What a Nuisance!
With the arrival of spring comes an increase of activity of wildlife. Some animals and their activities are perceived as nuisances by humans without ever considering the benefits those same animals provide for the environment.
Moles:
One animal that is often considered a nuisance is the mole. The three species of moles that may be found in our region are the Hairy-tailed mole, the Eastern mole, and the Star-nosed mole. Moles are considered a nuisance for the series of tunnels they create which may be noticed as raised ridges in an otherwise manicured lawn.
The series of tunnels may consist of main travelways and burrows used for foraging. A mole can burrow as much as a foot per minute, and the ridges it leaves behind may be 6-8 inches high. The desire to rid a lawn of molehills can lead a desperate homeowner to use harsh, dangerous, and sometimes inhumane methods.
The tunnels and ridges left by the moles are beneficial to the earth. The moles aerate the soil which allows the rain to penetrate the soil and reduces erosion.
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Groundhogs:
Groundhogs or Woodchucks can also be considered undesirable. A hungry groundhog can be very destructive to a garden. In spite of their destructiveness, consider all the valuable benefits they provide to the earth.
Groundhogs create burrows that can be up to five feet deep and 30 feet long. One or more tunnels connect to a nesting chamber. A separate excrement chamber fertilizes the earth. Like the mole, groundhogs aerate the soil. Aeration of the soil allows moisture and organic matter in and subsoil up. It is estimated that groundhogs turn more than 1.6 million tons of soil per year in New York state.
In addition to the benefits they provide the earth, groundhogs also are beneficial to other wildlife. The burrows they create and vacate become homes for other wildlife such as rabbits, skunks, opossums, raccoons, and foxes. In moderate numbers, groundhogs prove to be very valuable.
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Beavers:
Destructive is often a word associated with Beavers. Responding to their natural instinct to stop the flow of running water, Beavers build dams with the materials available to them which usually consists of small trees of two to six inches in diameter, but could be as large as 33 inches thick. Most of the trees selected by beavers have little value as timber.
Although there can be problems with the dams created by Beavers, there are also benefits. Dams help to reduce erosion. The ponds that are formed provide habitats for various life forms, and a place to feed and water for other wildlife.
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With the decrease of habitats due to human encroachment, wildlife is forced to adapt to our intrusion into their habitat. As we begin to understand wildlife, we are less likely to see it as a nuisance and we can begin to appreciate the role each animal plays when nature is in balance.
Information on Moles, Groundhogs and Beavers taken from the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals