Cowgirls, Page 157--The Whoopers!

We've reached the page where Tom finds the words to describe the Whoopers. If you've read the post excerpting DB's description of this precise moment, (see Crane Research) when Tom joined him in Japan to research the Tancho cranes , (who most closely resemble Whoopers) you can imagine the two young friends huddled beneath a tarp in the center of the reserve, peering through a hole cut in the tarp to observe the gigantic birds flying low above them. Tom absorbed the essence of the moment and in time, transformed it into the magic of this very page, page 157

A symbol of longevity, Tanchos have long been called the Thousand Year Cranes in Japan . People living in the village near the reserve began feeding the Tancho cranes generations ago in order to help them through a particularly hard and early winter that arrived before their usual migration. Remarkably, the cranes chose to stay at that spot through subsequent winters as well. To this very day, villagers continue to feed the Tanchos throughout the winters and have created an official reserve to protect them. These Tancho cranes are the only flock in the world choosing to remain in one place rather than migrate.

My question is--where do the villagers get all those peyote buttons? :~)