Welcome ~~~~~~~ Extinction or “Where Have All The Creatures Gone” From across fields of cotton, soy bean and maize. The cold winds blow harsh as no Bison now graze. The lone wolfs in search of the land where he roamed. So small a place left for him to call home. The snows still fall on the prairie and town With no foxes to chase the hounds lay around. They no longer run by night or by day. They have all vanished or did they just stray? When man first came to this magnificent land There were millions of creatures occupying it span. Today with millions of people not many creatures to find It seams killing them off became his favorite pass time. The Bison’s now fenced never again will he roam. To make way for man he’s faded and gone. The Indian only killed so his family could eat. Not to see dead carcasses lying at his feet. The fox no longer travels the fields by night The wolf he is gone now lost to our sight. The hounds they slumber with no predators to dread. With no reason for hunting since the hunted is dead. My son and I will go on a long hunting trip With rifle in hand I’ll shoot from the hip. I’ll pile up their bones in a heap at his feet. Then lay my self down and drift off to sleep. The wind still blows through the valleys, across fields The thunder still rumbles down canyons and hills The plight of these creatures is tragic indeed Who can we blame but Men such as Me? Written By: Troy Windom ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Great American Bison The American bison has one of the most dramatic stories regarding human impact on the environment. In the seventeenth century, an estimated 60 million bison roamed the plains of North America. With the arrival of settlers, the bison were pushed out of their native land and ruthlessly hunted - until, by 1890, less than 1,000 animals survived. Unlike the native Americans, who had traditionally hunted the bison for food, tools, and their hides, the European's slaughter was primarily for sport, with people shooting from the newly built railway, seeing how many they could kill in a day. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Grey Wolf The relationship between humans and wolves has had a very long and turbulent history. Traditionally, humans have viewed wolves negatively, perceiving them to be dangerous or as nuisances to be destroyed. European folklore exacerbated this negative image, which was brought over to North America as it was settled. In brief, the gray wolf, which, at one point, could be found in any ecosystem on every continent in the Northern Hemisphere, was persistently one of the first species to go once a significant population of humans settled in a given area. As technology made the killing of wolves and other predators easier, simple control gave way to complete annihilation. Baseless fear of the wolf has been responsible for most of the trouble the species has received, including why it was nearly hunted out of existence in the U.S. and Europe prior to the 20th century. However, ecological research conducted during the 20th century shed new light on wolves and other predators, specifically with regard to the critical role they play in maintaining the ecosystems to which they belong. As a result of this and other important factors, wolves have come to be viewed in a much more realistic, equitable way. A general environmental awareness began to take root: In North America, people realized that in over one hundred years of documentation, there had been no verified human fatality caused by an attack from a healthy wolf. Eventually, they found out that wolves, being naturally cautious and rightfully wary of humans, will almost always flee, perhaps only carefully approaching a person out of curiosity. In fact, it is likely that any documented wolf attack (of any severity) to this date was actually from a feral dog, a rabid individual, or the result of some sort of human provocation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HOME Guest Book VIEWSIGN The Midi you are listing to is "Animal Song"