NRC 261 1st Edition Lecture 16 Outline of Last LectureII. Forest DistributionIII. History in North AmericaIV. Wildlife and Forest ChangeV. Forest ManagementVI. Important Forest CharacteristicsVII. Assessing Wildlife Habitat in the NortheastVIII. Wildlife UseOutline of Current LectureII. Wildlife Living in Urban AreasIII. Wildlife EnhancementIV. Wildlife ControlI. Kinds of problems in urban areas J. Nuisance/Damage management K. Techniques A.Non-lethal B.Lethal Current LectureHow would you deal with a request to solve the problem of unwanted flying squirrels in someone’s attic?Wildlife living in urban areas- half the worlds population of humans live in urban areas - mourning dove, cardinal, mockingbirds are all species that can be foundin highly urbanized area (people positively value) These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.others that people don’t highly value (negatively value) = Norway ray, europeanstarling, pigeonAexample: endangered species of shrike living in same areas as islandgray foxes — had to control the fox population to help the shrikes On Campus- pintail duck, Canada geese, snapping turtle, opossum (at night) - less common seen on campus somewhat regularly: red fox, red-tailed hawk, peregrine falcon - Umass falcon cam. - bobcat, coyote etc. on fringes of campus What influences their density and distribution?Habitat availability and diversity: what are the kinds of resources around that these animals can take advantage of- natural landscapes - trees, bushes, pond, creek, greenbelts, parks - “human” landscapes - sheds/barns can provide thermally efficient protection,gardens, dog food, garbage that is accessible - But there are bad aspects of the urban environment = urbanmonoculture - too much cement — vegetation sparse, home range is HUGE because the resources are so rare (can’t defend it, can be too big to be worth it etc.) so can be too big - some species are good at this, like rats Mortality factors - Low- no hunting or trapping (not the same kind as what goes on inthe wild) - fewer large predators (deer do so well in suburbanareas because there aren’t predators around)- High- domestic cats kill a billion wild birds a year (around theworld) and these populations are highest where there arelots of people - roadkill, cars and traffic Urban vs. Rural — Characteristics of bird communities- abundance of exotics (like european starlings) = high in urban areas, lowin natural - abundance of natives = low in urban, high in natural - # of species = low in urban, high in natural (more niches in the naturalworld) - biomass = high in urban area (the ones able to do well in theseenvironments do REALLY well), low in natural areas relatively - Density = higher in urban, lower in natural - method of feeding = urban areas have generalists (haven’t evolved with urbanization, but some do seem to do better because they can get by on a lot of different things), natural areas have specialists Wildlife Enhancement“Landscaping” for wildlife - ComponentsBasic Principles- provide the basic needs of the species you’re interested in(food, water, cover, space) - take advantage of opportunities (like open space, which result in ahealthier population of humans but also are a place for wildlife to be)new construction — they can be designed in certainways, more oriented towards wildlife which will also helphumans ConsiderationStructural- brush piles, snags, water, feeders, nest boxesPlant type : different kinds you can purposely plant- conifers, grasses, nut trees, seasonal plants for hummingbirds, beesor moths - can specifically provide for some species, or make more wildlifefriendly Animals/Pets- likely in a dog park not to have much wildlife - will see more wildlife in areas without domestic animals (dogs, catsetc.) - thinking about pet management in regards to wildlife needs isimportant Wildlife Control"too much" wildlife? places where there are people — cultural carrying capacity- exceed cultural carrying capacity? - in urban areas, usually called “nuisance” wildlife: usually not largepredators, not usually financial - pest, not hugely important - occurs when there is a high rate of contact between wildlife andhumans- lots of people + not much experience = potential for conflict Kinds of problems in urban areasNuisance:-ex: geese on a golf course, geese around lakes and lawns make the walkways covered in goose poop- raccoons getting into garbage cans- having dog find skunk and get sprayed and brings the smell insideDamage:-ex: white-tailed deer eating shrubbery (they like newly planted things) -woodpeckers on sides of houses- squirrels chewing on housing and making holes - wood chucks digging holes - costs to get these problems fixed Safety:-ex: moose and car accidents- plane hits geese, goose goes through window - giant mouse nest in someones attic — highly flammable - disease problems Aesthetics:- bird poop on car, on walkways, on grass - not the way that a person wants to live with wildlife In nonurban areasanimal damage: dealt with in similar ways- plow through oat fields and they can no longer be used - birds in crops livestock depredationcrop damage **economicalNuisance/damage managementwhen urban, exotic or other wildlife become problems to humans or ecosystems, control must be implemented- can be overabundant but still rare (like elephants, or jaguars etc) - historically mainly lethal means were used- no real concern for animal welfare (poisons, traps) - general (one wolf killed livestock so lets kill all of them within 100miles) and not more specific — focus on the individuals causing theproblem Public acceptability of various techniques (e.g., coyote control)- do we want to pay people (nonlethal method seen as not veryacceptable) - variety of things people do and it depends on the acceptability Management of overabundant vs. under-abundant animalsWhat kind of problem is it? - behavioral problem?- the only way to get rid of the problem is to get rid of the predator — this way to manage problems is usually the case when predators are involvedex: A wolf was in a certain area and it kept killing livestock,