For a hundred years now, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, has celebrated Elkfest. Mike Maurer writes that the town Boy Scouts head into the National Elk Refuge, collect antlers that the elks have shed, and sell them in town at the festival. The proceeds help pay for feeding the elk.
More recently, Elkfest has become a target for the kind of anti-abortion protesters who show up with huge, gruesome signs and hand out frightening flyers. Last year, the people of Jackson Hole responded angrily to the protesters, in a way that left them hoping for a better response if the protesters showed up for this year's Elkfest.
A couple weeks back, they formed Jackson Hole United, a self-proclaimed group of "pro-life and pro-choice citizens of Jackson Hole standing for civility, compassion and love, united to protect our community and our children." They held a meeting in which they urged their neighbors to remain peaceful, and to get involved in a campaign of diverting attention from the visitors. "Each of you can be the face of this community," said Cliff Kirkpatrick, a co-organizer of the Boy Scout Antler Auction, pictured above. "You have the opportunity to present this community the way we know it really is."
This time around, instead of fighting with the protesters, the people of Jackson Hole decided they would help their neighbors avoid them.
If you saw the protesters somewhere, you reported it on the Jackson Hole United Facebook page, with a call for help holding up signs. "Turn here to avoid to avoid protesters," one sign read. Another said, "Stay calm. Graphic images ahead." The results weren't perfect, but Elkfest happened peacefully.
The homegrown response does seem to have made a difference. "As a pregnant woman, it was the best gift in the world to simply be reminded that the signs were coming and not to look," someone wrote on the page. "It really isn't about changing their hearts, this has been about changing ours," another wrote. And this: "I swear the Tetons looked taller tonight."
(Thanks to Mike for the story and the photo up top. The rest of you: Send news and pics from your town. It's happy-making.)
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I have alot of questions about this article. All I would like to hear is that there was a Happy Ending. Elk are beautiful creatures who have a keen sense and could teach us a thing or two about surviving. I wish they all would migrate to the Grand Canyon where they are protected.
They taste good too! Just kidding. I do not hunt and can not envision myself gutting something bigger than a rabbit even if I did hunt.
And they are delicious.
No comment, I apparantally have stepped into a man cave.
Angel#77 -- If you had actually read the article, and had paid attention in science class...you would know that the elk's antlers are shed annually. The Boy scouts go to the National Elk Refuge (that means they are protected there), collect antlers that the elks have shed.
You really ought to read the article a little more carefully. The Elk are protected, they live on a refuge. No need to move'em out of their natural habitat.
There was a happy ending Angel#77. And rest assured, the Elk are well cared for. Our community has sought to protect the Elk for 100 years- something our community was able to celebrate this past weekend, despite the protesters best efforts to terrorize us. Civility, Compassion and Love triumphed over hate and fear. If that's not a happy ending, I just don't know what is!
Sorry, I just saw those signs and got all kinds of frantic. Why are we discussing this again? Elk ears, I don't even like pig ears. I will now send Roseanna Deanna back to wherever she came from.
Elk are safe in the Greater Yellowstone Area! They provide a source of income for everyone. Never mind that they carry brucellosis, spread it to cattle, and then the government officials blame the bison. This problem has been going on since 1917, so solving problems in this area of the country takes TIME! By the way, the animal welfare groups rake in hundreds of millions of dollars to support their "work". Maybe they could share a little to help with this Public Relations effort.
The Elk in the Jackson Wyo. area are protected in a huge refuge..they shed the antlers every year, and there are zillions of them!!!
Why would they even go there to begin with? It' a charity for Boy Scouts who never get abortions. are they trying to make every one hate them?
I have the same question too. Maybe someone can enlighten us.
I have been to Elkfest and though there are different events surrounding it the core of it is all about selling and auctioning off something the Elk do not want anymore (They'll make more!) so that is why I cannot figure out why they would be targeted except maybe two reasons:
1. It is a lovely place to visit
2. It is safer for them to protest at a Boy Scout function in Jackson Hole than to do it at, say, Sturgis in August
It's about having a huge audience. Elkfest gathers a large crowd, and that's what groups like this flock to.
The extremist anti-abortion group targeted ElkFest - just as they targeted our middle school and high school throughout the week they were here - because their stated goal is to shock and anger. What better way to anger us than going after our kids. Too bad for them Jackson Hole United was successful in countering their hatred with love and compassion. When anger doesn't meet resistance, it fades away. By fully embracing our simple message of Civility, Compassion, and Love, Jackson Hole came out of this week with a greater sense of pride and unity than we imagined possible. Stories abound about people saying how their hearts have been changed by this movement. This is no longer about the protesters, but about a small town that came together to counter an ugly interloper, and in the process found its heart. We are happy to share our methods with other towns dealing with these same issues. Love truly does conquer all!
