you to have the information necessary to make the right decisions for the wellbeing of wildlife. One of the problems we face most frequently is park visitors feeding the wildlife. Especially in the drought we are currently experiencing here in California, it can be difficult to see critters out foraging for food on a hot, dry day. In situations like this, providing food – especially food intended for humans – is not the answer. In fact, it can actually lead to behavioral problems, deformities, and even death. Deer may look sweet, but they’re covered in ticks (which we learned about in Ranger Amy’s article last month). They’re also large and unpredictable, with a potential for harming you. The food may not even reach the critter you want to feed. It could be that you’re actually attracting “pest” animals such as rodents or raccoons, which could lead to a public health concern. As Livermore Animal Control reported in September of last year, diets high in bread and rice can cause serious deformities in birds. According to their article, an incurable condition known as “angel wing” has been seen in the Springtown duck pond. It can be present in both wild and domestic waterfowl, but is only seen in birds that have been fed foods such as white bread. In birds with angel wing, “the last joint in the wing is twisted. The feathers point out to the bird’s side instead of lying flat against its body. Angel wing can make it difficult or impossible for the bird to fly…” (Livermore Animal Control 2014). Even many of us humans try to Volume 24 | Issue 4 avoid eating too much bread. Nature provides the vitamins and nutrients necessary for these animals, and their bodies aren’t made to process human foods -- especially not in the volumes they are consuming. You may think of feeding the ducks and geese as a pleasant afternoon activity, but it can actually harm the wildlife you’re enjoying. If you just can’t resist, then the Lindsay Wildlife Museum recommends feeding cracked corn away from the water . . . but not at the Springtown pond! It’s especially problematic when people feed waterfowl from their vehicles; this causes birds to approach cars or even to walk into the road. In addition to causing traffic obstructions, this poses a major risk to the birds. Fed critters lose their fear of humans. This increases their confidence and therefore their aggression in demanding additional food. Aggression towards humans can be seen as a danger and can lead to the death of the animal. Even squirrels Killing them with Kindness The rangers love that you love the wildlife we have in our open space and neighborhood parks. Sometimes, though, misinformation and misunderstandings can lead park visitors to “care” for our critters in ways that do more harm than good. As I said, we LOVE that you care; we just want By Ranger Claire Girling April 2015 A publication of the LARPD Open Space Unit Livermore Area Recreation and Park District 4444 East Ave. Livermore, CA 94550 www.larpd.org Ranger Office: 925.960.2400 Issue IN THIS • Killing them with Kindness • This Month’s Ranger-led Programs and Activities • A Sign in the Woods Continued on Page 3 Valley Wilds
Transcript
you to have the information necessary to make the right decisions for the wellbeing of wildlife.
One of the problems we face most frequently is park visitors feeding the wildlife. Especially in the drought we are currently experiencing here in California, it can be difficult to see critters out foraging for food on a hot, dry day. In situations like this, providing food – especially food intended for humans – is not the answer. In fact, it can actually lead to behavioral problems, deformities, and even death.
Deer may look sweet, but they’re covered in ticks (which we learned about in Ranger Amy’s article last month). They’re also large and unpredictable, with a potential for harming you.
The food may not even reach the critter you want to feed. It could be that you’re actually attracting “pest” animals such as rodents or raccoons, which could lead to a public health concern.
As Livermore Animal Control reported in September of last year, diets high in bread and rice can cause serious deformities in birds. According to their article, an incurable condition known as “angel wing” has been seen in the Springtown duck pond. It can be present in both wild and domestic waterfowl, but is only seen in birds that have been fed foods such as white bread. In birds with angel wing, “the last joint in the wing is twisted. The feathers point out to the bird’s side instead of lying flat against its body. Angel wing can make it difficult or impossible for the bird to fly…” (Livermore Animal Control 2014). Even many of us humans try to
Volume 24 | Issue 4
avoid eating too much bread. Nature provides the vitamins and nutrients necessary for these animals, and their bodies aren’t made to process human foods -- especially not in the volumes they are consuming. You may think of feeding the ducks and geese as a pleasant afternoon activity, but it can actually harm the wildlife you’re enjoying. If you just can’t resist, then the Lindsay Wildlife Museum recommends feeding cracked corn away from the water . . . but not at the Springtown pond! It’s especially problematic when people feed waterfowl from their vehicles; this causes birds to approach cars or even to walk into the road. In addition to causing traffic obstructions, this poses a major risk to the birds.
