The penetrable wall; baffling thievery; unretiring outdoors

Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.

 

IDAHO: The Older-Than-Hell Angels.
Dave Ensner

THE BORDER
Something there is that doesn’t love our border wall with Mexico,’ as Robert Frost did not exactly say. President Trump is a fervent fan, of course; he lauds the new barrier, with its 18-to-30-foot-tall steel slats grounded in concrete, as “virtually impenetrable” — a “Rolls-Royce that border crossers cannot get over, under or through.” U.S. agents, however, have found that the thick panels, called bollards, are anything but impenetrable. They can be sliced through in less than half an hour, reports the Washington Post, no heavy equipment needed. The agents, who insisted on anonymity, said a “cordless household tool known as a reciprocating saw that retails at hardware stores for as little as $100” does the job easily. Once the steel is pushed aside, “an adult (can) fit through the gap.” Some of the damage is happening in the San Diego area, where electronic sensors, which could detect vibrations from saws, have yet to be installed. Ronald Vitiello, a former Border Patrol agent who was acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement until April, blamed the breaches on “poking and prodding” by cartel smugglers. Given more funding, he said, “better deterrent features” could have been added: “The bollards are not the most evolved design; they are the most evolved that we could pay for.” Meanwhile, some ingenious people have figured out not just how to cut the bollards but how to return them to their original positions, disguising the breaches. They also try to trick agents by applying putty to a cut or welded panel so that it appears intact. The Trump administration has so far completed 76 miles of new barriers in areas like San Diego, replacing older, shorter and dilapidated fencing.

ARIZONA
It was “a baffling act of thievery,” reported CNN, when a 1-ton boulder was stolen this fall from the edge of a highway in Prescott National Forest in north-central Arizona. Heavy equipment was employed to remove “Wizard Rock,” a beautiful black landmark striped with white quartz, which District Ranger Sarah Clawson called a community treasure. It’s not the first incident: In the past four months, two other boulders, weighing from 750 to 2,000 pounds, were snatched as well. Clawson said she hoped they would be returned and that “these recurring events will become an educational opportunity.” That hope was borne out in November, when Wizard Rock magically reappeared in its old spot. Back in 2009, another geo-pilferer also had a change of heart, returning an 80-pound heart-shaped rock to a wilderness area after “reading how much the rock meant to local residents.” We Westerners don’t take our rocks for granite.

NORTHERN ROCKIES
Naturalist Rick McIntyre doesn’t do things the easy way. In order to study Yellowstone wolves for his new book, The Rise of Wolf 8: Witnessing the Triumph of Yellowstone’s Underdog, he spent more than 6,000 days between June 2000 and February 2019 observing the private lives of several packs. Some of what he discovered surprised him, he told Newsweek. Wolves are fierce hunters, but he saw two male wolves show forbearance as well, allowing their defeated rivals to escape with their lives after battles for pack dominance. He focused most on Wolf 8, the smallest of the male wolves introduced into the park in 1995. When Wolf 8 was the canine equivalent of a teenager, McIntyre said, he came across a mother of eight pups whose mate had been shot. This alpha female, “the true leader of any pack,” accepted 8 into her family, and “he suddenly became an alpha male with a lot of responsibilities.” Those included giving the pregnant females preference at the kills the male wolves made, working “tirelessly to feed and protect pups,” and accepting rejection with good grace from females in the breeding season. McIntyre also found lots to admire in the “incredible teamwork” that wolves employ to bring down large prey: “Young females tend to be the fastest wolves, and their job is to catch up with an elk, bite into a hind leg and act as a drag. That could enable a big male … to catch up and make a killing bite by getting in front of the elk, then leaping up and biting its throat.” There’s no reason for humans to worry, though, he said, because wild wolves fear and avoid us: “I think they see us as superior predators.”

