Slowing the spread of invasive species

Today is the UN’s International Day for Biological Diversity. Invasive species have hit us pretty hard in Canada, from the forest-decimating efforts of the mountain pine beetle, emerald ash borer and Asian long-horned beetle to the the invasion of zebra mussels and the round gobi in the Great Lakes. These invaders don’t have natural predators, so they usually thrive in new locales, displacing the native population.

What can you do to help stop the spread of invasive species? Being careful of the materials you move from one area to another, particularly when on cottaging, camping and fishing trips, is key.
– Insects are easily transported on firewood, so don’t take wood from one area to another unless it has been kiln dried
– Insects and fungi can ride along with bulbs and greenery shipped overseas, so buy locally grown plants
– Pull out invasive plants, such as purple loosestrife and English Ivy, which displace native plants and disrupt entire ecosystems
– Try to grow native plants in your garden, and avoid any invasive species that tends to spread. For a directory of native and non-native plants in Canada, consult the Evergreen Native Plants database.
– Clean off the bottom of your boat before launching it a new waterway
– Gone fishing? Don’t use the round gobi as bait

For more background on invasive species, consult this guide from Hinterland Who’s Who.

Animal control: raccoons in the night

As the weather in Toronto got beautiful and warm this week, my neighbours and I all spent more time out of our houses and enjoyed backyard dining, and working in our gardens until well after dusk. As I stood washing a few dishes in my kitchen the other night, I heard crashing and banging on my roof. What the heck? Running outside with a flashlight, I confronted nature’s goon, the raccoon. A group of four, actually.

Now I’m keen to protect wildlife, but in my books raccoons don’t need a lot of help. According to Hinterland Who’s Who, their populations are thriving in urban areas. My neighbour says raccoons pulled off one of his roof vents so that they could set up house in his attic, causing water damage and who knows what else. (I don’t envy the inevitable work cleaning up raccoon feces, reapplying insulation and checking the electrical wiring for damage.) So when I saw the raccoons on my roof, I decided that I had to defend my territory! But all I could do was yell and toss a few pebbles, which seemed to amuse the coons more than anything else.

After some research, it appears I can either hire a company to trap a raccoon for me for about $300, or I can just try to make my home uninteresting to raccoons. Given that removal could be costly, not to mention somewhat traumatic for me and the coons, I will focus on ensuring openings to my home are securely attached and swathed in metal. The City of Toronto suggests leaving ammonia-soaked rags in the area, because raccoons don’t like the smell. They also suggest setting up a radio in the area tuned to an all-talk station, but I’m not sure my neighbours would appreciate that.

I think I need a backup plan, however, to encourage raccoons to move along. I think I’ll shop for a “super-soaker”-type water gun!

Have you had a run-in with wildlife? What did you do about it?