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

neW SlEtter SummEr 2014

here is a baby fox biting at my ankles as I write this, and perfecting

his hunting skills by pounc-ing on any free object in the office. It is a toss-up wheth-er it distracts or enhances one’s creativity. But being in the incredible energy field of a vibrant young burst of life called Fox certainly can’t hurt.

Since he is going to have tolive with humans, it is essen-tial that we bond closely with him so he can be comfortable in his new life. It is a burden (sigh). But this lifetime bond-ing, with all the many species and individuals at Earthfire, is what opens a conduit be-tween species. It yields the stories and insights that are so important as we seek an effective way to deal with our environmental problems. Without an emotional heart connection, we have no urge to protect, making it possible to use other living beings and resources without care.

At Earthfire we work to cre-ate a new paradigm of relat-ing to our Earth beginning

by seeing wild-life through new eyes. The shift in perception starts with an emo-tional connection with other spe-cies, which leads to a change in values and then a change in actions and policies.

Humans loving our pets is a great start. Connect-ing emotionally with wild animals shifts our percep-

tion even further, helping us feel the power and compan-ionship of a non-human cen-tered perspective. This starts us on a journey towards con-necting with an ever-expand-ing circle of life, leading us to make better conservation decisions. It changes our per-ception of other living beings from “expendable” to “pre-cious” and our behavior from ”use” to “protect.” Earthfire is at the forefront of integrat-ing wild animal voices into our awareness and consider-ations. Meeting the animals at retreats or though stories makes the abstract concepts of “nature” and “wildlife” vivid and real and brings what is at stake, home.

As we enter our 15th year, we have taken the time to step back and evaluate how to be as impactful as possible. We have completed a deeply thought-out vision and strategy document which I would be delighted to forward

if you are interested. Part of that document includes the Mission and Goals, which are summarized here: Our mis-sion is to help humans change how they see, and therefore treat, wildlife and nature. We do this by helping people make an emotional connection with the rescued wild animals under our care.

Goals:

l To serve as a small and powerful seed center, stimulating and reframing our discussion of conservation and sustainability by including the "voice" of living beings usually outside our per-ceived community.

l To foster our ability to see what the interconnectedness of all life means in terms of real world consequence and there the importance our individual and collective actions. l To teach people the impor-tance and practicality of using no more than we need, and to help us carefully evaluate just how much we do need. l To foster the realization that if we work to heal the whole plan-et, we heal ourselves in the pro-cess. Human wellness and plane-tary wellness are intertwined.

In the depth of winter, we sat warm and cozy in the Earthfire yurt with Terry Tempest Williams and her graduate class in “Art, Advocacy and Landscape” from the University of Utah. She had also invited powerful social change artists Susan McAllister and Naomi Natale to join

us. The point of the retreat was to make very real to students just what they were advocating for, and how they could become effective advocates for social change. Earthfire’s wolves assisted with teaching. When Jean brought in Chimayo, a magnificent and very sweet wolf, everyone was in awe in the presence of that wild and beautiful energy. When he licked them – well, they fell in love.

Following are some highlights from an informal interview that we did with Terry after the retreat:

"I think that we are conditioned to believe that animals are other, removed. That they are wild, that we need to keep our distance and that they need nothing from us. I have believed that for years. I felt that the most important thing I could do for animals was to leave them alone. But upon coming to Earthfire, I found the most moving experience for me was their desire to connect – their insistence that they be met. That has changed everything for me. I can no longer see a deer or a bison, or a bear, or a wolf or a lynx without acknowl-edging that we are here together and to find that shared vibration of frequency where we feel each other.”

“When Jean was talking about each individual animal walking on this earth, perceiving, sensing, I started thinking, ‘if you absorb the gravity of that statement, then we have to change everything.’ And you wonder, can we afford to feel that deeply? Can we afford to be in that sentient power and what that asks of us? It asks us to be awake; it asks us to be alive; it asks us to live in a state of reciprocity all the time– to be conscious. And I think that is what Earthfire has done for me. It elevates our state of con-sciousness and holds us accountable.”

