How to Live With Wildlife
The Town of Clinton in Dutchess County, New York, is home to an amazing array of wildlife, from squirrels and turtles to coyotes, foxes, bobcats, and bears. And while your feelings about sharing your property with these creatures may fluctuate—if, for example, deer have just mowed down your day lilies—it is possible to live and let live, enjoying those rare sightings for years to come.
Besides the usual guidelines for living comfortably near animals anywhere—don’t harass or startle them, and tempt them with food—there are some less obvious ways you can help our wildlife stay wild.
Don’t fence them out: Animals typically have small and large territories they travel by well-worn routes. They don’t recognize our human property boundaries—unless we put up impenetrable barriers to their passage. Preventing animals from passing easily through your property on their familiar paths may disrupt their access to food, water, and shelter or force them into areas where they don’t want to be. By all means, fence your garden, a play area, or a dog run, but leave some space for the wild things.
Drive slowly: The main threat to the turtles that live in the ponds and wetlands? Crossing the road to lay their eggs in the spring. The roads were not here when instinct first drove these creatures out of the water to find a soft spot of earth. Drive slowly, pay attention—and you might just avoid squishing a slow-moving turtle (or hitting a deer). If you do come upon a turtle crossing the road, and it’s safe to do so, pick it up and move it off the road in the direction it was already going.
Feed the birds, not the bears: Bird feeders and birdseed can attract mice, raccoons, opossums, and even bears. If possible, take your feeders in at night or hang them out of reach. Nocturnal animals will sometimes sniff around your compost bin. If you have a persistent visitor, you can buy bins that have locks or you can weigh down the top with heavy rocks. Clean outdoor grills after using, and don’t leave garbage outside.
Provide food, water, shelter, and places to raise young: All wildlife need these four elements to survive. Instead of “cleaning up” your property along the edges, try leaving some wild shrubs, un-mowed grass, dead trees, fallen logs, brush piles, and puddles. While there is no guarantee that you’ll prevent nibbling of the plants that are closer to your house, you may find keeping the wildlife happy leads to a more peaceful coexistence.