So the protesters have RDD--rationality deficit disorder.
@Merl Allen -- You ask why the Anti-abortionists were at the Boy Scout event. The reason they went to the Boy Scout event was because they expected that they would have a LOT of eyeballs passing by, seeing their hateful message. The good people of Jackson Hole United figured out a clever means of getting the ElkFest patrons to the venue with a minimum of fuss and for that they deserve a pat on the back (at the very least).
And for those who missed it in the article above, The antlers that were collected and sold were shed by the elk, just as a snake sheds its skin in order to grow, not harvested, like elephant tusks or rhino horns, as some seem to think.
Was there any civility, compassion or love given for the unborn child who is dismembered, decapitated and delivered into a toilet? I wouldn't want that kind of love. That message is "leave us alone so we can allow child killing with a clear conscience" The stated purpose of OSA is not to "shock and anger" people, it's to show the realities of abortion and to share the Gospel with the lost. The Bible is our foundation; the Cross of Christ is our strategy; the repentance of the Church of Jesus Christ is our ultimate goal. You can view that on the website www.operationsaveamerica.org/
Yup. Because people who don't believe like you do Deanna are lost. And everyone must think like you, act like you, dress like you, look like you, talk like you, and worship like you do or else they are Lost and need You to guide them. It's funny how you preach the Bible and pretend to be compassionate when in reality you're being arrogant and condescending and anti-Christian in those values. By the way fetus' aren't chopped up, delivered in a toilet, and dismembered. I don't even know where this gets from. Maybe instead of criticizing what abortion clinics do you should actually work at one and see for yourself. And how arrogant and condescending are you to assume that people don't know the "realities of abortion?" You just decided that because they don't believe as you that they are ignorant? Yes because you know everything and therefore anyone who disagrees w/ you must be wrong. Sheesh.
Sometimes, Deanna, people disagree with you because they know better then you, not less. Certainty can derive from ignorance as well as from expert knowledge. The trick is to learn the difference. For instance, when you encounter a divergent opinion, is your first impulse to double-check yourself, or to judge the competence of other person? The latter is a mark of ignorance, and you are clearly a judgmental rather than a self-critical person.
Deanna - In a conversation with some of the Christian leadership in our community before arriving, OSA leadership in fact said their objective was to shock and anger in order to get people's attention. The problem with that is twofold - first, our children do not deserve to be shocked or frightened; second, I truly believe you trun more people off with your tactics than convince them of anything. We believe that civil discourse - listening with the intent of understanding the other - is a much more productive and healthy approach. God's peace be with you.
Deanna is bringing up the old argument of "partial birth abortions". There is no actual medical procedure termed "partial birth abortion". It is a term coined by anti-abortion activists. Stenburg v. Carhart , in 2000. The Nebraska statute at issue in Stenberg prohibited the removal of a living fetus or a substantial part of a living fetus with the intent of ending the fetsus's life.
The court stressed that the Nebraska law was unconstitutional because it did not have an exception allowing the procedure when the health of the woman was at risk and because it was broadly written and likely prohibited many types of abortion procedures.
President Clinton vetoed prior bills that banned "partial birth abortions". He stated, "I am pleased with the Supreme Court decision today in Stenberg v. Carhart striking down a Nebraska statute that banned so called partial-birth abortions. The Court's decision is consistent with my past vetoes of similar legislation...A woman's right to choose must include the right to choose a medical procedure that will not endanger her life or health. Today's decision recognizes this principle and makes an important victory for a woman's freedom of choice". The Conservative Assault on the Constitution; Erwin Chemerinsky
This isn't about hunting elk, it is about collecting antlers that the living elk have shed. Nice to see what the people of Jackson Hole did too. :)
Well, apparantally the horns are worth something to the people who own the land in which the elk horns were found. It is the property of the landowner. Whoever is protesting is against what they use these horns for? Is it to hang on the wall and lie to people about what you hunted? I don't know. What are elk horns used for?
*apparently*
No - their protests have nothing to do with Elk. See my comments above for a better understanding. The Boy Scouts collect the elk horns on the National Elk Refuge after they have been shed in the spring. No elk are hurt. People use them for decoration.
So while we are getting everyone educated, elk have antlers, not horns. Deer-type species (deer, elk, moose) have antlers that they routinely shed year after year. Horns are not shed by their carriers, like sheep and goats. My husband collects them in the spring when the antlers have been shed in the wild.
LOL, Kadie - in my hurry to set the record straight I didn't even notice I said horns - not antlers. As a Wyoming resident, I should be ashamed of myself!
