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Jerry is working shoots this week so will be working night hours completing the April <br /> "A View From the Mound". <br /> FORESTRY <br /> Rick met with the Garden Club Tuesday to offer his recommendations and expertise. <br /> I have given Rick a copy of the EQC information and he will be reviewing it. I have <br /> invited him to attend the April 28th Parks and Recreation Commission so that he can <br /> lend his expertise regarding greenways. Also, Rick confirmed that park plantings <br /> throughout the Mounds View park system have been chosen with consideration to <br /> diversity of species, disease resistance, soils, and birds attractiveness (among many <br /> other factors). Encouragement of wildlife by plantings has been avoided for the <br /> simple-reason-that in-city-habitation isnotsafe-for-wild animals.In addition,-wild <br /> animal habitation in cities can become a nuisance as well as destructive to trees and <br /> bushes. Parks often become destroyed by animal problems including deer which can <br /> destroy trees and bushes by eating them and rubbing the bark off trees, geese that <br /> leave increasing feces on greenspaces so that people cannot even walk on the <br /> grassy areas nor pathways, muskrats that not only intimidate people (remember the <br /> problem a few years ago at Silver View Park with the over-abundance of muskrats?) <br /> and burrow into grounds making unsafe walking areas due to sink holes, beavers that <br /> dam up the storm water ditches provided for storm water management and gophers <br /> that damage lawns and greenspaces. Luckily we have not had a huge problem in <br /> Mounds View. However, we do take measures to reduce the attraction to animals. <br /> For instance, we do not encourage feeding geese in the parks, they have plenty with <br /> the cut grass. Deer eating has not been a problem thank goodness. We have had a <br /> problem with an over abundance of gophers, muskrats and a beaver problem. .All <br /> have resulted with catch and transfer to a distant area in the case of the beaver, and <br /> trappings in the case of muscats and gophers. <br /> Most of our parks offer bird attractions. The boy scouts constructed and installed 20 <br /> Bluebird houses at Silver View Park. I have had residents say that they have seen <br /> Bluebirds. Residents have asked permission to put up duck houses on ponds which <br /> you have all seen around. In addition, Forester Rick has planted trees in every park <br /> that are attractive to birds especially the flowering crab trees, both red and white. In <br /> addition, we have a resident red fox at Silver View that everyone loves - and he or she <br /> has not posed a problem. He is our resident fox. There is a deer population in our <br /> parks presently but they have thankfully stayed in the nature areas of the parks and <br /> have not destroyed any playfields or landscaping. Geese are becoming a problem at <br /> Silver View Park - take an Autumn walk sometime along the path and you'll get the <br /> drift as you clean off your shoes. Lakeside Beach is full of geese poop every single <br /> morning - which the lifeguards have the pleasure of cleaning daily. <br /> So far, we have been able to keep that fine balance of natural areas offering animal <br /> and plant study along with development of parkland for recreational participation. <br /> The amount of park acreage that is kept natural is balanced with the amount of park <br /> acreage that is developed for recreational activities, each being approximately 55 <br />