“I have spent my whole life thinking about species, but when you come to Earthfire, you are asked to look at the individuals and that changes everything because it is a relationship.”

"The other thing that strikes me is how easy it is to just sink and fall into despair. What I love about being here is that it is joy and it is beyond politics – it’s transcendent and it brings us back into that state of being in beauty, and that is its own healing grace.”

“In thinking about individuals within species I can’t help but leave Earthfire also mindful of the context of these animals – that alongside protecting these species, we also have to think about wilderness. I have to think about the scale that is necessary for these individuals to thrive, and the importance of wildlife corridors. That we all have to work together both in a vision of what living with other beings looks like but also the real hard work of protecting these corridors – working on the political level while at the same time not being destroyed by it. I would call that a pragmatic vision that Susan and Jean hold steady here. The beauty and the joy fills our spirit so you can go back out into the world and should you forget that a white bison exists, then we forget everything; or looking eye to eye with a wolf– again to be held account-able, to be present and to be your highest and authentic self. You cannot lie when you look at a wolf and they are looking at you.”

Terry Tempest Williams is an author, conservationist and activist. In 2006, Williams received the Robert Marshall Award from The Wilder-ness Society, their highest honor given to an American citizen. She is the recipient of the Wallace Stegner Award given by The Center for the American West and a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in creative nonfiction. Williams is currently the Annie Clark Tanner Scholar in Envi-ronmental Humanities at the University of Utah. She has been a Mont-gomery Fellow at Dartmouth College, where she continues to teach.

a WorkShop With terry tempEst WilliamslettEr from thE director

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Susan and Loki the fox.

Loki the fox.

continued on page 4...

White Buffalo Nima.

Terry Tempest Williams and Susan.

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ifteen days ago, I met a white-tailed deer named Runs-Like-the-

Wind. I was immediately struck by his tender curiosity toward people, and his clear desire for affection from hu-mans. He immediately bound-ed up to me as I entered his enclosure, reaching his nose to my face so close that I could

feel his gentle breath on my cheek. He had been in a car collision shortly after birth, and one of his front legs was un-able to be recovered. But the fact that he could run and leap gracefully with only three legs was not the thing that intrigued me most about him. It was the way he stood loyally by my side, only having met me a few minutes prior. He knew nothing about me, and yet he seemed to trust me completely. It was an offering of friendship.

After that first meeting, I could not stay away. I went

each day to visit him, cut-ting wild roses to feed him, sitting by his side, snuggling his sweet face and tender body. I began to notice the beauty in the way he moves, truly unique and full of vital-ity. Our trust in one another grew stronger with time and I started spending hours at a time dancing in his enclosure.

At first he was intrigued but skeptical of me as I moved my body around him in an un-familiar way, but after some time he began to respond.

We danced together in con-versation, relating to each other through the language of movement. I was completely in awe of him, a duet part-ner that I never could have imagined. I knew there was something here that needed to be documented. Some-thing I could not have predict-ed about animals is their in-tense awareness of cameras.

As soon as I brought a camera with me to film him, he refused to perform. I completely un-derstood how the camera could appear threatening and could be a distraction; it is large and mechanical and unfamiliar.

So I thought I would be clever, and when he was out of sight in the barn, I quietly placed

small GoPro cameras along the fence, assuming that he would not notice them there. I entered the barn to greet him and we had an incredi-ble dance together. The whole time I was trying to lure him out of the barn so that I could get some footage of us danc-ing, but each time he peeked out into the sight line of the cameras he backed away. I wondered if he possibly could have known they were there without seeing me put them up, or if he just wanted to stay in the shade on a hot day. After several more min-

Strategy:

This year we are focusing on two ways of carrying out the seed of awareness further, to accelerate the process of change:

1. Through bringing the pri-mal power of stories to a larg-er audience through telese-minars, workshops, film, the web, interviews and presen-tations at conferences. We started by co-hosting a suc-cessful five-part teleseminar series with Sophie Boyer, a Buddhist teacher, that com-bined meditation and animal stories, encouraging partici-pants to connect more deeply with wild animals and nature. In May, the Sun Valley Well-ness Festival screened a PBS documentary film that includ-ed an interview segment with me speaking about Earthfire.

