THE STATE WE’RE IN
By Michele Byers
Sprawling development is increasingly forcing people and wildlife together, in ways that hurt them both.
News reports focus on black bear break-ins and the spectacular appetite white tail deer have for shrubbery and expensive landscaping. Conflicts between wildlife and people increase as our population continues its migration from the cities to the suburbs, to the more rural and wild parts of our state.
More and more people now occupy much of the wildlife habitat formerly the exclusive domain of native species like black bear, bobcat and deer.
Wildlife habitat is being encroached upon by sprawling development, which can include everything from large residential developments, shopping malls, office parks or even narrow right-of-ways, like roads, driveways and utility lines. Some people may think our wildlife is doing well, with so many deer and new sightings of black bear around the state. But that’s only half the story.
Some animals actually like living the quintessential suburban American Dream. I haven’t yet seen a bear driving an SUV, but many of them are big enough to hold an entire bear family. If food is left unsecured in bear country it’s dinner time. Bears are generalists and do well around people when garbage and food is easy to get. But experience shows that if garbage is secured and the bears are not fed, unwelcome interactions decline steeply.
Deer, possum, squirrels, raccoons and skunks are also fans of the suburban lifestyle. In fact, there are probably more skunks in your own neighborhood than in the entire Pine Barrens wilderness.
Some animals even discover that they are safer around people. In the tropics, for instance, jaguars and tapirs stay close to people because they aren’t hunted there. It’s the same in New Jersey with deer and many other animals.
Ideal habitat created for deer at a zoo would include a few McMansions with sweeping green lawns and fancy shrubs. For Canada geese, the habitat would include open fields with ample food, safety from predators and ponds free of snapping turtles, just like many of New Jersey’s corporate headquarters. Geese like these suburban habitats so much that they don’t bother flying to Florida for the winter anymore.
Unfortunately, these suburban dwellers are in the minority. There are many animals that don’t like our way of life and can’t survive in the face of continued sprawl development and pavement. Examples include bobcats, rare snakes, turtles and amphibians, and many, many birds which need large undisturbed forests to nest and breed.
It is up to us to find ways to live together with the varied animals that share our state, as well as to determine how to protect large and wild habitats for those species that don’t do well with human neighbors.
Stopping sprawl and permanently preserving large wildlife habitats are the best ways to reduce conflicts with "nuisance" animals, and to give sensitive plants and animals a chance at survival. Educating ourselves about the behaviors of these wildlife species and what we can do to prevent conflicts and coexist amicably is also part of the solution.
Michele Byers is executive director of the New Jersey Conservation Foundation. For more information, contact her at [email protected], or visit NJCF’s Web site at www.njconservation.org.