COLORADO
Wilderness ranger Tony Weiss, 74, who patrols the Trappers Lake area of western Colorado’s Flat Tops Wilderness, seems tailor-made for his job. He got to know the area as a boy, hiking and fishing with his dad, and after retiring as a state park ranger, he continued to relish Trapper Lake’s unspoiled natural beauty and quiet. At his age he may not have needed a paying job, but after he volunteered for the Forest Service for four years — putting in 700 hours last summer — the agency decided to un-retire him, encouraging Weiss “to join their team as a paid employee,” reports the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. A fellow staffer said Weiss always knows his stuff when hikers ask about local history or directions, and he particularly enjoys telling people about the values of wilderness. “The outdoors — that’s my office,” Weiss says.

Tips and photos of Western oddities are appreciated and often shared in this column. Write [email protected] or tag photos #heardaroundthewest on Instagram.

High Country News Classifieds
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
    California Coalition for Rural Housing (CCRH) seeks a strategic and visionary Executive Director: View all job details here- https://bit.ly/CCRHED
  • MONTANA BLUES
    The new novel by Ray Ring, retired HCN senior editor, tackles racism in the wild, a story told by a rural White horsewoman and a...
  • DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST
    Title: Digital Engagement Specialist Location: Salt Lake City Reports to: Communications Director Status, Salary & Benefits: Full-time, Non-Exempt. Salary & Benefits information below. Submission Deadline:...
  • CONSERVATION FIELD ORGANIZER
    Title: Conservation Field Organizer Reports to: Advocacy and Stewardship Director Location: Southwest Colorado Compensation: $45,000 - $50,000 DOE FLSA: Non-Exempt, salaried, termed 24-month Wyss Fellow...
  • UTAH STATE DIRECTOR
    Who We Are: The Nature Conservancy's mission is to protect the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we create...
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
    Apply by Oct 18. Seeking collaborative, hands-on ED to advance our work building community through fresh produce.
  • INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS EDITOR - HIGH COUNTRY NEWS
    High Country News is hiring an Indigenous Affairs Editor to help guide the magazine's journalism and produce stories that are important to Indigenous communities and...
  • STAFF ATTORNEY
    Staff Attorney The role of the Staff Attorney is to bring litigation on behalf of Western Watersheds Project, and at times our allies, in the...
  • ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT FOR DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
    Northern Michigan University seeks an outstanding leader to serve as its next Assistant Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion. With new NMU President Dr. Brock...
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
    The Clark Fork Coalition seeks an exceptional leader to serve as its Executive Director. This position provides strategic vision and operational management while leading a...
  • GOOD NEIGHBOR AGREEMENT MANAGER
    Help uphold a groundbreaking legal agreement between a powerful mining corporation and the local communities impacted by the platinum and palladium mine in their backyard....
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
    The Feather River Land Trust (FRLT) is seeking a strategic and dynamic leader to advance our mission to "conserve the lands and waters of the...
  • COLORADO DIRECTOR
    COLORADO DIRECTOR Western Watersheds Project seeks a Colorado Director to continue and expand WWP's campaign to protect and restore public lands and wildlife in Colorado,...
  • ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF HISTORY - INDIGENOUS HISTORIES OF THE NORTH AMERICAN WEST
    Whitman College seeks applicants for a tenure-track position in Indigenous Histories of the North American West, beginning August 2024, at the rank of Assistant Professor....
  • DAVE AND ME
    Dave and Me, by international racontuer and children's books author Rusty Austin, is a funny, profane and intense collection of short stories, essays, and poems...
  • CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
    Rural Community Assistance Corporation is looking to hire a CFO. For more more information visit: https://www.rcac.org/careers/
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
    The Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness Foundation (ABWF) seeks a new Executive Director. Founded in 2008, the ABWF is a respected nonprofit whose mission is to support...
  • CANYONLANDS FIELD INSTITUTE
    Field seminars for adults in natural and human history of the northern Colorado Plateau, with lodge and base camp options. Small groups, guest experts.
  • COMING TO TUCSON?
    Popular vacation house, everything furnished. Two bedroom, one bath, large enclosed yards. Dog-friendly. Contact Lee at [email protected] or 520-791-9246.
  • ENVIRONMENTAL AND CONSTRUCTION GEOPHYSICS
    We characterize contaminated sites, identify buried drums, tanks, debris and also locate groundwater.