In June, began speaking at national conferences, start-ing with the International So-ciety for the Study of Subtle Energy and Energy Medicine Conference. In the fall, I will be speaking at Connecting for Change about new approach-es to conservation, and at the Science and Nonduality Con-ference about adding animal voices to the human-focused study of consciousness.

2. Through inviting original thought leaders to retreats in the fields of media, conser-vation, business, the healing arts and education. The ani-mals are integral participants in the retreats. Our goal is to impact retreat participants powerfully so they carry the experience out into the world through their own areas of ex-pertise. So far we have hosted Terry Tempest Williams

and her graduate class in Art, Advocacy and Landscape; and a Creative Soul Retreat with noted meditation teacher, writer and animal lover Sar-ah Mclean. We are current-ly working to bring together powerful young advocates in various fields to directly ex-perience the power of the an-imals and brainstorm avenues of action they can take.

Fifteen Years ago, we could only dream about where Earthfire is today. The increadable help of so many generous-heart-ed donors has allowed us to steadily increase our reach and impact each year. As we continue to grow and evolve, I hope you will consider con-tributing to the Tin Cup Chal-lenge, where your gift will be matched by 50% through July 28th. Thank you for whatever you can give.

utes of our amazingly play-ful duet, I decided to go get one of the GoPros and move it into the barn so I could re-cord our dance for others to see. He followed me intently with his gaze and the moment I clipped the camera onto the closer wall in the barn, he looked at it and walked out into the sunlight. He then traveled along the fence sniff-ing each GoPro and looking back at me, as if to say, “Do you really think I was going

to fall for this?” I was slight-ly frustrated because I real-ly wanted to film our dance, but more than anything I was awestruck. His intelli-gence and social awareness are so deeply developed, and yet people generally assume deer to be a relatively sim-ple-minded species. Watch-ing the deer in my backyard and on the street from afar as a kid, I never could have observed the intricacies of their intellect, as I could at

Earthfire. There is no way I could have known the com-plexity of each of them as in-dividual beings.

My respect for him, and for all deer, grew deeper that day.

We had the true pleasure of a fourth year of teaching an internship with the California Institute of the Arts this summer, with three students and a faculty member here for three weeks. They worked individually and collaboratively to produce amazingly creative and deeply felt art based on their experiences at Earthfire.

dancing With a dEer by Sophia Stoller

Sophia dancing with Runs-Like-the-Wind.

Letter from the Director, continued from first page

The Grand Tetons, photo taken from Earthfire Institute.

Dancing With A Deer continued...

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o see our bears’ eyes go BIG in an-ticipation and excitement as they get ready to go out into the new Bear Gar-

dens is a profound joy. The pleasure increas-es as you see them slowly swimming circles in the large ponds, savoring the sensations, their fur floating as cool water caresses their bodies; as they dip their heads under water, dunking their logs and various sized balls, always slowly, gracefully, powerfully. Then suddenly smacking the water to raise great sprays. Then clambering out shaking off huge showers of drops and moving on to explore digging options. It is a joy to see, and a deep gratitude to feel towards all of you who gave so lovingly of time, funds, expertise, and labor the past several years to make this possible.

It was a massive project, in labor and ex-pense. You can’t put grizzly bears in chicken wire. Completing this project required plan-ning, gathering materials, thousands upon thousands of hand-welds, constructing three large ponds with grizzly proof pond liners, re-solving water issues, constructing fences and the completion of an intricate interlocking system of bear proof corridors to make sure each of our five bears could enter and exit without altercation. It took four long years to accumulate the funding necessary to pay for

all of the labor and materials, and then one more year to complete the construction.