Interesting story that shows good and bad sides of people. One minor thought to add. I've led a few backpack trips in northern Alaska through some of the caribou migration areas. People always wanted to bring back some caribou antlers and we always told them they could take just one of the smaller female antlers they found and none of the larger male antlers. Turns out the shed antlers are a good source of calcium, especially for lactating females. So even though they've been shed, they play an important role in caribou nutrition and indeed, in the entire ecosystem. Just wondering whether anyone knows of something similar with elk in the lower 48.
Protests at something completely unrelated to the issue they support? Sounding more and more like WBC. Plus, they don't want children being taught about birth control in public schools but showing them graphic images without parental consent is okay, as is shoving their particular brand of religion/morals in everyone else's face.
Angel - the male elk (bulls) shed their horns naturally in the late winter and the scouts pick them up at The National Elk Refuge just north of Jackson. None are harmed in the process.
This time around, instead of fighting with the protesters, the people of Jackson Hole decided they wou
uldtheir neighborsavoid them. "??????" EDIT!!!!Or....This time around, instead of fighting with the protesters, the people of Jackson Hole decided they would HELP their neighbors avoid them.
@Goonsbu OK!!!! OOPS!!!!
Yeah, really. Don't have a hemorrhage. Someone didn't catch a word ommission in proofreading. Is that really more important to you than the content?
dgd-75, it seems to me the poster was just trying to call legit attention to an error. He didn't lapse into a personal attack like you just did. If that kind of thing aggravates you, why don't you just ignore it? :)
Love that the Boy Scouts collect antlers to help pay for food for the Elk. Now if they only sold some of them online, my dogs love Elk antlers.
I think it would be better to show up in the anti-abortion people's neighborhoods with large photos of 18 year old girls with kids, no job, no hope of an education, no place to live, their lives ruined, their kids lives ruined all in the name of a bunch of people who think they know how everyone else should live their lives. Why don't all the anti-abortionists move to texas, succeed from the country and leave the rest of us alone.
Actually, I think that's a great idea!
What is an anti-abortion person's neighborhood? Are you going to mimic their tactics and target them individually. The ends do not justify the means, never has, never will. Either fight evil with good or don't bother, because fighting evil with evil just creates greater evil.
Excellent reply.
Civility. Compassion. Love. Who could ask for more? Way to go Jackson Hole, WY!
The cool thing is, they used love and common sense to combat the potential harm that anger and stress usually bring to a situation. Love it!
What a wonderful, graceful and hopeful way to respond. Good lesson in civil behavior and the beneficial impact it can have.
Wow, Wyoming is ahead of the curve?
I think they must be confused and believe that the elk are aborting their antlers.
Thank you for that laugh. That must have been the reason they came. :)
I enjoyed this story very much. The Boy Scouts have a great idea as do the citizens to fight outside agitators. BTW the think the elk antlers are sold for decorative uses (candleholders, etc.) and/or the Chinese grind them up and use for aphrodisiacs.
Elk antlers also make great flintknapping tools. The big part near the head makes great billets for knocking off big pieces of stone, the smaller parts of the spread make smaller billets for finer work, and the tines make great tools for fine pressure flaking. I covet a good, full elk antler.
The extremist anti-abortion group targeted ElkFest - just as they targeted our middle school and high school throughout the week they were here - because their stated goal is to shock and anger. What better way to anger us than going after our kids. Too bad for them Jackson Hole United was successful in countering their hatred with love and compassion. When anger doesn't meet resistance, it fades away. By fully embracing our simple message of Civility, Compassion, and Love, Jackson Hole came out of this week with a greater sense of pride and unity than we imagined possible. Stories abound about people saying how their hearts have been changed by this movement. This is no longer about the protesters, but about a small town that came together to counter an ugly interloper, and in the process found its heart. We are happy to share our methods with other towns dealing with these same issues. Love truly does conquer all!
My sincerest congratulations to Jackson Hole; will you please pass them on?
Congratulations! You and your group are much bigger people than I, since my inclination would have been to destroy the obnoxious signs in an act of "uncivil disobedience." Thanks and best wishes.
OMG...This is Cheney country...They don't need an excuse to show up and make fools of themselves...They learned from the Master!
Think this rates a "best new thing in the world"! Imagine responding to hatred with civility, compassion and love! Wow!
@Barbara-653016, Jackson isn't Cheyney country. We are a town of free thinkers no matter what political or religious though we believe in. That's the point of Jackson Hole United. We embrace each others beliefs, not admonish. The protestors were here to use scare tactics and target our children. Instead of reacting with anger, we reacted with civility.
