During the a hike on the High Lakes Trail on Mt. Rainier yesterday, when I
sat down to rest, I noticed a gray jay looking down at me from a (very)
nearby branch. Since I can't resist these fellows (and, I confess, because
I knew it would impress my hiking companion), I got some of my snacking nuts
out and put one in my outstretched hand; sure enough the bird landed on my
fingers and took the nut. We did a few more of these at the next stop and
immensely enjoyed the interaction with the birds.



Then I remembered the Park's stern injunction not to feed the wildlife.
While I would certainly never intentionally feed a bear, and wouldn't
particularly care to feed a ground squirrel, somehow the boldness of these
"camp robbers" seems like so much a part of their nature, that it doesn't
seem like the same thing, although of course it is.



I'd be interested in what members of the group think about this. I
justified it to myself at the time by saying that I was giving them dry
roasted, unsalted nuts that would give them good nutrition and that I was
not inducing them to behave in a way that was not "natural" for them. I
guess the question is: am I wrong to make this kind of rationalized
exception to what I think is a very reasonable rule?



Barb Miller

Bellevue, WA

Bmill07(AT) Comcast (DOT) net