We were so into it, driving, driving, driving to make it happen, that we announced the open-ing of the gardens with great pride. It never occurred to us that some reactions would be: “But the gardens don’t look like gardens – they are so bare!” (No pun intended.) Rest assured that the Bear Gardens are not fin-ished finished, though from the bears’ point of view they seem to be pretty pleased with their digging and swimming. It is true that the gardens are bare. We just didn’t want to wait through the hot summer days to open the gardens until we raised enough funds to also make them beautiful. This is necessary for humans to enjoy seeing the bears in a lovely setting, and actually I believe bears enjoy beauty too, as well as the cool shade and companionship of trees.

So– the Gardens are open for bear business, but we still have landscaping to do: adding trees to the perimeter (we want the trees to survive), and boulders, logs and grasses on the inside. An artist’s conception of the final look in to the bottom right. Until then, the bears are thoroughly enjoying the gardens as they are.

bear gardEnS are opEn!

What goEs into making bear gardEnS?

29,220 pounds of steel44 cubic yards of concrete339 hours of welding 2000 ft of 11 gauge chain link fence100 rebars for electric fence625 insulators4100 ft of stainless steel aircraft cable5700 sq ft of Firestone 45 mil EPDM pond liners50 galvanized cable clamps87 vertical steel posts249 horizontal steel posts7 handmade steel sliding doors (tunnels)11 steel panels with 4 foot doors (tunnels)6 steel gates (gardens)100 aluminum cable sleeves291 tension bands20 volunteers - and too many welds to count

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Current state of bear garden on the left; artist rendering of future landscaping on the right.

Teton Totem splashing in the water.Poem by California Institute of the Art student,

Carolina Charry Quintero.

Huckleberry Bear Bear enjoying a swim in the new pool.

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ith the ever present help and inspira-tion of the Earthfire

animals, we had the delight of co-hosting a meditation/creative writing retreat with noted meditation teacher and best-selling author Sarah Mc-Lean. Her credentials are im-pressive, including Founding Education Director of Deepak Chopra’s Center for Wellbeing, but her deepest passion--oth-er than meditation--is animals. And they responded in kind.

This was the first retreat where we combined animals, writing and meditation, and it was a beautiful and powerful combination. One resound-ing request was that we do it again, with more time. It was a lot to absorb. The land itself is overwhelming enough in its beauty, wildness and sense of vitality, especially for people who come from cities. Add to that the intense experience of meeting wild animals on an intimate basis and feeling each of their vastly different individual energies; the med-itation experience, and the writing exercises--and people were on another planet when

they left. It will take them awhile to absorb the impact on their lives.

From the animals’ point of view, it was another success-ful retreat. They were the cen-ter of attention, which they al-ways enjoy. Bluebell the bison was a reiki sponge again, with Nima learning fast; Pimpernel the coyote was duly admired and contorted herself to indi-cate just where she wanted to be scratched; Huckleber-ry went into the Bear Gar-dens and did his “The Bear who Wouldn’t Budge” routine, splayed out comfortably on the warm ground, and Elmo the lynx has a new girlfriend.

“I have been a meditation student of Sarah’s for many years, so when I heard she was teaming up Earthfire I knew I had to be there. It was an experience far be-yond my expectations. As an animal lover, I was instantly drawn to the eyes and hearts of the animals. They touched me in ways I cannot put into words. I came away with a much better understanding of how critical it is that our

animals and resources need to be protected. I fell hope-lessly in love with Adriana the goat and Nima the White Buffalo. They both spoke to me with their eyes; their nose nuzzles and energy and are in my heart every minute of every day. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to share with Susan and Jean in their paradise. And I will be back...” - Retreat participant Ellen Brooks

“Spending time in beauty with loving, open-hearted beings− both animal and human− re-minds us of our connect-edness. Having reflective opportunities to be silent, share, and write deepened the experience, opening my heart, and inspiring me to serve beyond myself. Susan and Sarah, thank you.”

