Jack Greene, Author at Wild About Utah

March 17, 2025March 4, 2026

Outdoor Gear

Members of the 10th Mountain Division at Camp Hale, Colorado. Left -to- right: Clare Symonds, Elton Beard, Vincent Dalzell, Francis or Roger Duchesneau, Clifford Perkins. image c.a. 1940-1944. (Unit History Collection). (Members of what was then called the 10th Light Division (Alpine), prepare for ski training at Camp Hale, Colo. )
Courtesy US Army — Members of the 10th Mountain Division at Camp Hale, Colorado. Left -to- right: Clare Symonds, Elton Beard, Vincent Dalzell, Francis or Roger Duchesneau, Clifford Perkins. image c.a. 1940-1944.
Members of what was then called the 10th Light Division (Alpine) were recruited by the National Ski Patrol, which was directed by Charles Minot “Minnie” Dole. Applicants had to prove their ability to ski.
(Unit History Collection) Courtesy US Army, The Denver Public Library ArchivesSpace and Wikipedia

Skiing up our lovely canyon yesterday, enjoying American dipper and stream music, occasional king fisher chatter, Townsend’s solitaire melodies, I began ruminating on my ski equipment while watching their effortless glide through snow.

A few weeks earlier, I had donated a pair of WWII 10th Mountain Division US military issue skies to the Stokes Nature Center for their “History of Skiing” program. Seven feet long with leather and steel bindings, each weighing near 10 pounds. The Division trained at Camp Hale, Colorado with 60-90-pound packs, leather boots strapped onto seven-foot long wooden skis with thick cable bindings. Casualties in the winter of 1945 were staggering, but when the ski troops returned home they poured their heart and soul into the newly-evolving ski industry, opening ski resorts, managing ski schools and influencing innovation.

Compare this to my skies made of plastic materials with aluminum alloy bindings weighing in at 3 pounds each, my boots various synthetic materials, light and durable, and a minuscule day pack attached to my back.

When I began Nordic skiing some 40 years ago, my Bonna laminated wood skies were coveted. I miss their natural beauty and high performance. Now, they sit in a corner, replaced by a light weight, wax free pair. Somethings lost, something’s gained.

From there it went on to my backpacking equipment from boots, backpack with contents, and my clothing attire. All synthetics with the exception of RMI type, super light weight dehydrated space/military evolved food and equipment.

Looking back to my early Scouting days, our tents were heavy canvas, backpacks with heavy metal alloy frame and canvas fabric, clunky leather boots, wool and cotton clothing, and beefy cooking pots and pans, metal canteen, and several pounds of canned food.

We were tough then. My Scouts grew blisters on shoulders and feet. A few tears were shed from the arduous hike up a mountain or across hot desert, near collapse, sure they couldn’t take another step. Now, as middle aged adults, their fondest memories were from those crazy days of long suffering. Many survival stories came later of their intrepid accomplishments.

We have evolved to a plastic, synthetic culture replacing canvas, cotten, wool, wood, and heavy metals. How soft, comparatively effortless, and efficient we have become. No longer from a farm of hard work in extremes of hot and cold. Something lost, something gained. Nostalgia. Longing.

Do I wish to return to those days? Back then, we never foresaw an easier way in the offing. We just endured the pain and moved on, as did the mountain troops with their giant skis and heaving loads. I admire us as we were.

USU has a new major in Outdoor Product Design & Development to further design new, light weight convenient gear. “Master the design process, user research, idea visualization, and CAD modeling techniques to develop products conceptually and as producible prototypes.”

One thing that hasn’t changed appreciably are the natural wonders that surround us. Birds and flowers, butterflies, bees, and rushing streams are still with us. Challenging steep trails, scorching desert paths still challenge us, as are natures fickle atmospheric moods.

Jack Greene for Bridgerland Audubon Society, and I’m Wild About the Joy & Challenge of Utah Wilds!

