E a rt h f i r e i n st i t u t e Wildlife Sanctuary & retrEat cEnter

neW SlEtter WintEr 2014 - 2015

WilloW thE coyotE 1999 - 2014

at fiftEen yEars old, ShE WaS a remarkablE being and ambaSsador for thE Wild, reminding uS of thE many uniquE intElligencEs that Share thE Earth With uS.

Marilyn Paine

he bears have taken their final swim in their ponds and, properly

plump, are starting to look a bit vague and pathetic (as we all do as we approach sleepy-time). Volunteers have gath-ered sweet-smelling leaves for the bears to mix with their hay as they carefully stuff their dens for their long winter sleep. It is luscious to have different textures and scents for your five-month bed. The hay for the horses, burros and bison is in for the winter; the wood and propane for our heat; the ani-mal areas are newly lighted for nighttime emergencies, and we have a functional snowplow for the first time in years.

The year has been full of joy and tragedy. We received Loki the fox, vitality in-carnate. We lost Magic the horse, after a heart-breaking attempt to heal his bro-ken leg. Willow, that brilliant and mischievous coy-ote, gently passed away at the age of 15 1/2. Remark-ably talented and generous people

are coming forth to help us with retreats, organizational devel-opment, media out-reach, and physical design of the land. I have begun to share the animals’ stories and their profound implications at con-ferences around the world. There is a clear sense of momentum. We have been in exis-tence for fifteen years

now and each of us here finds that every year brings richer, deeper understandings and connections with the animals and nature. It is our joy and passion to share these connec-tions with the rest of our fellow humans. With all the troubles of the world, nature is still here, still a place of beauty and solace, inspiration and perspective. It is a gentle qui-et wisdom, easily drowned out by the raucous demands and difficulties of modern life but it is always there, waiting for us.

The animals here help us with this. Interacting with them; learning from them, one can-not help but sense we are part of something much larger and wondrous. How to share this

with people? How to reach as many people as we can so that the animals’ voices and wisdom are included in the political and environmental decisions we make, large and small? Our days here are spent between the nuts and bolts of building the organizational structure that will support this, and the wonder of what we do. These are two radically differ-ent tasks but it is essential to integrate them. It is the sepa-ration of wonder and business that causes us trouble.

We are working on three areas:

Taking the animals’ voices out to the world.

● By improving our media strategy, through increased outreach over the web and print media.

● By increasing speaking en-gagements to carry the voices out through workshops, confer-ences and interviews. This year I have spoken at several national forums with themes ranging from exploring spirituality and the in-terface between science and in-digenous wisdoms, to organiza-tions focused on down-to-earth activism. We need both inno-vative thinkers and researchers

to forge a change in world view; we need people to help take the ideas and apply them in a practical manner. The animals’ stories offer important per-spectives in each of these cases.

In January I am speaking at the Minding Animals

lettEr from thE director

TFeral wolf dog finding his way towards humans

Teton Totem loving the Bear Garden pools

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Conference in New Delhi, In-dia. It is important that Earth-fire’s intimate experience of wildlife be presented there, complementing the activist and academic perspectives that pre-dominate. It is the first time we are presenting to a world audi-ence and we need to do more. If you have suggestions for where to speak, here or over-seas, please do let us know.

● By focusing our retreats more on action-oriented lead-ers from various fields; leaders with heart and vision who will serve as seeds to plant their new insights and perspectives into their own fields.

Working on long term organizational sustainability.

● We are working with Bud-dhist-oriented non-profit con-sultant Richard Landry to clarify our long-term vision,

strategy and needs.

● We are currently conducting a full legal audit to be sure all our ducks are in a row.

● We continue to build a strong Board based on character, tal-ent, imagination, and passion for the mission. To this end we are delighted to welcome Andrew Torgove as our newest member, who brings considerable finan-cial, business and organizational expertise and insight.

All of this is part of setting the stage to attract major do-nors and develop a sustainable funding base.

Improving the physical structures, master plan, and animal habitat.

