I was able to take a group of 10 college students on a snowshoe hike the other day. A recent snowfall made the journey a bit of a struggle for myself and the ‘rookie’ students. I decided to find a spot to look for a teachable moment which would allow us to rest for a few moments. Then, as if on cue, four deer erupted from their beds and disappeared into the surrounding evergreens. There were several excited comments from the students as they watched the deer running a short distance from them. One of the comments, that was said, made me laugh silently to myself. This is what was said,

“Look at those deers guys. Do you see the DEERS?!”

Deers.

Hearing the plural of a plural always sounds funny. I did not correct them because I did not want to wreck their moment of awe. Instead, I took a moment to talk to them about importance of balance in ecosystems. The deer are very numerous in our area and the forest under loft has been thinning out from the eating habits of numerous deer. While the students were resting, I showed them the branches of small trees and the lower branches of nearby taller trees. It was obvious where the deer had been eating the ‘waiting’ buds of the hardwoods. My lesson continued by telling them that the spring growth of these trees will be hampered by the feeding deer. The end result is a nice forest canopy with a sparse under-loft. One of the students said,

“Well the deers still have to eat don’t they? So, what’s wrong with that?”

I said,

“Nothing if you just want a sparse forest under-loft with only deer living in it. In the interest of good bio-diversity it’s not a good thing. There are many other plant and animal species that require cover within the lower reaches of the forest. New tree growth is hampered and other tree species will find it difficult to grow.”

They seemed to understand that concept and then I added a little teaser.

“That’s why it is important to have a presence of top level predators like wolves, bears, and humans through hunting.”

A gasp came from the crowd after I mentioned hunting. They were surprised to find out that I hunted. Then, one of them said something that encouraged me.

“I can’t say I really like hunting but in order to keep balance…it makes sense.

Smiling inside, I stood up and encouraged our group to start down the trail again. They all had something to think about on their way back to the city.

Lesson complete.