Credits:
Image: Courtesy US Army army.mil, With text by way of US Army and Wikipedia
For additional images and histories of Camp Hale, we recommend the Denver Public Library, Special Collections and Archives Department
Featured Audio: Courtesy & © Kevin Colver https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/ and Friend Weller https://upr.org/
Text: Jack Greene, Bridgerland Audubon, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/
Additional Reading: Jack Greene & Lyle W Bingham, Webmaster, Bridgerland Audubon, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading:

Jack Greene’s Postings on Wild About Utah, https://wildaboututah.org/author/jack/

McCrimmon, Katie Kerwin, Daring WWII ‘ski troops’ honored at new Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument, UCHealth Oct. 27, 2022 https://www.uchealth.org/today/daring-wwii-ski-troops-honored-at-new-camp-hale-continental-divide-national-monument/

Kennedy (Drum), Mrs. Michelle, Bootprints in History: Mountaineers take the Ridge, US Army, February 19, 2015, https://www.army.mil/article/143088/bootprints_in_history_mountaineers_take_the_ridge

Charles Minot Dole, Hall of Fame Class of 1958, U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum Inc., https://skihall.com/hall-of-famers/charles-minot-dole/

Chabalko, Justin J, Art of War Papers, Forging the 10th Mountain Division for War, 1940–45, How Innovation Created a Highly Adaptive Formation, Army University Press, 2019, https://npshistory.com/publications/usfs/camp-hale-continental-divide/forging-10th-mtn-div.pdf

Bonna Wooden Touring skis, Scottish Mountain Heritage Collection, https://smhc.co.uk/collection/bonna-wooden-touring-skis/

Utah Outdoor Recreation Companies, Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation, State of Utah, https://recreation.utah.gov/utahs-outdoor-companies/

Outdoor Product Design and Development – BS, College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, Utah State University, https://www.usu.edu/degrees-majors/outdoor-product-design-and-development_bs

February 17, 2025March 4, 2026

Waldo the Wildcat

A week ago I received the Weber State University Alumni Magazine that released a flood of memories and emotions. “Waldo celebrates 60” with Waldo’s cartoonish face on the cover. Waldo was not a cartoon, but a genuine lady bobcat and Weber State College mascot, a gorgeous animal that stole my heart!

Wildcat WSU Alumni Magazine Winter 2025 Cover, Courtesy WSU Marketing & Communications, Copyright Weber State University — Wildcat WSU Alumni Magazine
Winter 2025 Cover
Courtesy WSU Marketing & Communications
Copyright Weber State University

She was in my life as her temporary caretaker for a year from 1966-67. She was a beautiful, lively, highly intelligent being, who loved playing fetch, chasing dogs, and pouncing on my back.

When I first picked her up, I was forewarned she didn’t like riding in a vehicle and should be sedated and placed in her cage, which was loaded in the back of my old pickup truck. I didn’t wish Waldo to be tranquilized and wanted her in the cab with me to avoid injury. Her caretaker was quite concerned for my safety.

She calmly sat beside me as her handler waved us away. From that moment, things spiraled down quickly. When I started the engine, she crouched with ears back emitting a low growl. Reaching for the floor shift, Waldo attacked my arm. Luckily, her canine teeth and front claws were removed when a kitten, so damage was minimal.

We rocketed away with the cat screaming and jumping between me and the passenger side window. While waiting for the light to change at a Washington Blvd. intersection, Waldo was wound up tight, emitting wildcat screams once we began moving again. Being a hot summer day, I had cracked the windows. Her caterwauls and thrashing about attracted considerable notice by drivers and those on nearby sidewalks. We finally made what seemed an interminably long drive to her new quarters. Once the truck engine was off, Waldo settled.

On numerous occasions in the year that followed, Waldo showed me her uncanny intelligence, strength, and agility. The challenge of getting her into the dog run cage was never easy. While playing fetch, it dawned on me that she would follow the ball into her cage! This worked once. The next time I threw the ball into her cage, she ran to the door, sat down, looked at me with an expression “You think I’m stupid?” One trick that always worked was tossing a hunk of raw meat into the cage- she couldn’t resist!

Another favorite game was dropping from the eight-foot-high open rafters in the garage onto my shoulders as I walked below. Waldo could effortlessly spring from the garage floor into the rafters, disappear into the shadows, and drop on my shoulders with mouth lightly pressed against my juggler “Gottcha!”, spring off and repeat this horrific act of terror against her victim.

We had our moments with the law. When neighbors saw a wildcat chasing their dog, soon after the Ogden police would appear, giving me the ultimatum to control the cat, or have it released into the wilds, which would spell doom for habituated Waldo without canines and front claws. She would soon starve, be hit by a car, shot, or lost to a predator. When her caretaker returned, it was a difficult parting, when I left Utah to continue my studies in Michigan.