- Retreat Participant Elizabeth English

ear Susan and Jean,It will soon be a year since I visited Earth-

fire. While spending some time in the woods yesterday, I met an ibex. I stopped. We sat together for awhile, enjoy-ing the presence of each oth-er. Naturally, this time brought up some memories of you and your great family. As I opened to a very rich range of emotions related to that time, I realized how much these experiences are still enriching me today.

I do not have pets, but funni-ly I have never been so much in contact with animals since I returned from Earthfire. It is a bit like - I am calling them, they are calling me. And al-most every time I go out in town, in the woods or any oth-er places, I have an encounter with one. Also, I feel the need to be with them more often. They have the capacity to soften my heart. With them, I simply feel happy.

My interest about who they are has greatly increased. I have come to discover their wild nature, their character, individuality, the impact of domestication on them, their tremendous ability to have

compassion, their sensitivity, their wisdom, their challenges in this world. What extraordi-nary beings and teachers they are. And to really speak the truth, there is the feeling that slowly, very slowly, a sense of communication is taking place between us.

Animals are like humans - different individuals, differ-ent sensitivities, different life stories and conditioning. To try to describe what happens and where this feeling of com-munication is coming from, I need to give you a few details.

It usually happens the same way. First, I run into an an-imal. There is the recogni-tion of each other’s presence or not. This usually happens through eye contact. If I see that there is interest, I just stop walking. I empty my-self of expectations, and feel the moment. Usually, at that point the animal keeps on looking at me. I can tell that from both sides, there is in-terest and fear. Then the an-imal may make a few steps to approach me. Fear and ex-citement can increase for me at that moment. But I decide to trust, and mentally greet the animal by honoring his di-vine nature. I notice they are sensitive to humility.

At that moment it seems a peaceful and trustful feeling occurs for both of us. Until now, I have been experienc-ing communication through presence and eye contact. When we are both settled, I look for the eyes of the ani-mal. I sometime visualize an animal from Earthfire, so that he gets that I am familiar to the animal family. And usual-ly, if he agrees, I ask him how he feels, if he is happy. And by

looking in to their eyes, it is as if i get an answer. I sudden-ly receive a kind of emotional impulse that tells me about the emotional state of the be-ing I am sitting with. It is such an experience; so new to me. I can also tell how sensitive they are to us and the way we feel. And how they can provide so much care, kindness, love. They are teaching me every day the power that is con-tained in the seed of silence. A silence that is not empty, a si-lence that is sacred presence.

After everything that was just described, it is clear that my gratitude towards Earthfire is even stronger than a year ago. These experiences are impacting my life so much, that I am considering finding a part time job that would al-low me to be in closer contact with them. I feel the urge to be a voice for them.

Thank you dear friends. - Sophie

onE yEar later by SophiE boyErcreativE Soul retrEat With Sarah mclean

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Sarah McLean in Earthfire’s Yurt.

Bluebell and Nima enjoying their role as Reiki sponge. The ibex Sophie sat with.

Sophie and timber wolf Night Star.

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In 2001:● In January 2001, Earthfire incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization with Dr. Eirich as Executive Director.● Starting with $11,000 in donations in 2001, Earthfire has raised $1.85 million to date.

In 2002:● Earthfire acquired its first animals.● The first major gift funded the Wildlife Garden (with many smaller donations of rocks, trees and time), creating a space for animals to play in and people to visit.● The first 100 semi-annual newsletters went out. In 2014, Earthfire’s mailing list includes 3,100 monthly e-mail newsletter subscribers.

● School programs served more than 1,000 children, giving them first hand ex-perience with the native animals and their habitat needs.● An Animal Communication Workshop with Penelope Smith, an internationally known author and spiritual teacher, launched our formal education programs and retreats. These retreats have continued annually, with participants from around the world.

In 2005:● A donated log cabin became the Earth-fire Institute office.

In 2006:● Our first TV interview, The Listening Place with Nancy Rosanoff, aired on Pleas-antville Community Television, NY.

