Message from the Mayor: Critters and Scamsters
Posted on: June 12, 2016 - 12:57pm
Fellow Residents –
I feel it’s appropriate at this time of the year to send you a note on the critters with whom we share our environs. Unfortunately, I must also include information about villains, the scamsters who in large numbers plaguing us right now.
CRITTERS
Considering that we live in a dense suburb 12 miles from Manhattan, the diversity of wildlife here is remarkable. We share the outdoors with a variety of wildlife long absent this area, but now back with a vengeance. Hastings has substantial deer, coyote, foxes, and opossum, and just because they’re in our backyards does not make them any less the wild animals they are. We can coexist, and here are a few pointers on how to do so.
Deer
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Deer rarely pose a threat to people, though if you come between a doe and her fawn, she is likely to react. Does are fawning as we speak, and while fawns are helpless for a few hours or days, they don’t need your help and you should leave them be and let nature do its thing. In addition to keeping your distance from fawns, there is a secondary impact deer have and that is the ticks they are, in part, responsible for spreading. A few tips:
- Tick checks: Deer ticks can spread a variety of diseases, and none of them are trivial. Ticks like leaf litter, long grass, and stone walls. If you walk in the woods, work in your garden, or your children play outside, you should fall into the habit of a head-to-foot tick check. Adult deer ticks are about the size of a sesame seed.
- Tick removal: Remove any ticks you find as quickly as possible by grasping the tick’s mouthparts from the side with fine pointed tweezers or small forceps as close to the skin as possible and pulling gently but steadily upward. Avoid crushing the bloated abdomen of the tick to prevent the possibility of introducing spirochetes and other body fluids into the wound in your skin. Save them in a pill bottle or similar sturdy container with a tight fitting lid. If you are unsure as to whether or not the pest you have found is a tick, you may contact Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester County at 914-285-4640 for instructions on how to submit a pest to their lab for identification. You may also access their website at : http://counties.cce.cornell.edu/westchester/
- Lyme Disease: Some counsel a visit to the doctor; others suggest that watchful monitoring for Lyme symptoms is sufficient. If you remove the tick in the first 24 hours, you are not likely to catch Lyme if it is present in the tick. Conversely, you can be bitten by a tick, have that tick fall off, and only know you have Lyme’s by the onset of symptoms. The classic “Lyme bull’s eye” is the single best indicator (though, as I personally learned, it is possible to have two or more bull’s eyes simultaneously). This ring-shaped or pie-plate shaped rash is a signal for an immediate doctor’s visit. Unfortunately, not everyone who gets Lyme’s Disease gets the telltale bulls-eye. Flu-like symptoms, joint stiffness and ache, headaches and swollen glands are other symptoms. For more information about Lyme’s, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/lyme. and http://www.aldf.com/
- Deer and Driving: Deer are a menace to drivers: we had at half dozen car-deer accidents last year. Be wary at dusk, never exceed the speed limit, and if you see one deer crossing the street, assume that there are others likely to emerge as well right behind. When startled, deer can turn and run in an unexpected direction, so be on hyper alert when you see them.
- Deer and Gardens: Finally, there’s a range of things you can do regarding deer and depredations against your garden. Go here to read more: http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/factsheets/deerdef/. I find that Liquid Fence, an eco-safe deer (and rabbit) repellant liquid, works reliably, though it has to be periodically reapplied and it really stinks for the first day. (Deer apparently don’t like really rotten eggs any more than we do.)
Coyotes
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We have at least several coyotes in town – you can sometimes hear them howling at night. The Eastern coyote is called a coy-wolf, accurately, as the skinny little animal abundant in the west picked up some bulk as it interbred with wolves and dogs on its passage here. We can coexist if coyote’s natural fear of people is maintained. There is no need to call the police if you spot a coyote that flees. However, if you observe a coyote which appears to be lingering in an area and does not move on when you make noise or if the coyote is aggressive, you should report it to the police (478-2344).
These are the actions you should take and cautions you should observe:
- If you see a coyote, be aggressive in your behavior - make loud noises, wave your arms, throw sticks or stones. Turning and running is exactly the wrong response. Don’t act like prey, act like a predator.
- Do not allow your pets (especially small dogs and cats) to run free, particularly at night. You should strongly reconsider if you are accustomed to walking your dog in the woods off leash (against the law, by the way).
- Never feed coyotes. And do not feed your pets outside.
- Secure your garbage so it is inaccessible to coyotes and other animals.
- Teach children to appreciate coyotes from a distance.
For further information, you can go to http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/6971.html.
Fox
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We are now home to several foxes – beautiful animals if you get a chance to see one, and there have been many sightings recently. They pose no danger to humans, though smaller dogs and cats (once again) should not be left off leash. Again, the same advice applies: do not feed them nor feed your pets outside.
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We are now home to several foxes – beautiful animals if you get a chance to see one, and there have been many sightings recently. They pose no danger to humans, though smaller dogs and cats (once again) should not be left off leash. Again, the same advice applies: do not feed them nor feed your pets outside.
Opossum
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We also have opossum throughout the village as well. These are intensely private, nocturnal animals and rarely spotted. If you’ve ever startled one, you know they have a mouth full of nasty (unsanitary) sharp teeth and a disposition to match. They will fight when cornered and your pet will land up on the wrong side of that battle, so once again, do not let your pet off leash at night (you may be noticing a theme here).
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We also have opossum throughout the village as well. These are intensely private, nocturnal animals and rarely spotted. If you’ve ever startled one, you know they have a mouth full of nasty (unsanitary) sharp teeth and a disposition to match. They will fight when cornered and your pet will land up on the wrong side of that battle, so once again, do not let your pet off leash at night (you may be noticing a theme here).
Deer, coyote, fox and other animals are a part of our environment moving forward and we have to learn to adapt and coexist. The accommodations are relatively small, but will make life better for all involved.
SCAMSTERS
There appears to be a major uptick in the number of calls targeting people in the area that purportedly come from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), FBI or law firms that inform you that you are in trouble in some way, whether you have failed to pay taxes, or owe a penalty, or some other similar claim. (Police Chief Visalli has personally received three of these calls in the last week.) These calls are often automated calls with a 1-800 call-back number. Were you to dial that number, you are then asked for money, whether by credit card or a direct EFT transfer from your bank account. Needless to say, the IRS nor FBI do NOT ever call you to tell you that you owe them money and to pay by credit card. DO NOT return these calls. The Hastings police department is well aware of the spate of calls – you do not need to call them and tell them you have received one.
There appears to be a major uptick in the number of calls targeting people in the area that purportedly come from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), FBI or law firms that inform you that you are in trouble in some way, whether you have failed to pay taxes, or owe a penalty, or some other similar claim. (Police Chief Visalli has personally received three of these calls in the last week.) These calls are often automated calls with a 1-800 call-back number. Were you to dial that number, you are then asked for money, whether by credit card or a direct EFT transfer from your bank account. Needless to say, the IRS nor FBI do NOT ever call you to tell you that you owe them money and to pay by credit card. DO NOT return these calls. The Hastings police department is well aware of the spate of calls – you do not need to call them and tell them you have received one.
Enjoy the spectacular day and week ahead. This is as good as the weather gets.