● We have been gifted enough funding to continue moving forward on the hos-pice infirmary building and are

currently refining the plans. In the process we are look-ing at the entire layout of the property from a permaculture perspective, working with the land and its natural flow. Earthfire has come far over the years with your help, encour-agement and gifts of time and funds. As a result we are now poised to make a significant and ever-increasing impact on environmental thinking. Your continued and valued support is vital to our success be it your suggestions, thoughts, or do-nations. We would love to hear from you.

Wishing you, yours and the Earth the very best for the holidays and the coming year,

Susan B Eirich Ph.D

"Hi my name is Pablo Morris. I am 14 yrs old and I spent 2 weeks last July working and learning with Jean. Being at Earthfire, among wildlife - interacting with them as I could, was a unique and unforgettable experience for me. I felt as if I jumped into the world of nature, and away from the world of only humans. It was peaceful! Now that I am home and far away from Teton Valley (I live in France), whenever we pass by big polluting factories, I feel angry and sad. I'd like to make a difference one day."

Pablo came to visit Jean at the urging of his father (who saw Earthfire's website) and his uncle, who resides in Alta, WY. Both feel that Pablo has a special sensitivity with animals and wanted him to learn from Jean.

Jean, Pablo and feral wolf dog Kumo.

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Loki the FoxMagic Huckleberry Bear Bear

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SeEing through neW EyEs by andreW hinton

Andrew Hinton

hese are the words which drew me to Earth-fire Institute, where I

spent ten days in early October.

I am a filmmaker embarking on a new project exploring the complex interdependence of humans and animals. I want to understand why time and again these relationships have broken down, causing suffering and destruction. But instead of fo-cusing on all that is wrong, I’m looking for people and animals actively seeking news ways of being together. For the exam-ples of a more compassionate dynamic, where communication between species can lead to some kind of understanding.

Susan’s writings on the Earth-fire blog (from which the quote above came) gave a sense of something mysterious and wonderful going on. So I de-cided to see if I could capture or experience it. In the pro-cess I traced a line back along my own disconnect from the natural world - I travelled from the urban jungle of New York City to the open horizons of

the Idaho countryside. From a world surrounded by busy humans and buildings and screens to one full of wildlife, mountains and nature.

I woke the first morning to the sounds of wolves howling and was surprised to find a huge smile on my face. Not twelve feet away the bears were stir-ring. Then the foxes and coy-otes joined in too.

Rose De Dan was kind enough to allow me to participate in her A Walk On The Wild Side shamanic retreat, so every-thing began by meeting the animals in ceremony. Over the course of four days we con-nected to the sacred in our-selves and our surroundings. We shared stories and made offerings. I witnessed things I couldn’t entirely explain and asked questions that couldn’t easily be answered.

As the days passed I watched a bear very timidly emerge to experience the bear gar-dens for the first time (who knew bears are nervous of the new too?). I spent enough

time happily sitting in silence beside Runs-Like-the-Wind the three-legged deer to be-gin imagining we had become friends. And filming the lunar eclipse one cold clear night, a huge figure approached in the dark and stood just the other side of the fence, allowing me to scratch her flank while she grunted contentedly. Hearing Bluebell the buffalo breathing up close beneath the stars was a deep, resonant and some-how ancient experience. I re-alized that by creating an en-vironment where fear has no place (as Susan and Jean have done at Earthfire), where we can get close enough to hear each other breathe, amazing things can happen.

But perhaps the most mean-ingful experience during my stay was the visit of a young human named Zim who came to Earthfire with his mother.

Zim jumped excitedly from foot to foot as he reeled off the long list of pets he cares for at home. He showed us magic tricks with a deck of cards. And he listened wide eyed as Jean

Elmo the lynx enjoying the beauty of the land.

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shared stories of walking and working with wolves.

As we toured Earthfire, meet-ing each animal in turn, Zim’s excitement and disbelief grew. He asked Jean a million ques-tions, and Jean answered with profound kindness, seeing in the boy a kindred spirit.

Zim’s small hand held out grass for the bears, who gen-tly took it from his fingers. The lick of trust he earned from a wolf dog towards the end of the tour felt like an initia-tion. Before he left I turned my camera on him and asked what effect the visit had had. He paused thoughtfully before answering, “I want to make

sure that all animals I meet have a life as good as these ones. Or even better. And I want to make sure every ani-mal feels good and happy and never gets hurt.”

