Jumbo Wild, The Song

Over the lifetime of the Jumbo Wild campaign, there have been many songs written to protest the proposed development, celebrate the wild valley and rally the troops. They’ve been sung around campfires, made up the soundtrack for road-trips and rally-cried many a protest. And just as the fight to keep Jumbo wild continues on, so too does the muse the cause stirs up.

‘Jumbo Wild Wind’, written and performed by Montanan Bob Foppiano after being inspired by the valley, is the latest musical torch to join the march. Bob will be donating a portion of sales to support the Jumbo Wild campaign, so after you have a listen and read the short Q&A below, pop over to Bandcamp and add some wild Jumbo wind to your iPod (or whatever the kids are using these days).

You’re based in Montana — what inspired you to write this song about the Jumbo Valley?

Although I haven’t been to the Jumbo Valley, I watched the Jumbo Wild documentary about a year ago. It was very well done and its message resonated with me, stirring up a series of questions: Do we really need to sacrifice such a beautiful, sacred, wild landscape for another entertainment? Does development represent wise stewardship of the resource? And does development ensure that we retain the value and character of the land in the long term?

I live in Kalispell Montana, near Glacier National Park and millions of acres of wilderness and national forest lands. And although the Jumbo Valley isn’t in my backyard, I can imagine how we would feel if a developer wanted to turn Glacier into a theme park. Whether in Canada or the U.S., it just seems prudent to thoughtfully protect our wild places.

Have you written songs to support wild places or conservation efforts before?

This is the first song I’ve used to help support an organization, but in truth, I didn’t write it with that in mind. I wrote Jumbo Wild Wind about a year ago just as a reaction to the documentary, to express my feelings.

But going forward, I will continue to make my songs available to help organizations that, like Wildsight, are doing good work. So far I’ve written about 100 songs, and I look forward to hopefully creating a positive impact with some of them.

What is the reason that stands out as the most important to you for keeping Jumbo Wild?

The Jumbo Valley is worth preserving not only for its breathtaking beauty and important wildlife habitat, but also for precedent. If we allow development there – development that would essentially be a monument to the big egos of a few rich folks – then where do we draw the line?

Anything else you’d like to add?

I hope you will check out my Bandcamp page, where you can listen and download Jumbo Wild Wind. I’ll be adding new songs periodically, so you can follow me to be notified, or just check back in from time to time.

Having support from so many people in so many forms is what keeps this campaign going – so a big thank you to Bob and all the other “Bobs” of the world! Speaking of “Bobs”, let’s close with this slightly edited bit of old wisdom:

The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the Jumbo Wild wind
The answer is blowin’ in the Jumbo Wild wind