Don't feed the squirrels? Nuts to you, she says

[BERIGAN]

Gotta love the little twerp neighbor who felt so compelled to turn her in for this heinous crime.....

Don't feed the squirrels? Nuts to you, she says

St. Petersburg Times

November 18. 2005 6:01AM

EAST LAKE - Her name is Frances, almost like the saint.

And like St. Francis of Assisi, Frances Mirowski loves animals. She has had three dogs in her lifetime but has decided that's enough. It hurts too much when they die.

The mother of five has been widowed twice. She's 82 years old. She's survived four heart attacks and can't travel past her yard without a wheelchair.

Her world now is contained within her villa in the Salem Square subdivision in East Lake, where a statue of St. Francis stands guard at her door and another sits in her atrium, a bird on his shoulder, a bunny at his feet.

She begins every day feeding bread crumbs and peanuts to the birds and squirrels in her yard. She says it's one of life's few remaining joys.

"I wait for the day to begin because I have something to do," she said.

Then last Thursday, she got a letter demanding that she stop.

For 12 years, no one said a peep about the bathrobe-clad woman's morning routine. Maybe they weren't outside at 7 a.m. to see the seven or eight squirrels waiting for her by the oak tree. Maybe they didn't see anything wrong in it, or didn't care.

But this year, someone in this subdivision of 107 units complained.

On Thursday, Mirowski received a letter from Ronald J. Costa, the property manager for her subdivision.

"We are informing you to cease and desist feeding the wildlife," it reads.

She was in violation of a county ordinance against feeding wildlife, the letter says. By feeding the community's wild critters, she could be luring coyotes and disease to the neighborhood.

She cried. She feared the police would come, and was afraid of being fined.

"I couldn't believe this was happening," Mirowski said. "I never broke the law for any reason."

Her son, Bill Ploplis, has written to the American Civil Liberties Union.

"A person her age doing something quite innocent and getting a formal, negative response is not right," he said.

Despite the letter, Mirowski doesn't appear to be violating anything. There is no state law or county ordinance against feeding birds or squirrels. According to state law, Mirowski would only be in violation if she were feeding alligators, foxes, raccoons, sandhill cranes or bears.

In an e-mail, Lisa A. Baltus, senior environmental specialist for Pinellas County and Brooker Creek Preserve land manager, told Bill Ploplis that a county ordinance against feeding wildlife applies only to raccoons, possums and similar wild animals.

The letter came in response to comments at the annual homeowners meeting in October, during which some homeowners complained about other residents feeding wildlife, said Peggy Psaledakis, former president of the Salem Square Homeowners Association.

"As a result, they were getting rodents and blackbirds and those wood storks," Psaledakis said. "There are a lot of owners that are upset with it and concerned with the types of food being fed to the wildlife."

At the meeting, Heritage Property Management, Inc., the subdivision's management company, was told to send all residents letters advising them not to feed the wildlife, Psaledakis said.

It's not clear why only Mirowski got a letter, but Tom DiGangi, president of the homeowners association, said he reminded Costa to send a letter to everybody.

Costa declined to comment.

DiGangi said the association can't stop Mirowski from feeding the animals, but it is asking her to cooperate, perhaps by switching to a bird feeder.

Psaledakis said the community has had problems with bobcats and raccoons. Residents have been advised to use bungee cords to keep their trash lids shut, she said.

Because they live near Brooker Creek Preserve, residents see a lot of small wildlife, said DiGangi, who said he hasn't seen any coyotes in the area.

"We're constantly on guard," DiGangi said.

However innocent Mirowski's intentions, feeding wild animals just isn't a good idea, said Gary Morse, spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

"Feeding wildlife is not recommended because it causes animals to lose their natural fear of people," Morse said.

The squirrels could set up house in and around her house, causing property damage, he said. Plus, bread is considered junk food for birds.

But Mirowski doesn't intend to stop tossing out bread crumbs and peanuts.

"It's my only joy for the day," she said.

[sheldonm]

...What a joke!!!

....but watch out for the sandhill cranes!!!

[Big Wheel]

Birds are one thing, but feeding squirrels is not a particularly good idea for the squirrels' sake. Here's an old story I read in the Boston Phoenix awhile ago:

One sunny day, wandering around Boston listening to some gothic dirge on my ever-present Walkman, I stopped off at the Public Gardens, plunked myself down on a bench, and gazed wistfully into the waters of Swan Pond. There’s a sense of existential weightiness, I think, that we lose when we leave our teenage years. At the time, there in that park, the entire city of Boston served only as a backdrop to my profound melancholy. The music blaring in my headphones provided a perfect soundtrack for this solemn scene: "Sad and lonely, leave me alone, I’m sleeping less every night/As the days become heavier and weightier and weightier in the cold light."

As I sat there contemplating this thing I called my life, I attracted the attention of a squirrel. Cute little fella he was, too, bushy-tailed and perky. "You’re my only friend," I said to the squirrel, who tilted his head in a sympathetic way. Determined to milk the moment for all it was worth, I ran across the street to a convenience store, grabbed a bag of sunflower seeds, and returned to the bench, where my squirrel, or one very much like him, waited in anticipation. I threw him a seed. He ate it. I threw him another. He ate that, too.

