"The battle to get rid of the wild pigs rooting in county hills is one you never win. But you have to keep fighting just to keep them under control. On April 9 , the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District board renewed its contract with Rural Pig Management Inc. to trap and dispose of feral pigs on its lands for another year. The cost should not exceed $30,100. Since the district first took on the invading porkers in 2000, Rural Pig Management Inc. has trapped a total of 272 pigs at a total cost of $83,651 -- or $307 per pig, according to Cindy Roessler, resource management specialist for the district. The pigs -- which are tough, smart, and prolific -- have been rooting their way up the Peninsula from the Carmel Valley and wilderness beyond. Having escaped from captivity, they are not native. Their rooting and wallowing damage hillsides and wetlands; they cause erosion into streams that harbor rare animals and threatened fish. The program has been successful so far, reported Director Larry Hassett of Skyline. "We're seeing a general decline in activity."
After Katrina and Rita, we must ask ourselves, "Are We Prepared?"
3. La Honda Fire & Katrina "To date Hurricane Katrina is by far one of the greatest natural disasters to ever hit this nation. Prior to Hurricane Katrina FEMA's top three predictions were for a major hurricane hitting the Gulf Region, a major earthquake to occur the west coast and a second terrorist attack. Are you prepared when the next disaster strikes here? The next major earthquake that hits the Bay Area will not give us the warning that the populations of the South enjoyed.
(This message was from Mike Liebhold, who posted it to several local newsgroups) "Hello Neighbors, I got a call from neighbors at the Tunitas creek ranch to pass along news that there's been a rather unpleasant massacre of four milk goats Another three are missing. The four goats were found in a field near their southern property line near Toto and Broken Arrow ranches. Initially,everyone thought that marauding dogs are the culprits since the goats had their throats torn, but were otherwise uneaten. ( more doglike than catlike behavior) Yesterday, apparently, a fish and game officer concluded that the goats had been killed by a lion. The evidence is scant, but the missing goats weigh about 100+lbs. each and were carried away over a ranch fence - an impossible feat for a dog - unless, of course there's a gap in the fence…I'll try to find out a few more details…In the meantime, maybe we should all be a little extra alert…"
number of trees to be protected. Product active ingredients must be examined closely, but this is usually unknown when ordering from a garden or nursery catalog. An example of this is the product “Tree Guard Deer Repellent” which is yet to be tested in this study. It was purchased for $44.95 per gallon. When examining the active ingredients, it is exactly the same as a product already tested, “Durapel”. The price for Durapel, however, was $29.99 per gallon. Sometimes it is better to try and understand the deer. Deer are basically lazy animals that often use the same trails or paths. Along these paths (deer runs) you usually notice the most deer damage on trees (buck rubs or browse damage.) It is also easy to notice if deer are bedding down in the plantation at night. Deer damage is usually severe here. Our experiment with deer fencing worked because deer did not bother to jump a 48-inch fence, although they could do so easily without any effort. It also worked because we fenced in a small area of trees. A larger area would be ineffective unless a taller fence would be installed (costly.) If you have a favorite tree to protect, we have had great success by enclosing the single tree with fence wire, forming a cylinder. This protects trees from deer rubs, but not browsing. If the tree branches reach 4 feet in height, this will be above the browse line and the problem is gone. The key is to get the tree above that height. Annual browsing forms “bushy” trees. Deer also tend to rub on smooth barked trees. Young trees of all species fall into this category. When trees mature and form rougher bark, buck rubbing usually stops, or if it does occur, it does not damage the inner bark.