My first few days back in New York I felt a profound sad-ness, a sense of loss almost. It was confusing not to have my three-legged deer friend near-by. The reminder that Earth-fire had given me of what we

are missing, what we are los-ing by choosing to live in cit-ies, weighed heavily. I felt as if I had lost my herd.

Like Zim, I am left with a sense of duty to do right by the animals somehow, to pay forward the gift of sharing space with them. At Earthfire the veil between the species is the thinnest I’ve encoun-tered yet. And Susan was right. When it gets pierced it is truly a beautiful thing.

Andrew Hinton is a documentary filmmaker and a former producer for the BBC.

This fall a donor gifted Molly Zimmerman and her truly remarkable 11 year old son, Zim, to a private visit to Earthfire. (See article by Andrew Hinton). It was a joy for Jean to share his knowledge with this child.

“It was fascinating to listen as Jean shared his innate understanding and abilities of animal communication, but my true pleasure came at seeing my 11 year old boy’s rapt attention to every word and gesture coming from Jean. As we walked around to meet the animals, my son was Jean’s shadow and sponge, absorbing every tidbit of animal wisdom, mirroring every movement.

Our interaction with the animals is hard to describe in words. I looked right into the eyes of grizzly bears. In amazement I watched my child quietly approach these great beasts and offer tufts of freshly pulled grass. I saw how delicately these huge creatures gently took the of-fering from his small hand with their soft lips. It was a gift to witness my son in an enclosure with a wild wolf dog. To see his interest in this young human, to witness as he sniffed and ap-proached and then allowed him to touch him is the stuff of which fairy tales are made. Jean showed us how he called the buffalo. They lifted their heads at his greeting and walked to the fence to meet us. Again, it was surreal, to see my young human reach through the fence and stroke the majestic creature. I was truly awed by the power of this encounter. I know the expe-rience cemented in my son’s mind what his young brain already knows; these creatures, these beings have a spirit, a wisdom and a power equal if not greater to our own.”

-All the best to the beings at Earthfire! Molly and Zim

a magical viSit by molly ZimmErman

Zim and Runs-Like-the-Wind.

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ne of the things we love about babies of any kind is the wide-

eyed innocent wonderment at the world. It is an endear-ing, evocative quality and not what one would expect of a grizzly bear. But it is just what we find with one of our bears, Humble Bumble. How can that be? How is it that a full grown grizzly bear has the sweetness and innocence of a young animal?

I have written elsewhere about his learning disabilities, and what it implies about the innate similarities between all of us. How an egg terri-fied him, and when he got the courage to swat it, it broke, and then he was terrified all over again. How it took forev-er for him to dare to go into

his first pool. How easily he is overstimulated and how dif-ficult it is for him to soothe himself. And his fear of any-thing new.

But as I spent time with him the thought kept aris-ing… how is it that this griz-zly bear’s main qualities are sweetness and innocence? It is not what his species is known for. It is not how they ordinarily develop. Survival in the bear world, as for any wild animal, requires clear focus and attention to reality and detail; awareness of varied seasonal food sources, den locations, territorial bound-aries, protection from other bears or assertion over other bears. There is little room for wonder – being in a state of wonder leaves one vulnerable to attack. And yet there he is.

He clearly has some form of brain injury or genetically different wiring. It was evi-dent from the very beginning when we brought him home as a baby from a roadside zoo. Whatever the cause, it apparently knocked out his ability to measure, judge,

focus; instead soothing him-self by bouncing up and down in a corner, using his coping mechanism of panic. Those very abilities; to mea-sure, judge, focus, soothe, protect oneself by judgment rather than panic, require a maturing brain.

