It’s A Balance

I’ve always thought that one of the best features of the Crescenta Valley is living in an active wildlife corridor. My home in Sunland where I grew up sat adjacent to Big Tujunga Canyon; the hills and wash behind it became the setting for many of my childhood adventures. During the long, hot summers our gang of neighborhood kids would head out to explore the wilds of the canyon, not having a plan or knowing the creatures we would encounter. We always had the best time.

Growing up, I didn’t think about the human-wildlife interface. We knew to be careful of snakes and the occasional coyote group headed down our street. We peered at the owl that lived in the cave around the corner and collected polliwogs from the nearby stream, which was good for knee-level wading. If we were lucky, we would spot a horny toad or tarantula. Most of our time was spent building dams out of large rocks then jumping in the refreshing pools of water we created. We came home all wet and sandy and sometimeswith punctures in our feet from stepping into patches of goat head thorns. Somehow our parents didn’t ask too many questions no matter how long we were gone or in what condition we arrived home.

There were a couple of precariousmoments when wildlife got a little too close for comfort. There was the time when a rattlesnake wandered into our side yard and headed to the area where our little husky puppy lay and another time a raccoon decided that our pet Peking duck looked tasty and took a couple of bites to her head. Thankfully, both survived the close calls but those were good reminders to keep our pets safe.

I believe that my childhood adventures “jump started” my interest during college in studying animals and set me on a path to work at the LA Zoo. I worked as a research volunteer then landed a paid job in education and eventually became the volunteer coordinator. 

I loved my time there. I learned so much about wildlife management and gained a better understanding of the native animals that flourish in our own backyards. I discovered some basic rules that I intuitively already knew – that it’s important to find a balance of mutual respect so that both humans and animals can thrive in our shared habitat and are protected from harm. Don’t feed wildlife – it discourages them from looking for food on their own. Don’t set out poison for rats or other pests – their bodies could be eaten and the food chain could become polluted. Don’t let your kitties wander outside of your home and keep barnyard animals locked up; they will become a food source for coyotes and bobcats.  Always remember that wild animals are not pets; it’s best if we leave each other alone. 

Sometimes we do need to fix a problem caused by human encroachment. I applaud the efforts of several local conservation groups that purchase land and reestablish local wildlife corridors that have been disrupted by urban sprawl. I am also pleased that we have been able to bring animal populations, such as the California condor, back from the brink of extinction. Leave it to the experts to know when to interfere and correct these imbalances.

Living in La Crescenta for 29 years, we have noticed a substantial uptick in wildlife encounters in the last few years. My family is amazed by the number of animals that appear on our front porch cameras. We regularly get visits from rabbits, skunks, opossums, raccoons, coyotes, hawks and a pair of Great Horned owls – sometimes all in one day. We continue to be vigilant on behalf of our pets knowing the next close encounter could be a bear. 

That would be both thrilling and frightening.

Susan Bolan
susanbolan710@gmail.com