Soon, my squirrel was joined by three or four others. Every now and then, he would make a chicka-chicka sound and unleash a brief but shockingly violent attack on one of the interlopers. Foolishly, perhaps, I kept throwing the sunflower seeds, and before long there were about 20 squirrels competing for them. The chicka-chicka noises gained in frequency and intensity. Before long, the animals were fighting furiously among themselves. For those who haven’t seen it, a squirrel with the leg of another squirrel in its mouth loses a lot of its charm. I began to fear for my own safety.

By now, the ruckus had attracted the attention of other people in the park, some of whom stopped to watch the spectacle unfold. Mortified by the attention and unnerved by the sight of blood, I flung the entire bag of seeds into the midst of the roiling mass of froth and fur — an act that sparked what can only be described as a squirrel war. As I walked away from the carnage, I heard sounds that one would expect to hear in the ninth circle of hell: shrieks and howls and sickly gurglings.

[7/4]

DiGangi said the association can't stop Mirowski from feeding the animals, but it is asking her to cooperate, perhaps by switching to a bird feeder.

That works. Squirrels dig bird feeders.

[7/4]

The squirrels could set up house in and around her house, causing property damage, he said.

Oh yes. They moved into my parents attic a few times. No kiddin'.

[rostasi]

Yes, this is quite a silly bit of story.

Our yard has been designated a

Backyard Wildlife Habitat

by the National Wildlife Federation

and not only do I feed the birds and squirrels,

but I also feed those possums and raccoons that are, apparently,

illegal to feed in the above story's location.

Squirrels are very clever little devils,

but, in most cases they'll ignore those inside hideway places

if they have any bit of food outside that they can eat.

I even have a little chair that squirrels come and sit in while they eat their corn.

Cranes are nearby just down the street, but they've yet to come into the yard.

Bless the little ol' lady - this is a simple pleasure in her old age.

[Jazzmoose]

You know, I haven't seen a single squirrel since I moved to Louisiana. Unless, of course, what I thought were armadillos are actually the squirrel armored division...

[7/4]

Squirrels are very clever little devils,

but, in most cases they'll ignore those inside hideway places

if they have any bit of food outside that they can eat.

←

They had a nest up there, they chewed their way into the building! Tree rats!

[rostasi]

Yes, but I said in most cases.

As you can see to my left,

they also like to enjoy an occasional Guinness

[BERIGAN]

You know, I haven't seen a single squirrel since I moved to Louisiana...

←

Marriage is a bigger deal in the south Jazzmoose.....

[rostasi]

[BERIGAN]

DiGangi said the association can't stop Mirowski from feeding the animals, but it is asking her to cooperate, perhaps by switching to a bird feeder.

That works. Squirrels dig bird feeders.

←

We had a house in Jacksonville that was a funky flatroofed thing, with roof overhangs, and a wall on one side that went past the end of the roof(Yes, the house was a site to behold) anyway, we had a birdfeeder hanging down from underside the of the roof...about 2 feet away from the floor to ceiling glass windows. So, we had a great view of kamikaze squirrels leaping from the wall hitting the feeder, then dropping to the brick patio to eat. Then, our cats would run full speed into the glass trying to get the squirrel. Animals are dumb.

[rostasi]

Nope. Animals are not dumb - especially squirrels.

Also, the reason that there's sometimes the squirrel story

of them chewing around in attics is that the story often involves a house that

was built on "squirrel's property" - a wooded lot that belonged to them before the

house in question was built on it.

Then, later when they want to build a nest,

if there are few or in some cases NO trees,

they find themselves getting into attics - especially in cold climes.

If it gets into a house, it may become confused and anxious

if it has a hard time finding it's way out.

This is usually due to someone discovering the hole and plugging it up.

The squirrel freaks out and begins chewing on insulation and the like.

but, again, this usually happens only if these myriad scenarios are in place.

Our incursion is the root cause of their anxiously running

across streets in front of cars too.

[7/4]

Nope. Animals are not dumb - especially squirrels.

Also, the reason that there's sometimes the squirrel story

of them chewing around in attics is that the story often involves a house that

was built on "squirrel's property" - a wooded lot that belonged to them before the

house in question was built on it.

Then, later when they want to build a nest,

if there are few or in some cases NO trees,

they find themselves getting into attics - especially in cold climes.

If it gets into a house, it may become confused and anxious

if it has a hard time finding it's way out.

This is usually due to someone discovering the hole and plugging it up.

The squirrel freaks out and begins chewing on insulation and the like.

but, again, this usually happens only if these myriad scenarios are in place.

Our incursion is the root cause of their anxiously running

across streets in front of cars too.

←

The house had been there for 25 years and there were plenty of trees around.

Squirrel apologist.

[rostasi]

Animal friendly is more like it.

...and they were fed regularly around the house?

[7/4]

Animal friendly is more like it.

...and they were fed regularly around the house?

←

Tree rats.

[rostasi]

I think this belongs in the Funny Rat thread.

[7/4]

I think this belongs in the Funny Rat thread.

←

[DTMX]

Handouts to squirrels must stop! They're overloading the welfare system, clogging our emergency rooms, and stealing jobs from our chipmunks!

Edited November 20, 2005 by DTMX

[Jazzmoose]

You know, I haven't seen a single squirrel since I moved to Louisiana...

←

Marriage is a bigger deal in the south Jazzmoose.....

←

[rostasi]

Anyone seen Willy Wonka?

[Phil Meloy]

You know, I haven't seen a single squirrel since I moved to Louisiana.

←

Maybe they ate them?