So – if other bears mature and apparently lose their sweet and innocent quali-ty, but Humble Bumble bear retained it, what might that mean? Perhaps the original wiring is for sweetness but the need for survival requires rewiring or overlaying ter-ritoriality, anger, jealousy; maintaining self-esteem to maintain a place in the social hierarchy. Without the need for survival and the resultant biological imperatives, might this be true for all animals…and humans as well? Perhaps underneath, without the need for survival and competition, lies an innate sweetness in all of us? If so, how can we ac-cess it? Many religions teach the idea of compassion rather than judgment, which reduc-es competition and increases a sense of safety. Perhaps they are tapping into that in-nate capacity and suggesting ways to bring out the sweet-ness in the other. *

What I want to share with you now is how brave he was in daring to go out into the new bear gardens. He saw the other bears go out. He was interested. But it was a very long walk (from his per-spective) from his enclosure, along the chute that protect-ed him from the other bears,

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Humble Bumble Bear investigating.

Susan and Baby Humble Bumble

humble bumble - a vEry bravE bear by SuSan Eirich

Smelling everything.

Marilyn Paine

to the garden. Jean laid out a beautiful trail of marshmal-lows along the way. He even put a tempting bunch of five near the entrance.

It took a very long time for Humble Bumble to venture a foot over the threshold bar into the chute. A very long time to investigate the top and bottom; the left side and the right, with each step. He then took a few steps and bounced up and down to soothe him-self. Sometimes he bounced even as he took a step. He made it to the tempting bunch of five marshmallows and to the amazement of our watching staff, Stephanie and Amanda, he stepped right on them. That would never hap-pen with our other bears – no treat would be missed regard-less of distraction. Stephanie later came up with a story title, “The Case of the Five Flattened Marshmallows.”

The treats held no interest for him. There are several inter-esting theories why… he can

only focus on one thing; the fear was too great; that wires are somehow crossed in his brain and he doesn’t make the connection between the white puffs on the ground and the sweet morsels in his mouth. In any case he did make it to the end of the chute but the second threshold, the en-trance into the sunny garden, was too much for him.

He looked up at the v st blue sky, the spacious garden in front of him, and was over-come. He turned and went home to safety; to the known.

We tried again the next day. It took a little less time and a little less bouncing, and he ar-rived at the second threshold. Jean had given up on marsh-

mallows which worked so well to focus the other bears. This trip was Humble Bumble’s alone, with no treats or extra distractions other than the comforting, orienting pres-ence of Jean. And he did it! First one paw, then another; a third and a fourth. Then a slow sniffing and rocking back and forth as he ambled into the first part of the garden. Then he was ready to return. But he did it! It had taken us weeks and weeks to get him to go into the original Wildlife Garden when he was a young bear. In comparison his jour-ney out to the Bear Garden was really fast. He has, on his own terms, in his own way, and his own time, learned to face life more easily. Humble Bumble has grown. It was a triumphant day for all of us.

* For another article and time – our animals also become sweeter as they age. What might that mean?

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Smelling everything. Two feet out. Hello Tree!

e urgently need to use, and integrate, many perspectives

in solving our environmen-tal decisions. One source of our difficulties is a lack of a multi-faceted approach. We need spiritual, artistic, scien-tific, indigenous, practical, and ethical ways of understanding issues. To that end Earthfire, in its capacity as an incubator for new approaches to conserva-tion, holds retreats that explore these different approaches in an attempt to encourage inte-gration. One example would be the shamanic retreat, A Walk on the Wild Side, held annual-ly here with Rose De Dan, who uses ceremony to build bridges between humans and animals for global healing. I have been told of a group of Buddhist la-mas who spend three months each year in deep meditation to raise the general conscious-ness level of the world. They do this despite their busy teaching schedules because they con-sider it so important. In a way that is what Rose is doing be-low with the bison.

A Walk on the Wild SideBy Rose De Dan

"On my way to the first shamanic retreat at Earthfire in 2010, I had a vision. I was admiring the mut-ed colors of the Montana land-scape as it slid by, mile after mile. There was the occasional glimpse

of livestock amidst fences and rocky buttes. Then, all at once, everything I had been seeing dis-appeared. In its place was a vast herd of bison, covering the land, and off to the side, an abundance of pronghorn an-telope. So many individuals—it seemed as though the earth itself were moving.

And then, just as suddenly, I was seeing the original land-scape again, but with a different perspective. In contrast to the abundance of life in the vision that had filled the plain, now the land felt bar-ren and I could feel the fences that divided properties and re-tained livestock as boundaries that restricted the freedom of wildlife and the flow of ener-gy. My soul wept for what was lost, and I realized that I had somehow slipped into a time that once was—a time when the buffalo and pronghorn roamed freely and the native peoples lived in harmony with the land and the animals.

