Helping people co-exist with wildlife in an urban setting is a difficult task for practitioners. Many residents react with mixed emotions toward the growth in the population of large wild animals and birds. We’ve all seen the stories showing coyotes or eagles/hawks harming pets. On the other hand, many patrons travel miles to see new herds of bison that have been recently reintroduced. No doubt the Bison would also pose an equal danger for the urban poodle.
Mix the challenge of fear with the nuisance factor and you have a really difficult equation to solve. Take Canadian Geese for example. Their poop is just plain big. A flock of 10 can cover a lakeside trail faster than you can say, “No boys, there’s two O’s in Goose.”
No, human/wildlife interactions are not all rose-breasted grosbeaks. But with a little luck and good people/wildlife management skills, great things can happen. For instance, observe the Island Prairie Park of the Frankfort Square Park District. A group of large white pelicans decided to overwinter on a tiny island in the little lake of their park. Their facebook post about this phenomenon had one of the highest reaches of the year. During my short visit, I saw two photographers set up tripods to photograph the majestic birds. It appears many have visited in the last few months to get their glimpse of greatness. However, the bird’s presence poses a number of potential challenges as well. How would increased visitor pressure impact the birds? Would a flock of pelicans be able to fish out the entire lake? Would notoriety draw vandals? Most of the time, there really isn’t a guidebook or best practices for these sorts of things. Exposure and education go a long way in helping people to understand how nature and humans can both thrive together.
If you are interested in learning more, I’d suggest an email or phone call to Dr. Jonathan Hicks of Minnesota State University. He has studied these unique challenges for a long time and was born and raised in Illinois. I’d trust Jonathan to provide a unique and insightful perspective to help your people and wildlife co-exist.