Fed critters lose their fear of humans. This increases their confidence and therefore their aggression in demanding additional food. Aggression towards humans can be seen as a danger and can lead to the death of the animal. Even squirrels
Killing them with KindnessThe rangers love that you love the wildlife we have in our open space and neighborhood parks. Sometimes, though, misinformation and misunderstandings can lead park visitors to “care” for our critters in ways that do more harm than good. As I said, we LOVE that you care; we just want
By Ranger Claire Girling
April 2015
A publication of the LARPD Open Space Unit
Livermore Area Recreation and Park District4444 East Ave. Livermore, CA 94550www.larpd.orgRanger Office: 925.960.2400
The Way of the OhloneSaturday, April 4 10:00 amWhat was it like to live in the Livermore Valley
before the Europeans arrived? How did the native people feed themselves, get married or cure themselves when they were sick? Join us to catch a glimpse into the life of the original inhabitants of the area and unlock the secrets of how they survived and thrived for thousands of years. We will start with a slow paced walk to look at some of the plants and animals that were important to them, and then look at some replicas of their tools and baskets. Canceled if raining.
Ranger Darren Segur Sycamore Grove Park, Arroyo Road Entrance
Bugs and BloomsSunday, April 5 9:00 amIf hunting for Easter Eggs isn’t your thing, instead
join us on a hunt for wildflowers and the insects that pollinate them. This will be four-five mile wander that will probably take about 3 hours. If this is too long for you please join us for part and head back when you chose.
Ranger Amy Wolitzer Sycamore Grove ParkWetmore Entrance(1051 Wetmore Road)
Spiders and Their KinSunday, April 12 2:00 pmThey creep, they crawl and they give many folks
the heebee jeebees. They are the eight-legged animals of our world – spiders and their relatives. Join me to discuss these wonderful creatures. We’ll learn about some of the different types around the world and which are considered dangerous. There will be a few live specimens for us to look at.
Ranger Dawn Soles Sycamore Grove Park, Arroyo Road Entrance
Birds of SpringtownSaturday, April 25 8:00 amIt’s time for our spring migration to the north side
of the valley. We’ll be in search of wading birds and ducks in their breeding plumage, signs of nesting, and raptors soaring over the grasslands. This is an easy walk on an asphalt path, appropriate for all ages and levels of birding experience. This program will last approximately 2 hours. Contact the ranger at [email protected] if you have questions or need directions.
can cause physical harm and can spread serious illnesses such as hantavirus and even the plague, in some cases.
Fed animals will lose or fail to develop the skills necessary to forage for their own food. These animals can become dependent upon handouts. Additionally, an unnatural food supply can cause populations of critters to exceed what the environment can accommodate, leading to overpopulation.
So, you want to help wildlife. What can you do instead? It may sound cliché, but: educate yourself. Pass it on by educating family and friends. At home, you can plant native trees and bushes that will attract bees and birds. Consider researching installing a bat house or a bee house. Make sure you don’t leave cat or dog food outside.
Want to do more? Look to local organizations like Sulphur Creek Nature Center in Hayward, or the Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek. Both organizations take in and rehabilitate sick, injured, or orphaned wildlife. They accept volunteers and monetary donations, and both have wish lists posted on their websites for other goods or services they need, such as light bulbs and other home goods, crafting supplies, office supplies, animal food, etc. This is one of the most effective ways you can indirectly help the wildlife in our area.
This past year, I witnessed an acorn woodpecker hit by a car on Arroyo Road, directly outside Sycamore Grove Park. I retrieved the injured bird and dropped
it off at the animal hospital at Lindsay Wildlife along with a voluntary donation. I received a call a few days later that a volunteer was bringing the recovered bird out to the park. Together, we released the bird back into the wild. It was an incredibly rewarding experience and if you’re looking to help wildlife, I highly recommend getting involved with organizations that can truly make a difference.
InjuredAcornWoodpecker
Answer: B) Hawksfoot is the fake. Storksbill, Clasping Henbit and Owl’s Clover (pictured) can all be found in Sycamore Grove Park.
Plants have some odd names! Three of these are actual plants found in Sycamore Grove Park . Can you guess which one we made up?
A) StorksbillB) HawksfootC) Clasping HenbitD) Owl’s Clover
Editor’s note: Camp Shelly registration for Summer 2015 begins on April 11. We thought we’d get you in the Camp Shelly mood by sharing this story written by a man who happened upon our little campground in the woods last summer and saw a sign from his past...
