Over the Cliff We Go

We're going for a ride in a blue Thunderbird

I’ve been working on something special for you guys. By working, what I really mean is thinking about working, which if you’re a historian you know that that actually counts as work. I’ve been thinking about 2022, all the travels, the victories, the losses, and what it all means.

This is not that post.

(But it is coming, I swear.)

I’ve been thinking lately about the things that really matter to me. Things that matter as a person, things that matter for my career, and how to continue to get those things in line. They’re pretty in line now, but look a bit like a 3D film if you don’t have your glasses. You get the image, but it’s not quite there. Could use some fine tuning.¹

Part of these thoughts have been brought on by the reading I’ve done of late. I was enthralled by Dan Flores’ Wild New World and based on his suggestion I read The Rise of Wolf 8. Y’all need to stop reading this and go read that. Go right now. Holy shit. That book shouldn’t be possible. Except THERE ARE FOUR OF THEM.

Flores and McIntyre’s books hit me at a time when I’m evaluating what comes next. In addition to the doctoral dissertation I wrote about how the introduction of cattle changed Indigenous Florida, I’ve also been writing an ethnographic study of the Everglades for the past two and a half years, a project I’ve now completed work on. I’m working on my manuscript now but watching out for things I can bring to you.

Of particular interest is that Colorado² recently announced plans for wolf reintroduction into the state, which is already generating controversy.³ The Meateater website has a pretty good break down over the plans and responses by various groups. The reason for this controversy stems from the fact that the animals have to be reintroduced to the region in the first place. As you probably know, wolves predate American ranchers in Colorado by a factor of about a trillion years.⁴ However, in the name of development, the United States pushed policies to eradicate the animal from the nation—the last gray wolf in Colorado was killed in the 1940s.⁵ Wolves won’t be the only ones howling in the Centennial State; expect plenty of moaning from ranchers, even if they do receive compensation for lost livestock. Despite this, the animal seems to be on the brink of another major step towards its own recovery.

In other news, and a win for everyone, a number of dams in the traditional lands of the Klamath, Yurok, and Karuk peoples are set to be dismantled in a massive river restoration project. Removing these dams will revitalize the Klamath River, restore its traditional water flows, fish lifecycles, and traditional usages of the river system. The dams should be history by 2024. You can head over to Klamath Falls News for more details.

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Historians At The Movies

So let me get to what you all came here for. First, an announcement. We’ve just scheduled a Historians At The Movies: Live On Campus event with the University of North Alabama for the weekend of February 26. These weekends are a lot of fun. They’re a way for me to get in front of college students on campuses around the country and talk to them about the differing ways historians and other scholars are using social media in our profession and then share with them the magic of this amazing community. I cannot wait to get up there and meet North Alabama students and faculty. And if you want to bring HATM to your campus, just shoot me an email or comment below.

And this week on HATM is a big one. Join in on Amazon Prime this Sunday, January 22 at 8pm eastern for Thelman & Louise. And as a special treat, the HATM podcast about Thelma and Louise with guests Jacki Antonovich and Lauren MacIvor Thompson will drop this Wednesday morning. So listen in and then join in Sunday night. And if there are films or guests you’d like to hear on the podcast, let me know!

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Alright, I think that’s gonna do it for tonight. Thanks for reading and being part of this community. Share this if you like. But most importantly, call your mom. She misses you.

1. Disclaimer: I HATE 3D films.

2. Thank you to all 400 people who asked about “The Librarian” at AHA23. That wasn’t odd at all.

3. At least among humans. No wolves responded to my emails for comments.

4. I originally wrote “billion” here and thought some of you might think I was serious. Really, go read Dan Flores.

5. https://news.yahoo.com/wolf-experts-colorado-officials-urgently-120036031.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9lbi53aWtpcGVkaWEub3JnLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAGy5RoOLAnw9OGwGhc5r4yGgu-yAo_7zJao2SVFBWxYbkbj5hFAcIv5ccxMx2OVLnGfvAQzP1UT5p8jXV0e4t9I2jTaI_7wT332Nm9osrHLvLFNpKlk1Bx5DeKMzGtwUd4pDCnLQH2sNhJBypFyvoBJ_MXkkL5LN2lHcrsOlLafb