That vision stayed with me during our incredible meetings with the animals at Earthfire, and especially when we met Bluebell, the buffalo. Shaman-ic visions are intensely spiritual and huge in perspective—giv-ing an overview of a major is-sue. Meeting Bluebell was very grounding. Meeting her made the vision real, and it was eas-ier to put a face on all of the

buffalo herds I saw afterwards. Bluebell’s energy was incred-ibly rich and powerful. One’s body leaned toward her per-haps in awareness, on a deep-er level, of the connection that

the tribes had with the vast herds that once roamed this land. And the feeling was mu-tual. Bluebell had adopted hu-mans as her herd.

Over the following years I would return to the vision and to the feeling I had when in Bluebell’s presence. I became aware of a pull to visit Yellowstone, our nation’s first national park and a site of great importance to the buffalo and the ceremonies.

As I researched the history of bison I learned that their near extermination in the 1800’s was linked with our govern-ment’s desire to eliminate the perceived Indian threat: kill a tribe’s food source and you eradicate an entire people.

The government almost suc-ceeded. By 1902 only 23 wild buffalo remained in Yellowstone

Bluebell and the Big Medicine blanket

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7The fire cleansing ceremony.Nima investigates the blanket

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a blankEt and biSon: a Shamanic PersPectivE

National Park. Today the herd numbers about 4,000, and it is estimated that the land can only support about 2,000—a crisis that has sparked legal and ethical debates as we search for solutions ranging from re-storing free-range to the herds, to culling by slaughter.

And suddenly, in the midst of im-mersion in research, it all fell into place. I understood what Spirit wanted; we were to incorporate the relationship between the people, animals and the land into ceremony to assist in rebuilding the bridge and healing the rift.

My spirit guides instruct-ed me to purchase a specific Pendleton blanket called Big Medicine as a gift for the buf-falo themselves. The design commemorates the birth of a sacred white buffalo born in 1933 on the Flathead Indi-an Reservation, named “Big Medicine” to reflect its sacred power. The blanket description read: “Many Native American tribes consider the return of the White Buffalo the fulfill-ment of an ancient prophecy and the beginning of a new era for the peoples and Mother Earth." Every year the Blanket and I travel to buffalo herds in various states and present

it to them. And every year the blanket is presented to buf-falo elder Bluebell and young white buffalo Nima at Earthfire as part of our ceremonies with humans and the animals.

Bluebell takes her role as lead-er seriously and is very sen-sitive to energy. She is also a focal point to bring the energy of all those buffalo herds back to. She is part of the reweaving of the whole. The Buffalo Blan-ket has a great deal of energy due to its buffalo connections and the shamanic ceremonies. When I present the blanket to Bluebell she usually licks it, try-ing to “eat” the good energy.

But this year our experienc-es were very different. Before our 2014 retreat the Blanket was presented to the buffalo at Custer State Park, Wind Cave National Park and the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. Instead of being able to visit peacefully with the buffalo we found the herd at Custer State Park had been rounded up like cattle and corralled, and were due to be vaccinated and culled. At the Rosebud Reservation we ended up being swept up by the park rangers into the chaos of a spontaneous buffalo round-up. It was heartbreaking to see

the buffalo running before us in fear—to watch mothers afraid for their calves. There was noth-ing sacred in how the buffalo were treated in either place.

This time when I presented the Blanket to Bluebell at the begin-ning of our retreat she immedi-ately sensed the difference in the energy and let us all know what she thought by lowering her head and swiping the blanket with her horns repeatedly. I was in to-tal agreement with her. Buffalo should be treated with respect.

On behalf of the buffalo, we (the people, animals and the Blan-ket) brought that energy of dis-respect and lack of connection to the sacred to a fire ceremony to be cleared, in hopes of creat-ing a new beginning for all. And when the cleansing was com-plete and the Blanket imprinted with the transformed energy, I again presented it to Bluebell. She “tasted” its energy and then imprinted it with her own by rubbing her face and chin on it. The healing had begun."

