Valley Grows series on love/hate relationship Managing wildlife

By SHEILA CUBICK

Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist

and OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer

CANFIELD

My husband is engaged in a feud. He reports seeing a mouse run across the garage floor and sometimes sitting on the storage boxes.

I expect to hear that the mouse taunts him and escapes much like in the MGM cartoon Tom and Jerry.

Mice invade our heated garage every year looking for warm places to nest as well as a steady source of food from our birdseed cans.

No matter how careful we are not to spill the seed while filling containers to top up the feeders, some seed always escapes.

Mice also nibble on the suet feeder we bring inside on warmer nights to avoid the raccoon and opossum that steal the suet cakes. These are the challenges we endure to indulge in wildlife-watching.

Wildlife-watching is a popular activity among Ohioans. In 2011, 3.2 million people watched, fed, or photographed wildlife either in their backyards and neighborhoods or more than one mile away from home.

That year, they spent $3.5 billion on equipment, trips, and things such as fees, licenses and landownership expenses to participate in wildlife-watching.

Not only do people watch and feed wildlife, many plan their gardens for it as well, spending time and money on native plants and landscaping that help meet the needs of wildlife for food, shelter and water.

While we enjoy those animals and birds we want to attract, wildlife-watching can encourage species we would prefer to live and feed somewhere else.

Conflicts may even arise between animals we desire and their habits, which lead to damage to the home and garden.

Neighbors may also be negatively impacted in their homes and gardens by “our” wildlife, leading to tensions and feuds much like my husband and his mouse friend.

How can we reduce these conflicts?

Many that arise between wildlife and humans can be alleviated with planning and preparation and an understanding of the life cycle and habits of wildlife.

Both the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife and Ohio State University Extension Service provide bulletins and fact sheets discussing nuisance wildlife and how to handle them.

Join us each week over the next three months as we explore the joy and excitement of observing the many species that come to our neighborhoods and parks here in the Valley Grows page.

Meet coyotes, bears, raccoons, raptors and deer to name a few, and learn how to avoid conflicts with these amazing animals.

We hope you join the 3 million Ohioans who watch wildlife for a hobby and avoid the possible conflicts that may arise.

As for my husband’s feud with the garage mouse, he will need to set more mouse traps, raise the car hoods at night, and sweep the spilled seed each day – at least until our resident garage snake comes out of hibernation.

To learn more about managing wildlife, see our list of factsheets at: go.osu.edu/wildlifeinfo.