Moisture builds wildlife and that can be bad

The image shows a howling coyote. I heard an unmistakable pack of these from east of Morris recently. A chorus of high-pitched howls like in an old movie western. The animals might have been close to the biking/walking trail. I have seen juvenile skunks by the north entrance to the trail.

 

We could joke about our current conditions and wonder if we're all going to start growing fins. 

This summer of 2024 has thus far been marked by surplus moisture. I'm sitting here on Saturday morning as gray clouds dominate the sky once again. 

We can remember times that were too dry, "drought." It is presumed to be a nightmare, but what about too-wet conditions? Isn't there a plus side to that? I mean, moisture helps everything grow and be healthy, right? Well it's not so simple. 

If our current situation is the result of climate change, we should be greatly concerned. Climate change has unforeseen consequences. Shall we just be amused by Donald Trump saying climate change is a "hoax?" He has made clear his thoughts on this. Some of my acquaintances get annoyed if I just bring up Trump (again). I might not care much if it were not for the fact that he is positioned quite well to become president again. So we'd have to live with a president for at least four years who thinks nothing of climate change. 

Trump defies logic and reason for being president again. He positions himself to appeal to the Southern states which lean his way as a matter of impulse. Maybe a reflection of the long-ago "rebellion" down there? Our national commentators seem to hesitate in going that direction. Too risky to rile up all those people down south who get feisty and reactionary so easily. 

Marjorie Taylor Greene would have to come from the South. The "10 Commandments" requirement for school display would have to come from the Deep South. Of course "real" Christianity would not countenance so much of the sentiment or faux sentiment we see from the South. "Faux sentiment?" Well it's just emotional. Reactionary. But it leaches into the national conversation. 

 

The Dakotas do not help

Why do North and South Dakota have to be such insufferable "red" states? Do they really want to go along with Trump's dissing of climate change theory? If climate change starts causing tremendous damage around the world, and if the U.S. is seen as a major obstacle to confronting and solving it, we may even see a military response directed at the U.S. 

Trump makes a bigger issue out of the behavior of General Mark Milley. It's so insane as to not demand our time and attention for even talking about. But the Orange Jesus rolls forward with polls showing that he could well become U.S. president again. And the henchmen around him might do the major damage. There are always people who want to be close to power. Some people will jettison all their ideals. Kellyanne Conway? They're out there. This should not surprise you at all. Kayleigh McEnaney et al. 

Ken Paxton as attorney general. These people will only address climate change like it's a hoax foisted by their political adversaries. That is all. 

So now Minnesota appears to be in a serious situation with surplus moisture. Unforeseen consequences? How about the multiplication of wildlife including forms of wildlife that are not welcome. Wet spring and rising temperatures lead to potential for harmful algae and need to reduce pollution. 

You think Trump and his crowd care about pollution? Trump only says he does when he feels he has to. I remember him saying "I want clean water" just like he said "I want the mail to be faster." He wants these things but will in no way promote government oversight to get the needed ends. His most tangible promises are made to big business. A lot of you are having trouble seeing that. 

Most of you process Trump's rhetoric the way he wants you to process it. And so he plans to ride this wave of passivity to the White House again. Or to Mar-a-Lago which is where he wants classified government papers stored I guess. And you don't care. Most of you do not. 

Consider that nutrients in run-off from spring rainstorms combined with persistent hot weather on the way can mean trouble for lakes across our state. This triggers algal blooms that can be harmful to people and pets. 

The EPA says spring rainfall and annual precipitation in Minnesota are likely to increase in the coming century, along with more intense severe rainstorms. Look out all you people and institutions with "flat roofs." Remember what happened to our library in Morris a few years back? Oh, St. Mary's School too? Legend has it that a softball blocked drainage at the library. And that a wine bottle was the culprit at St. Mary's. A wine bottle causing an incident for a Catholic school? Anything Biblical about that? 

 

Bad news animals

Excess moisture causes an increase in the number of wild animals and "critters." Those darn "critters." Skunks are such a menace, pest control companies will not even respond to skunk calls. How to intervene with skunks? Isn't that a daunting question? One of my neighbors to the west of me on Northridge Drive tells me he recently dispatched six skunks. He live-traps them and then "takes them out back and shoots them," he told me. It has to be "out back" because that would be outside the city limits. 

I am aware of other accounts of skunk battles in my neighborhood over the last 3-4 years. 

These animals are really intimidating

Mention skunks to anyone and they'll likely have their own story to tell. And now there are probably more of them around due to our wet spring. 

It appears there are more coyotes lurking just outside the outskirts. And don't think they cannot be dangerous. They have been known to come right into towns. I'm sure critters make their presence known in towns. You may rue the day when you arranged for a "storage shed" or a deck on your property. You may be forced to get on YouTube to try to find "solutions." Yes there is a wealth of such posts. 

I have a skunk that has gotten under my out building at present. Thank God it's just an out building. The people who really need to lose sleep are in townhomes, mobile hones or who have decks. The critters can make inroads right where you live. In my case, I can get rid of my out building and have been given the name of someone who can do this. 

At present I have not yet detected any skunk smell. If I do, I will have to risk intervention. I have bought something at the local hardware store that looks like a stick of dynamite complete with a fuse, but it does not explode - it emits a fog. But I do not want any dead animals under the shed. So it's really a conundrum. 

Lately I have noticed some juvenile-age skunks out by the north entrance of the biking/walking trail east of town. That is where the coyote sounds come from too. Might the city have to consider closing off the trail? Look at all the consequences of climate change.

 

The northern pocket gopher

Addendum: Remember how the Bill Murray character in "Caddyshack" went nuts dealing with critters? He declared war on gophers. Dana Milbank of the Washington Post departed from his usual political commentary to vent about how an overpopulation of deer causes problems. We're told that's why we have a hunting season. Animal lovers have to be convinced of that. I needed convincing once. 

And I remember a feature article which I think was in The New Yorker magazine, in the midst of covid when some city dwellers were re-settling in the country. Ah, the peaceful lure of country. Close to nature? Well yes but that can be a problem. The article interviewed at length a family that was driven nuts by beavers. Beavers! Little nuisances. A family member described them as coming out of hell. 

People who end up in these situations can become like the Bill Murray character. They just get unhinged. I can understand how these people feel.

I haven't even gotten to the subjects of field mice and bats.

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com