Fight evil with love !!!I like that, I really like that !!!!!I think I'll mention that to my father. Oops he already knew!!!!!!
As someone who was born and raised in Jackson, it brings me great pleasure to see this kind of action by those who call Jackson their home. Thank you.
alas, the Boy Scouts as an organization aren't too much worth supporting at all considering their stance against people who aren't up to their "Christian" standards.
We feel all of our children are worth supporting.
The reason they were in Jackson is because Jackson has the only doctor in Wyoming that advertises abortion as a service. If the anti-abortionists (OSA, google them. They are a very volile extremist organization led by Rev. Flip Benham who was recently convicted of stalking a doctor and his family.) can get this doctor to stop performing this procedure, Wyoming will become the only state in the country to be completely abortion free. Their protests have nothing to do with elk. They choose this weekend because of the Elk Fest event and the exposure it brings to their cause because of course it would excite and anger people to have graphic images displayed at an event with lots of children. OSA wants to provoke people and make them angry because it gives them publicity. Regardless of your views on abortion, their tactics are inappropriate and disgusting. Parents should have the right to discuss this issue with their children when they feel it is time to have the discussion, not forced into it because a bunch of extremists are throwing it in their faces. I live in Jackson and was here last year when OSA came and it was a very ugly situation. This year it was completely different. I neither once saw any of the images or was accosted by the extremists abusive language. I was able to avoid them alltogether because of the efforts of Jackson Hole United and their detour signs. I believe some of the members of OSA were also touched/moved by the efforts of JHU. Hopefully they will not return to Jackson in the future.
NOW the presence of OSA in Jackson Hole makes sense. Thanks for explaining that the only doc in Wyoming who provides abortions is in Jackson Hole.
The sad thing about OSA is that they live in the "land of the free", yet think it is their duty to limit others' freedoms to make their own choices.
Wonderful JHUnited response. YAY! That approach teaches the kids that they ARE free to make statements, choices, and all can demonstrate peacefully.
And to that one remaining abortion-provider doctor, thank you for meeting a basic health need in your city/state. I hope you survive, because extremists "for life" often would think nothing of taking your life. Stay strong! and STAY!
Great idea, the less attention they receive, the more peaceful all our lives will be. It's wonderful to have warning before getting caught up in some grisly photos designed to agitate. I have seen this before. A legal public event become infiltrated by those that think they are righteous above others to convey their vile messages to incite some response to create an image of "see how bad they are, they attacked my rights".
In our free speech dogma, are we crossing lines of general civility?
I am all for free speech and I do not presume to declare one person is over another, but this is really low. Are these the same people that protest funerals, and KIA military funerals? We had them here and the loved ones are subjected to politicization on top of the grief. There was warning for the arrival of that Kansas family preaching hate. The community of all stripes came out to prevent their disgusting disruption to enter the cemetery. It was a flop for them, no media coverage of their nasty, vulgar signs or verbiage either.
Here is an annual event for families, having fun and let's show some gruesome photos to get to the kids early.
The folks with their warning signs have taken the high road, IMO. tetondiva, thanks for saying that, we cannot pigeonhole a place being stereotypes, but in some cases there is dominance of certain mindsets. But yeah, we all need to think of people as not all the same because they live in a certain place near certain other people.
I imagine that they see the rest of us as so brainwashed that they feel compelled to take drastic action. What was it you called this sort of thing? 'Heroic martyrs'?
I believe that you are thinking of the Westboro Baptist Church. They're strictly anti-gay as far as their 'protests' go. Similar brand of crazy, all the same.
OSA is anti-abortion, anti-gay, anti-Muslim, anti-women's rights - really anti anything that does not fit their very small definition of what is right.
They think of themselves as heroes and martyrs.
I think it is really more like shock jock.
Like… shock, shame and shout….
Yes it was WBC that I was thinking of…
Congratulations, Jackson Hole. Your plan was fantastic, and I have to say I doubt that I could have acted in such a civil manner.
I've long hoped that both sides on this issue could get together to work on common goals even if they didn't fully agree with the complete stance of their opponents. This is a great start.
I think this also may be needed soon in the Occupy movement. I think it is a shame everytime I see someone screaming in the face of a police officer who has a family at home and just wants to keep peace and return home safely. The extremes in this movement are not only hurting their cause, they putting innocent people at harm.
I think it's a shame every time I see a police officer callously hosing down peaceful protesters with mace and sexually abusing women in the crowds. There will be no cooperation with that, I assure you.
What? Sexually abusing women in the crowd? Are the police officers using groping as crowd control now?
Glad to know that you back our civil servants.
Power to the people!