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Show HILLTOP TIMES TiMES 5 November 19, 2009 SCENE AT THE ORE i^^ •-"•'• •. , i Col. Patrick Higby, 75th Air Base Wing commander, talks about an "attack" he was involved in as an opposing force member during the Operational Readiness Exercise held last week. Higby reported, "Security forces did a pretty good job of defending and picked us up when they should. They put the right kind of defensive fire down to keep us out of the perimeter and sent us packing pretty fast." TECH. SGT. PEDRO JIMENEZ/U.S. Air Force ^Cv::-^:: Where the wild things are at Hill Air Force Base Monitored wildlife coexists on the manned base with residents and workers 'We have identified all the active fox dens on base and mapped them out It might surprise people to know that we have between 15 and 20 active dens on base. We have two dens near Pond Three, which is near the housing area, and they have adapted well to an urban environment. The foxes near Pond Three are pretty visible, and I've had reports of one of the foxes being too friendly and not afraid of people." BY LEE ANNE HENSLEY Hilltop Times staff B efore Hill Air Force Base was built, wildlife were the only inhabitants of the expanse of land the base occupies. Now, employees and housing residents coexist with the remaining wildlife, and it is the duty of the 75th Civil Engineer Group Natural Rei sources division to balance that •coexistence while maintaining the base's overall mission. . "The habitat here is more conducive to urban-type of wildlife, but we do have open : spaces, like the golf course and the air field, that attract other wildlife," said 75th CEG Wildlife/Habitat Biologist Russ ;Lawrence. "There are quite a :number of deer that come and •go on base because they are able to jump over the perimeter fence. We conduct an annual deer hunt that is tied to our <Bird/Wildlife Avoidance Strike ; Hazard) program to keep the :deer from running along the air field" ; Deer hunting on base is restricted to bow hunters only. :The opportunity to hunt is based on a random computerbased drawing administered ;by the Natural Resources Program, but authorized by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. : "A secondary part of the hunt is we do not want our base •employees to be at risk of hit;ting a deer with their vehicles. ;We have had two accidents in the past year caused by collisions with deer. The third thing ;the deer hunt does, other than deducing numbers of deer, it •provides a recreational oppor:tunity for people on base. They •are restricted to certain areas •where they are considered safe, ;and we've had great success this year." '; Buck and doe hunting will ;be open on base to bow hunters :until Dec. 1, and then it will be :open for doe hunting only until •Dec. 15. ; ; Deer hunting on base has 3imits, which are mitigated by 'the Natural Resources division RUSS LAWRENCE, 75th CEG Wildlife/Habitat . biologist Lawrence added that this particular bird species will not A fox is caught on camera near the f lightline at Hill Air Force pose a strike threat to aircraft. Base in this photo taken in April 2009. "Unlike mallards, wood ducks will stay away from the by monitoring deer populations populated areas. The foxes who air field. There is nothing at throughout the year. the air field that attracts this have adapted to more populat"We monitor the deer in a ed areas may pose a threat, and bird. They like secluded woody number of ways," Lawrence vegetations and overhangs Lawrence provided a few tips on water and do not like large said. "We do biweekly surveys, to keep Team Hill safe. open spaces." done primarily in the early "Do not feed them!" Lawmorning hours when they are Like the foxes, Lawrence rence warned. "If they look agmost active so that we can see gressive, let us know. They may advises people not to feed the the different areas on base they need to be removed." wood ducks. are using and see how many in He also warns not to ap"The worst thing you could number we have. In the winproach the foxes and to just do to these ducks is to feed ter, they will migrate from the watch them from afar. them," he said. "I know families mountains and cross Highway Lawrence said that the foxes like to take loaves of bread to 89 and travel all the way to Riv- are beneficial, overall, for the feed the ducks with, but that erdale. The north end of base is the worst thing you could base because their main food provides a desirable habitat for source is rodents, which is also do to them. Not only would it deer so some deer decide to get them used to an unnatural an ideal food source for predastay. food source, but the bread also tory birds that pose hazards "The other monitoring meth- along the flightline for bird attracts seagulls, which will od is via trail cameras that use swoop down and take the young strikes. By reducing the rodent motion-sensors. This provides ducklings. I've seen it happen population, it makes the base a us a snapshot of the differat a few ponds around here; it's less ideal habitat for problement wildlife that come through pretty sad. The seagulls will eat atic birds such as hawks and there." them. If people don't feed the falcons. ducks, the seagulls will not be Fox dens Wood ducks there." Lawrence said the cameras If you must feed them, The Natural Resources have also been able to docudivision is also monitoring the Lawrence said, feed them only ment the large fox population foxes to note their impact on cracked corn. "The cracked on base, as well. . other wildlife projects. corn doesn't appeal to seagulls." "We have identified all the "We are trying to do other Other birds active fox dens on base and wildlife-related projects at mapped them out. It might Pond Three, including some • Lawrence and his team surprise people to know that we wood duck re-population, and conduct avian surveys both have between 15 and 20 active we don't want the foxes eating on and near the base as part dens on base. We have two dens the ducklings," Lawrence said. of the bird strike risk assessnear Pond Three, which is near "Wood duck populations have ment. "We want to know what the housing area, and they have been on the decline in general types of birds are out there and adapted well to an urban enviand Pond Three seems to be an what impact they are having ronment. The foxes near Pond ideal habitat for this duck." and if they have a desire to Three are pretty visible, and cross into the air field. Many Lawrence has been working I've had reports of one of the birds are found on the air field with Wild Over Wood Ducks, a foxes being too friendly and not wood duck conservation group, so we want to know what it is afraid of people." that attracts them there so we on this re-population project. can mitigate those attractants. "We have 10 wood duck boxes However, Lawrence said Geese are the largest birds that to put at Pond Three." the foxes generally prefer less Courtesy photo fly over occasionally, but it is the ferruginous hawk and the American kestrel that are more of a concern because they hunt the air field daily." Catch and release? Another wildlife project the Natural Resources division is working in conjunction with other base departments is to provide a fishing recreation area near the housing area in coming years. "We are trying to get Pond Three to become an urban fishery, where kids can come and catch fish. It is a stormwater pond, however, so there will be residues that end up there and the fish may not be edible. It will be a catch-and-release fishery until we can determine if the fish are suitable for human consumption." Snakes Other wildlife that exist on base do not pose aircraft strike risks, but they can pose a health risk to humans, such as snakes. "We really don't have a lot of problems with snakes, but they do exist/' Lawrence said. "There are rare snakes, like racers, and we have quite large gopher snakes. The gopher snakes look a lot like rattlesnakes but without the rattle, and they will hiss at you. There have been some rattlesnake sightings, but they have been becoming rarer as areas become more developed." Lawrence advises those who see a snake or other problematic wildlife, call the Natural Resources division at (801) 7774618 or the 75th Civil Engineer Squadron Entomology division at (801) 777-4427. |