Publication Date: Wednesday, September 01, 2004
A squirrelly problem
A squirrelly problem
(September 01, 2004) New non-toxic approach to wildlife control leads to creative solutions
by Jocelyn Dong
Like the Bill Murray character in "Caddyshack," who declared World War III on a golf-course gopher, Joe Vallaire has his hands full with cute, but pesky rodents.
Unlike Murray, however, Vallaire -- groundskeeper for the Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course -- isn't trying to blow up or shoot his nemeses. One reason? He isn't allowed to.
In recent years, parks and recreation officials throughout the Peninsula have been placed in a quandary. A state policy encouraging cities to refrain from using toxics -- which would seep into ground water, creeks and the bay -- has forced them to come up with creative alternatives to dealing with wildlife overpopulation and the damage the animals cause.
The result is something of a standoff.
"It seems like your hands are tied," said one Mountain View parks supervisor. "Basically, our policy is we don't do anything (about wildlife)."
In July, Vallaire and Julie Weiss, an environmental specialist for Palo Alto's water-quality program, began a $4,450 non-toxic program to discourage ground squirrels from migrating from the baylands onto the golf course. The golf course, Weiss said, is considered prime real estate for the critters.
"It's cush and comfortable," Weiss said. "Any golf course would have perfect conditions - low-clipped grass, long-distance views. They like nice views to see predators."
Squirrels also like the golf course's undulations and embankments, she added. Unfortunately, to make the course into home sweet home, the rodents dig burrows in which golfers could twist their ankles.
To keep the rodents literally at bay, Vallaire and Weiss hung a cloth along 400 yards of fencing. The 4-foot-high woven plastic is intended to block those cherished views, causing the squirrels to feel vulnerable. The cloth is also draped 2 feet onto the ground and covered with gravel to prevent burrowing.
The program seems to be working so far, Vallaire said. Before hanging the cloth, Vallaire's staff counted about 50 squirrel burrows. In the past month, he's seen only four or five.
Squirrels are formidable opponents, however. Some climb over the fence to get onto the golf course, he reported.
"They're pretty persistent, that's for sure," Vallaire said.
It'll take a full year to see how well the program works, he said, since squirrel populations wax and wane seasonally.
While ground squirrels are driving the Palo Alto workers nuts, other cities have their fair share of pests. Mountain View is plagued by tree squirrels that devour new leaves and chipmunks that stalk park users in hopes of getting morsels of food, said Parks Supervisor Liz Ogaz-LaNuza.
Meanwhile, Redwood City deals with troublemakers of another feather -- Canada geese.
In addition to grazing the parks bare, each bird can dump up to two pounds of poop a day, Redwood City Parks Superintendent Gary Hover said. Multiply that by 1,000 birds and therein lies a problem.
Public sentiment and departmental philosophy tend to keep the lucky birds from slaughter, however. For the past four years, city officials have brought in a dog herder to chase the birds away, a solution that lasts about as long as the dogs are present.
They also tried spraying a formula onto the grass to make it bitter, but the coating washed off when the sprinklers turned on, Hover said ruefully.
Likewise, Weiss admitted other methods of animal control might be needed to handle the squirrels, since technically the shade-cloth program doesn't diminish the numbers, just keeps them on one side of the fence. One technique they're looking into is a raptor pole, a perch on which the birds of prey can spy a ground squirrel and swoop down for a tasty meal.
The department also traps the ground squirrels for release elsewhere and has occasionally fumigated the burrows to kill the rodents, Weiss said. The most recent fumigation took place earlier this summer. However, Weiss emphasized that the city's decreased its use of the most toxic pesticides by at least half in recent years.
As much progress as is being made, another setback in the turf war has popped up recently. According to City Attorney Gary Baum, there's a problem with the city killing ground squirrels at all: The city's municipal code considers it a misdemeanor offense.
"There does appear to be a conflict," he said, adding that his office is prepared to address the issue with the city manager's office.
Senior staff writer Jocelyn Dong can be reached at jdong@paweekly.com.
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