I thought I saw a fisher cat? Maybe not

Fisher cat ("Friends of the Mississippi" image)

I remember discussing the movie "Into the Wild" with Liz Morrison. I had already read the book, which drew my attention because it was by Jon Krakauer. Perhaps Liz had read the book too - I don't remember that coming up. Liz offered a prime piece of wisdom offered up by the book and movie. She observed that "we have this romantic view of the wild but the wild is really a dangerous place." 

The central character in the book got trapped because of rising springtime rivers. He was unable to make it out of his little hideaway in Alaska. Krakauer observed that the young man's location "was not that remote by Alaska standards." But it sure seemed remote. 

If Donald Trump becomes president again, will he give Alaska back to Russia? Out of spite toward one of Alaska's top elected leaders, Lisa Murkowski, who he considers as a RINO? Is anything too absurd or outrageous to consider in connection to Trump? Rhetorical question. 

I'm thinking today about the dangers of wild country because we have been through a weather and climate situation over the past few months that promotes a proliferation of wildlife. 

 

Think Thoreau

There is a terrific opportunity in Morris to "commune with nature," Thoreau-style, by going over to near the river. We have had that opportunity in spades since the biking/walking trail was created. I'm wondering now: will warning signs ever be deemed prudent along there? Warnings about possibly dangerous contacts with wildlife? 

I have heard coyotes from that direction after dark. For the first time I have seen skunks around the northern entrance to the trail. More than once. And Sharon Martin saw them too. Perhaps our dogs are more at risk than we are. And we'd all be heartbroken to lose a dog of course. Sharon's "Goldy" recently passed away. I gather that advanced age was a factor. 

The biking/walking trail is a great place to meet people's dogs like "Reese." Dogs show such unconditional affection. We need that sometimes. I think we need it in the age of Trump, frankly, But it's very possible that the orange man will get a plurality of the vote out here in hard-right country. How did we get like this? 

I'm writing on the nature subject because of a little encounter I had along the trail recently. A furry little animal rather long in shape appeared out front rather close. It looked up at me for an instant, quizzically you might say. I tried to identify it. I remembered an episode of the TV series "Call of the Wildman" from back when I had cable TV. This episode gave us a good look at the "fisher cat." 

My own photo of our biking/walking trail

I had a vague understanding that the fisher cat can be a pretty mean hombre. A little check with Internet tools confirms that now. So I wondered if I had indeed seen a fisher cat. Would that be a rare sighting here? But upon further checking I discovered that the more common mink was the creature. There are actually several creatures that look pretty similar to each other. So there's the mink, the fisher cat and the pine marten. That's marten with an "e," not like Sharon's last name. I might share an inside joke that Sharon and I have always had, I mean going back to when she was in high school, but it's too inside-baseball. 

A little checking shows that the menacing fisher cat is indeed found in Minnesota! If it's anywhere, it might as well be out by our biking/walking trail because it is a supremely wild place. And don't think coyotes will never attack a human. Sometimes they have a little wolf blood mixed in. This was part of the explanation for a fatal coyote attack in Canada. So be cautious please. 

My former minister at First Lutheran said he has seen coyotes from the biking/walking trail. And there are reports of bears in Clay County. They too might feel at home along our Pomme de Terre River. So green and lush out there now. 

Commune with nature? Such a nice thought of course but do not deny the reality of dangerous animals. A skunk might not bite you but you know what else could happen. I had a skunk issue on my property early in summer. The problem passed but it was an annoyance obviously. My neighbors appear to be aware of this threat. The time of year to be really vigilant with skunks, to put up exclusions in every conceivable place, is May/June. I think after July 4 you can signal "all clear." 

 

Think "weasel"

Fisher cats are part of the weasel family. That reminds me of an old humorous commentary in Mad Magazine. My, this goes back several decades. The magazine presented a "Richard M. Nixon National Weasel Refuge." The illustration showed some weasels playing shuffleboard. Please do not think of Nixon and Donald Trump on the same terms. Two different people in two totally different times. Nixon had the opportunity to be a hero for all time if he'd just withdrawn U.S. troops from Vietnam as quickly and safely as possible starting after his inauguration in 1969. We all know what happened. 

Fisher Cats (who I do not think play shuffleboard) look like large minks but they have shorter legs and weigh as much as a red fox. They are active tree climbers. Fur is dark brown and there's a blackish rump and tail. They do not turn white in the winter. Info on the fisher's range in Minnesota indicates that we cannot rule out seeing them in the Morris area. And that would be out by the biking/walking trail. 

We hope there is no incident where someone's dog gets taken by a predator. But be careful. Nature has its own sense of balance. It's called an "ecosystem." So hawks have moved into my neighborhood of Northridge Drive of late. Their call is distinctive. I welcome them. They'll take care of some of the critters. 

Skunks! Owls prey on them because owls have no sense of small.

 

Addendum: Thinking about Thoreau today reminds me of one of his famous quotes, a quote that crosses my mind as I watch people coming and going at the entrance to Willie's Super Valu. "The majority of people lead lives of quiet desperation." 

 

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