This is Jack Greene for Bridgerland Audubon Society and I’m Wild about Utah Wildcats!

Credits:
Image: Wildcat WSU Alumni Magazine Winter 2025 Cover, Courtesy WSU Marketing & Communications, Copyright Weber State University. (Digital copy made available by Utah Digital Newspapers), https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=21945988
Image: Waldo Celebrates 60, Cover, Wildcat, WSU Alumni Magazine, Winter 2025, Courtesy Alumni Magazine Staff, Copyright Weber State University
Featured Audio: Courtesy & © Anderson, Howe and Wakeman
Text: Jack Greene, Bridgerland Audubon, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/
Additional Reading: Jack Greene & Lyle W Bingham, Webmaster, Bridgerland Audubon, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading:

Jack Greene’s Postings on Wild About Utah, https://wildaboututah.org/author/jack/

Johnson, Marian, He’s a She!, Signpost, Weber State University Student Newspaper, https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=21945988

Bobcat – Lynx rufus, Fieldguide, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, https://fieldguide.wildlife.utah.gov/?species=lynx%20rufus

Harris, Kandice & Winston, Jaime, Waldo Celebrates 60, Wildcat, the WSU Alumni Magazine, Weber State University, https://www.weber.edu/wsumagazine/waldo-60-anniversary.html

January 20, 2025March 4, 2026

Utah’s Public Lands

One might justly conjecture we have been cursed by Utah’s magnificent wild landscapes, which have caused such division and consternation among our political leadership and their constituents. Some see vast sweeps of our national public lands as having little to offer for recreation or scenery, waste lands of little value beyond mineral extraction, or selling them to the highest bidder. These lands have been a hot issue in Utah for most of our state’s history. Absentee landowners continue to be viewed with a jaundiced eye. State and local control is championed, which is often in opposition to the majority of Utah citizens.

Preeminent naturalist John Muir stated, “The bottom third of Utah should become a National Park!” He was overtaken by its rugged, unadulterated majesty. Many other prominent authors and naturalists have spoken in its behalf- Terry Tempest Williams, Ed Abbey, Wallace Stegner, Steve Trimble, to name a few.

More recently, our Native people have jumped into the fray- Navajo, Paiute, Ute, Shoshone, and many other tribes. Following years of relentless negotiations, they finally have been offered a seat at the table on how these lands should be managed.

“Our ancestors knew that this land is not just our home, but a place that sustains us, nurtures us, and connects us to something far greater than ourselves, If we do not stand together, our children will never know the beauty these lands hold.” Louise Fernandez

I too have real affection for our national public lands. The first part of my existence was in Michigan farm country surrounded by “Keep Out” signs. There was little opportunity to escape to open space. Thus, I view these public lands in a very different lens from many of the “locals”, who perceive them as restricting their rights to use these lands as they see fit. Two very different cultures and lived experiences.

As a naturalist educator, I have led my students and others into many of these wild spaces. The experience is often transformative. Never before have many of them experienced such beauty and untrammeled landscapes. One of my international students was nearly brought to tears, reminiscent of his cattle herding days in the rural landscapes of Egypt.

Beyond serving as recreational and inspirational retreats, these incomprehensible, uncompromised wide-open spaces serve as bulwarks for clean air, healthy watersheds, and as a sanctuary for an abundance of species beyond our own, some threatened or endangered from creeping human contrivances.

As I write this, the U.S. Supreme Court has rejected Utah’s attempt to gain state control over 18.5 million acres of federal BLM lands, representing about 1/3 of our state’s area. The fight will continue, just as the seasons will continue in these priceless, sacred lands.

This is Jack Greene for Bridgerland Audubon Society and I’m wild about Utah’s Wild Lands

Credits:
Image: Courtesy Pixabay, Sharon Kehl Califano, Contributor https://pixabay.com/photos/canyonlands-canyons-desert-6600504/
Featured Audio: Courtesy & © Kevin Colver https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections/kevin-colver, Courtesy & © Anderson, Howe and Wakeman,
Also includes audio Courtesy & © J. Chase & K.W. Baldwin
Text: Jack Greene, Bridgerland Audubon, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/
Additional Reading: Jack Greene & Lyle W Bingham, Webmaster, Bridgerland Audubon, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading:

Jack Greene’s Postings on Wild About Utah, https://wildaboututah.org/author/jack/

December 16, 2024December 16, 2024

Excitement at the Bird Feeder!

