Down along the banks of the Missouri River this morning, I found myself totally removed from signs of human activity. I had come down to scan the riverscape for bald eagles, waterfowl and other resident wildlife.
As I prepared to leave, I caught sight of a distant flock, heading south through the valley. As they approached, I saw and heard that they were greater white-fronted geese, the first I have encountered this autumn. Having bred on the Arctic tundra of Canada and Alaska, they are on their way to the Lower Mississippi Valley and western Gulf Coast where they will spend the winter.
Long before we humans built our roads and highways, rivers guided migrant waterfowl to their destinations, offering nutritious rest stops along the journey. For all I know, I might have been the only human to observe the geese this morning; they don't need our guidance and would surely fare better without our relentless assault on the landscape. The least we can do is to protect the rivers and wetlands that they depend on.