Rose De Dan, Wild Reiki and Shaman-ic Healing LLC, is an animal communi-cator, Reiki Master Teacher, shamanic energy healer, and author. Her teach-ing and ceremonial work is inspired by wild and domestic animals who have issued a call to action for per-sonal and global healing.

The ibex Sophie sat with.8

The fire cleansing ceremony. And

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2014 accomPliShmentS

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● Filmmaker Andrew Hinton is working on an Earthfire documentary.

● Susan was featured on PBS special "The Embrace of Ag-ing," talking about the impor-tance of the spiritual perspec-tive on growing older.

● This years retreat schedule ranged from meditation and

writing to art to connecting with Wildlife.● We have begun hosting Tele-seminars that have been suc-cessful and fun.● We have begun hosting cus-tom visits and internships that have been a huge success.● Susan has taken the voic-es of the animals around the

country and abroad. Talks have taken place from one coast to the next. She will be going to the "Minding Animal Conference in New Dehli this January.● We continue to grow an audi-ence on our Social Media sites: Facebook, YouTube, and insta-gram as well as on our website.

● We wrote and clarified Earth-fires Vision strategy state-ment.● Staff trainings in media and fundraising.

● We have begun updating and reviewing all legal documents● We have expanded our board●●

● Finished the bear Gardens so the bears could play.● Began Permiculture design for whole property, prepara-tory to starting office/hospice/

infirmary building● Planted trees throughtout property. ● We have added lighting all around the property.

● Bought a new plow and truck so we can all get to work.

● Built ramps for all

1. Taking the animals’ voices out to the world

2. Continue to work on long term organizational sustainability

3. Continue to improve the physical structures, masterplan, & animal habitat

Earthfire's mission is to change how people see, and therefore treat wildlife and nature. We do this by helping people make an emotional connection with the rescued wild animals of Earthfire. Loving wild animals deeply shifts our perceptions, helping us feel the power and companionship of a non- human-centered perspective. This starts us on a journey towards connecting with an ever-expanding circle of life, leading us to make better conservation decisions.

Thus Earthfire Institute serves as a successful, powerful seed center of ideas, stimulating and reframing the discussion of conservation by including the voices of living beings usually per-ceived as outside our community.

Elmo the lynx strutting his stuff at Sarah McLean retreat.

Ramble Bear having a glorious time in the pool.

Foxy Whitefoot exploring the Small Animal garden. Timber wolf Nightwind

Andrew

Hinton

General Operating Expenses

● Annual base operating expenses $228,000.00

Add Additional Human Assets to the Earthfire Team

● Assistant Director $35,000.00

● Ranch Foreman/Handyman $24,000.00

● Assistant Wildlife Understudy to work with Jean $23,000.00

● Part-time media strategist and web content provider $18,000.00

Taking the Animals’ Voices out to an International Audience

● Travel expenses for speaking engagements for Executive Director $8,000.00

● Produce a professionally made video of remarkable animal healing stories at Earthfire $15,000.00

Animal Care and Habitat Enrichment

● *Priority* New roof to cover the wolf enclosures, to keep out rain and snow $25,000.00

● Connections for the small animals to be let out directly into their gardens $3,000.00

● Cat Gardens for the cats to play in $30,000.00

Physical Facility Improvements

● Property maintenance and yurt repair $15,000.00

Presenting Animal Voices to Thought Leader Audiences

● Invite influential young leaders in conservation, business, media and education to attend a think tank retreat at Earthfire, expenses paid. Attendees would take ideas back out into their areas of influence $20,000.00

2015 fundraiSing neEdS

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Foxy Whitefoot exploring the Small Animal garden. Timber wolf Nightwind Jean and White Buffalo Nima Young cougar girl Tahi

P.O. BOX 368 DRIGGS, IDAHO 83422 - 208.456.0926www.EarthfireInstitute.org

the miSsion of Earthfire institute

iS to changE hoW humans SeE,

and thErEforE trEat,

Wildlife and nature.Wolves Chimayo and Nightstar howling to their pack.

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All photos property of Earthfire InstituteGraphic Design by Amanda Head

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