How do you build a large sign that will last over 50 years, for a camp high in the Sierras, with a few borrowed tools, very little money, and you’re just 15 years old? Sounds like an unlikely situation, but that’s exactly what former Livermore resident Bob Krolick did when the Livermore Area Recreation and Park District’s Camp Shelly first opened more than 50 years ago.
Back in the early 60’s then President John F. Kennedy was encouraging the U.S. Forest Service to allow local cities and recreation districts to establish permanent camps on forest lands. He believed the nation’s youth would benefit from exposure to the outdoors and to the camping life. Then director of LARPD Constance “Chili” Shelly seized the opportunity to occupy about ten acres of beautiful land near Lake Tahoe, to benefit generations of Livermore youth.
Bob Krolick was working at the “Rec Center” helping run a youth day program. The entire Recreation District occupied most of the block bound by 8th & H (now the Bothwell Arts center) in the center of what was then a town of about 16,000 souls. Mr. Shelly knew Bob was very handy, so he asked him if he would make a sign for the new camp to be called CAMP SHELLY. Working at the hourly rate for youth coaches, Bob looked through books of type fonts at the Livermore library until he found something he thought would be appropriate. Mr. Shelly liked all the letters except the C in “CAMP”, so Bob drew a C free hand that he thought would fit with the rest of the letters. Once the design was approved, Bob drew the CAMP SHELLY logo onto a piece of stationery, and using an opaque projector (a machine that could project a flat image onto a wall and enlarge the image to almost any size) projected the name full size onto paper taped to the wall.
Next, the now graphic artist carefully punched holes with a pin around the perimeter of all the letters, and took the roll of paper 2 blocks to his home where his dad had a small shop.
Stan Krolick was a machinist, auto mechanic, sheet metal worker and sometimes inventor. He was the perfect complement to the ideas of Mr. Shelly and the ambitions of the 15 year old artist/sign maker. Clear all-heart redwood was settled on as the preferred sign material, an outdoor yellow paint with a clear varnish overcoat was to be the graphic material, and the whole thing was held together by long pieces of stainless steel rod, threaded on both ends for stainless steel nuts. Bob says today, he didn’t think stainless was worth the extra cost, but Stan insisted. “I’m glad I listened to Dad, as the sign would otherwise have fallen apart years or decades ago.”
With the basic structure decided upon, it was now up to Bob to make the sign come alive. Laying the carefully punched paper on the wood, Bob scrubbed a soft pencil over the outline to transfer the design onto the fresh redwood.
The Rec Center got a wood router from somewhere, and Bob tried his best to cut his design into the wood. Finally he realized the old router blade was not up to the task, and in desperation he walked to the Rec Center to ask Mr. Shelly if he could
Camp Shelly
A Sign in the Woods By Duane Carling
Continuedonpage5
BobKrolickposingwithhissignin2014
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Valley Wilds Wins Award!
Help Build Trails! April 18 and 19
Are you interested in helping build new trails in Sycamore Grove Park? Register with V-O-Cal (Volunteers for Outdoor California) to participate in trail work days on April 18 and 19 to complete loop trails in upper Sycamore Grove Park. You can find more information here: http://vocal.civicore.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Events.View&Event_ID=98
purchase a new blade. This definitely was not in the budget, but after explaining the hopelessness of the situation, Mr. Shelly found some money in petty cash and Bob was able to purchase a new blade.Things worked much better after that, and the sign was completed just in time for the camp opening.
That was more than 50 years ago. Bob went on to do a great many things but never made it up to Camp Shelly... until last summer. He was driving home from Tahoe and saw a turn off to “Camp Shelly.” He remembered the name and went to have a look. He was amazed to see his sign still welcoming visitors. As Bob said recently “Who’d have thought someone with no money, and no credentials, but a lot of enthusiasm could make something to last this long in this tough environment.”
Bob today is amazed his handiwork is still out there, and gives credit to the vision of Constance Shelly, his confidence in his young employee, and the guidance of his father Stan.
Mr. Carling wrote this story as a tribute to Bob Krolick and his father Stan. Duane Carling and Bob Krolick both graduated Livermore High School in the early 1960s and went on to interesting and exciting careers including as a team member on various Indy Car teams (Mr. Carling) and as professor of Industrial Design at SF State and the inventor of a portable pizza oven (Mr. Krolick).
On March 13 LARPD was presented with an “Award of Excellence” from the California Parks and Recreation Society for engaging the public in a passion for open spaces via this newsletter. Thanks for being a reader and open space supporter!
