrounding sustainable ranching and wolf conservation.
"If our mindset is different, then our activities will be different". ~ author unknown
Change of mindset takes a conscious effort. Especially when it speaks to core values and is identity-based. But we all have a choice, and it is our choice, we can remain stuck, feed into the same old cycle, or take a risk and choose a better path.
Cause Driven Advocacy
There is that old rhyme that says, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”
Well, I disagree because our words can hurt.
Often the actions we take in defense of our cause can be quite counter-productive to the cause we serve. It’s time to think deeper about the actions we take, including the things we say.
For example, when wolf advocates publicly speak against ranching as a whole, making negative blanket statements about ranchers, this just promotes the single story and does not help wolves. Thus, this only creates more cultural resentment towards wolves and resistance from the ranching community to working together, and understandably so.
The same goes for livestock producers who shout their single story and promote the practice of SSS (Shoot, Shovel, and Shut up). These actions do not help gain support for ranching and can negatively affect market support. Angry rhetoric and SSS practices fuel efforts to push cattle off the landscape.
Thus, if you are truly cause-driven, let the cause guide your actions. Ask yourself, will what you say or do serve the cause or harm it long-term?
Sometimes considering all the nuances in advocacy can be overwhelming, and it may often seem too much, even futile. How can one person really make a difference?
We can.
Simply do as bubbles do.
The oceans are as vast as our intent and vision for a better future. The oceans are as powerful as our ability to make a difference, but the oceans do it one bubble at a time. In my past work in marine education, I had the opportunity to work with the National Science Foundation on a fascinating research project on ocean bubbles and their tremendous impact on our climate.
The sound of crashing waves results from billions of bubbles popping, and these popping bubbles play an important role in regulating our atmosphere and climate. Each and every individual bubble captures carbon from the atmosphere in nature’s attempt to balance and regulate our climate. However, one bubble alone can’t possibly make a difference. However, the billions and billions of bubbles together, doing what they do, make all the difference literally, in climate health and the air we breathe.
If everyone could just take a breath, take the time to think about the small individual actions – and just do what bubbles do – one bubble, one action at a time. Think to yourself, is what I am saying accurate? And does it truly serve my cause? Does this action help or hurt? Does this lead to better long-term outcomes or just fuel the flames of conflict? Each one of us has the power to move the needle forward in a positive direction. Every small decision and action will together be transformative.
It truly is up to us.
We can choose to move beyond the myths that keep us stuck. We can choose to expand our understanding.
We can choose to change the narrative surrounding sustainable ranching and wolf conservation.
If everyone could just take a breath, take the time to think about the small individual actions – and just do what bubbles do – one bubble, one action at a time. Think to yourself, is what I am saying accurate? And does it truly serve my cause? Does this action help or hurt? Does this lead to better long-term outcomes or just fuel the flames of conflict? Each one of us has the power to move the needle forward in a positive direction. Every small decision and action will together be transformative.
It truly is up to us.
We can choose to move beyond the myths that keep us stuck. We can choose to expand our understanding.
We can choose to change the narrative surrounding sustainable ranching and wolf conservation.
"Ranchers cannot make good management decisions based on myths surrounding the wolf, and
environmentalists cannot make good advocacy decisions based on myths surrounding ranching."
~ Andrew Anderson, Rancher, Montana
environmentalists cannot make good advocacy decisions based on myths surrounding ranching."
~ Andrew Anderson, Rancher, Montana
We all have incredible stories to share, and they are all valid and important stories, so listen. It is time that we are willing to take the risk, cross the field to the other side, work together instead of against each other, and discover a brighter future for wolves and the wild working lands they call home.
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to reduce wolf-livestock conflict, thus protecting both cattle and wolves.
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DONATE HERE to support proven, long-term and sustainable strategies
to reduce wolf-livestock conflict, thus protecting both cattle and wolves.
For more ways to donate visit our SUPPORT US! page.
Working Circle is a Colorado Non-Profit, Federal 501(c)3 organization
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