Bird Feeder in Winter<br />Ready for Reloading
Courtesy Pixabay, PGloutnay, Contributor — Bird Feeder in Winter
Ready for Reloading
Courtesy Pixabay, PGloutnay, Contributor

Excitement at the Bird Feeder! There are many reasons for having a bird feeder, especially in the winter season when birds are often hanging on by a thread due to challenges from inclement weather and lack of food. Where to place a feeder and how to manage it for bird health and safety has been well covered by Hilary Shughart in earlier Wild About Utah readings. Additionally, she mentions several citizen science programs for feeder watchers you may engage in, adding important data on bird population dynamics.

Beyond what feeders provide for birds, it can add joy to one’s life, especially during these short, cold winter days. Nearing four decades of feeding birds at our home in Northern Utah, we’ve had many pleasant surprises from who decides to stop by for a snack beyond the usual chickadees, an assortment of finches, and juncos.

Most recently a pair of Steller’s jays have been attacking our suet block. These handsome rascals spend their summer in high-country coniferous forests. All members of the jay (corvid) family are known for their intelligence and adaptability. Several years ago, this seedeater showed up on a branch near our kitchen window with a fat meadow vole dangling from its beak. And you thought you knew me Jack!

Even rarer than Steller’s jays are eastern blue jays. These striking birds stop by about once a decade causing quite a stir. Being from the east, it’s music to my ears when hearing their loud, sharp calls, warming my winter soul. It amuses me to see these marauders skulking around with a very different attitude than their usual bawdy behavior. A favorite summer bird found in thick canyon shrubs showed up at the feeder several years ago. The green tail towhee wears a vibrant russet cap to complement its greenish toned tail. There it was, hopping around our deck snatching tidbits dropped from the feeder above. Another sweat treat!

A teacher friend, whom you may have heard on Wild About Utah, has feeders attached to his classroom window. His second graders have learned nearly every bird who arrives. He sent me a photo of a puzzler. Following a bit of sleuthing, I was amazed to identify it as a pine grosbeak, a most unusual winter visitor!

Predatory birds are an infrequent delight. On rare occasions, the sharp shinned hawk bolts through hoping to snatch a songbird from the feeder, as do the Northern pigmy and western screech owls. This brings mixed emotions. I will always root for the songbird, but in the recesses of my mind, realize they must eat or perish. After all, I eat chicken!

Two winter beauties who have missed my feeder thus far, the evening grosbeak and gray crowned rosy finch- perhaps this will be the winter when they bless me with their presence! May you be blessed by feeding your birds as well!

Jack Greene for Bridgerland Audubon Society, and I’m wild about Utah’s wild feeder birds!

Credits:
Image: Courtesy Pixabay, PGloutnay, Contributor https://pixabay.com/photos/winter-manger-bird-feeder-bird-1428270/
Audio: Courtesy & © Kevin Colver https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections/kevin-colver
Text: Jack Greene, Bridgerland Audubon, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/
Additional Reading: Jack Greene & Lyle W Bingham, Webmaster, Bridgerland Audubon, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading:

Jack Greene’s Postings on Wild About Utah, https://wildaboututah.org/author/jack/

Shughart, Hilary, Enhance Backyard Birdwatching–Feed & Protect Birds, Wild About Utah, October 2, 2023, https://wildaboututah.org/enhance-backyard-birdwatching-feed-protect-birds/

L’Ai, Linda, Native Plants for Birds, Wild About Utah, February 8, 2021, https://wildaboututah.org/native-plants-for-birds/

Feeding Birds: a Quick Guide to Seed Types | All About Birds, Apr 20, 2009, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/types-of-bird-seed-a-quick-guide/

Why Do We Feed Birds—and Should We? A Q&A With the Experts, All About Birds, Dec 18, 2018, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/why-do-we-feed-birds-and-should-we-a-qa-with-the-experts/

Analysis: Do Bird Feeders Help or Hurt Birds? – All About Birds, Jan 11, 2017, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/analysis-do-bird-feeders-help-or-hurt-birds/

Winter Bird Feeding 101 with Project FeederWatch | Bird Academy, AllAboutBirds, Nov 19, 2020, https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/live-event/winter-bird-feeding-101-with-project-feederwatch/