In 2009:● We added a 30-foot diameter yurt to the property to increase capacity for onsite education and retreat programs.● We began researching and implementing a cutting-edge alternative medicine and energy healing program for animals, with striking success stories.● Our successful summer internship program, Wildlife Advocacy and the Arts, welcomed the first students from the Cali-fornia Institute of the Arts.● We launched a new website designed by Free Range Studios that brings Earthfire’s vision to life online, attracting 80,000 unique visitors to date.

In 2010:● Dr. Susan Eirich was interviewed by An-drew Harvey on Hay House Radio in 2010.● We raised funds for and constructed the Small Animal Enclosure and Garden. ForEarthfire animals such as foxes and coyotes.

In 2012:● Earthfire hosted its first thought leader retreat with Harvey Locke, founder of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initia-tive, and other conservation activists.● We hosted the first of a series of teleseminars.

In 2013:● We brought the Earthfire message out to a national audience with Connecting for Change at the Marion Institute.● Our Energy Healing Wolf video sur-passed 300,000 views on YouTube. Since 2009, there have been more than 640,000 views on Earthfire’s YouTube channel.● Idaho Fish & Game for the first time granted us permission to perform a wild-life rehabilitation and release on a pair of orphaned moose twins.

2014 accomplishments in this newsletter

General Operating Expenses

● Annual base operating expenses $228,000.00

Property Improvements Consistent with Earthfire Values

● Architect Master Plan document for Hospice/Infirmary Office, to raise funds for remainder of project. $15,000.00

● Hire a Ranch Foreman/Handyman to perform essential maintenance and keep the physical appearance of Earthfire beautiful. $24,000.00

Taking the Animals’ Voices out to an International Audience

● Contract with a respected design firm to create a polished, professional one-hour media presentation to be used in Executive Director’s talks at influential conferences $15,000.00

● Hire a part-time media strategist and web content provider $18,000.00

● Produce a brief, professionally made video of remarkable animal healing stories at Earthfire. Theme: Healing is often within us; all we need is a little guidance. $15,000.00

Animal Care and Habitat Enrichment

● Add enrichment to Bear Gardens: trees, grass, rocks, logs $5,000.00

● 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

● New roof to cover the wolf enclosures, to keep out rain and snow $18,000.00

● Cattle chute to use in administering veterinary care to pasture animals $3,000.00

● Hire Assistant Wildlife Handler $23,000.00

2014 fundraiSing neEdSkEy accompliShmentS 2000 - 2013

This spring, we received an unexpected, sensitive, heart-warming gift of a gong to grace our animal cemetery. Connie Glavin, who gave this gift, wrote: “At dusk you could strike the gong several times to assemble the spirits of the deceased animals that they may bless, daily, all living things and cele-brate the spirit of life and love that is found at Earthfire. When you dedicate the gong, you can strike it once for each of those buried there, inviting them to assemble with those who are living and be grateful together.” The deep, rich sound of the gong has enriched the whole feel of the land in powerful ways. Thank you, Connie.

California Institute of the Arts student connecting with Elmo the lynx.

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Your donation to Earthfire Institute will be matched by up to 50% through July 28

The Tin Cup Challenge, offered through the Community Foundation of Teton Valley, helps local nonprofits raise funds by matching donations.

Last year’s match was 52%

Donate online:Go to: www.cftetonvalley.org/tin-cup-challengegive/

Or donate by phone: 208.354.0230Deadline: Monday July 28th at 5 PM MDT

P.O. BOX 838 DRIGGS, IDAHO 83422 - 208.456.0926www.EarthfireInstitute.org

the miSsion of Earthfire institute

iS to hElp humans changE hoW

they SeE, and thErEforE trEat,

Wildlife and nature.

GoPro image of grizzly bear Teton Totem

Cover: Grizzly bear Teton TotemAll photos property of Earthfire Institute

Graphic Design by Amanda Head & Dominique Fultz