BACKYARD WILDLIFE

By now the pattern is familiar. A family, or more likely many of them, moves to a formerly rural part of Maine to enjoy the country life. At first, the visitors to their back yard, perhaps raccoons and the occasional deer, are a delight. But soon there are too many deer or the occasional bear and coyote wander into the yard. Garbage cans are ravaged, bird feeders emptied and maybe the household cat disappears. The local critters are no longer cute, they’re a nuisance.

We all know what happens next. The nuisance animals are dispatched, the nice name for shot, trapped or otherwise killed.

There are many reasons that wild animals are appearing more frequently in developed areas. A prime reason is that houses and shopping malls are invading their habitat. Some animals, especially small mammals thrive in areas of young growth and new trees such as those found in recent subdivisions. These animals then become a source of food for larger predators such as coyotes and foxes. Another draw is that residents often put out food for one animal, say birds, that draws others, maybe bear or raccoons. Pet food and trash left unattended is another prize for wild animals. Others blatantly feed the wildlife and then wonder why it hangs around.

While the pattern is predictable, it now involves new species, the latest being wild turkeys, which were reintroduced to Maine in the 1970s. They are now found in such large numbers the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has expanded the spring turkey-hunting season and is considering a fall season.

This cycle of dearth, rebirth and death is entirely predictable yet often overlooked. IF&W officials admit they are caught in a tug-of-war between managing species for hunting and for wildlife viewing, but, due to the agency’s mission, hunting always wins out.

So, it is good to see that the agency is involved in a program that, among its many aims, seeks to preserve unbroken wildlife habitat. Called Beginning with Habitat, the program works with local communities to help them identify open space that should be preserved for a variety of reasons, including watershed protection, recreational use and animal and plant protection.

So far, more than 100 communities have worked with the group, which also includes the Department of Conservation, State Planning Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Maine Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy and Maine Coast Heritage Trust. Because of limited funding (the program gets most of its funding from the sale of loon license plates, which are on the decline), town that are writing or revising their comprehensive plans have been given first priority for these consultation.

It is far from a cure-all, but it is an important step in working to see that welcome visitors don’t become nuisances that must be dispatched.