Deer Solutions Received. We received a good response to the question of how to keep deer from decimating gardens and landscaping.
I use a product called Bobbex that keeps deer from eating my roses. You can get it at nurseries. It’s a very foul-smelling spray, but when I cut a rose and bring it indoors, I don’t smell the Bobbex at all. On the other hand I wouldn’t use it on anything I intended to eat; I heard it’s made from coyote urine.
A large caliber revolver would solve the deer problem. However that could get you in trouble with the law. Alternative: get a hunting license and a bow and solve the problem that way. Kill pun (intended) two birds with one stone. deer problem gone and food for a year.
We've been in Rue Villa for 43 years and have been visited by deer every year. Our plantings are native rhodies, ferns, evergreen shrubs etc. As has been said many times, the deer lived with the native American long before we got here.
We have been rather successful in keeping deer out of our garden by using a "Scarecrow". It's a motion activated sprinkler. This is a link to a picture with description on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000071NUS/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=3511465617&ref=pd_sl_92buo5st8s_e
I heard that if you contact a zoo and get lion feces and put them around your fence deer will not cross. I know someone who says dog feces do the same. I have not tired this. There might be a good source of this if you visit Squim Wild Game Park.
Now, what do you do to live with River Otters?
Deer: my only suggestion is to make up a solution of egg and water (like one egg in an osterizer of water. or even half an egg), and spray it on the targeted shrubs, maybe once a week (or more with the rain?) Deer do NOT like the taste of eggs. With regards to landscaping "go native" those plants which are native to this area stand the best chance of surviving the deer onslaught. Viewcrest hasn't seen any yet, but they do come out of the Cheney estate sometimes. Rosemary and hemlock should slow them down, too.
My wife drove a friend to Bainbridge Island some time back to a house she was staying in for a visit. The owners weren't there, but there was a key in the backyard. Unfortunately, the owners had forgotten to disable the deer protection system for their beautiful property. When my wife and her friend went to get the key, they were soaked by hard-hitting sprinklers triggered by motion-detectors. This may be too expensive for most, but apparently it does work since the beautiful backyard was untouched by Bambi's lips.
The only thing about keeping deer out your probably that I have heard is to tie Irish Spring soap all around your property that they don't like the smell.
Deer discouragement: Blood meal quite often works.
Sandpiper Picture Update. The last egg in the nest did not hatch.
Canada Goose Nest. We have included three pictures of a Canada goose sitting on a nest. The first photo is without zooming in and the others are with the zoom. She has been there for three weeks now and we have only seen her leave the nest once, though she could be leaving when we aren't around. As such we don't know how many eggs there are in the nest. We think it takes about a month before they hatch and will report on the outcome.
Timbers Edge Email. We received the following email with regards to an email sent by the Timbers Edge engineer. We have permission to share it and it shows how many feel about the proposed development as currently planned.
The Illahee Community is a well organized group of citizens who represent a diverse segment of our community. We live here, understand science, do not play politics, and I for one, and don’t appreciate
the "big boys" exchanging emails of a case that is on appeal to the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners, and let me refer to this as "Timbers Edge".
Secondly, Mr. Mark Kuhlman does not represent the Illahee Community, and should not be giving advice or lead you to believe that his thoughts regarding Timbers Edge, have been discussed with our community or that they represent the views of the community. These exchanges of emails regarding closed record appeals then appear in your files from Mr. Kuhlman and end up as new information in projects that come before you at hearings. DCD should be very careful with what they say, how they say it, and to whom they exchange these emails.
Fourthly, regarding the recent emails between Kuhlman, Grellner, Keeton and Greetham, I believe you should refer to page 21 of the Brown and Caldwell Report for the Central Kitsap Wastewater GMA Compliance Plan prepared in February 2008. "Recent investigations have shown that groundwater recharge from septic systems represents a sizable proportion of the annual aquifer recharge. This has led to a recommendation that the County encourage on-site septic systems over the sewer hook-ups where appropriate densities occur."
Lastly, as a holder of Senior Water Rights and Wildlife Protection Rights per my
registered certificates, I would hope that these old homestead certificates have
some meaning in Kitsap County. With these water rights and wildlife protection
rights as a homeowner, I am affected by decisions made in DCD on my 15 acre
parcel adjacent to your proposed development both on the shoreline and uphill at Timbers Edge. I take this very seriously, as I watch the base flow and salmon
disappear in Illahee Creek. I expect more from your department, then these
email exchanges provide. I expect science, not guessing games to show what I
already know, that IIlahee Creek is in danger at this time, because of aquifer
recharge issues. This is not about politics. This is about very important
decision making taking place in your departments. This is about the conditions
on Illahee Creek. This is about the death of something bigger than your
exchange of emails to "get the project in”. These are decisions which could
adversely affect Illahee Creek, a place where fish have historically thrived and
now base flow is threatened and on the decline.
May 18th Meeting. Remember that one of the major agenda items for the Monday evening (May 18th) Illahee Community Club meeting (6:30 pm at the Unitarian Church) is to discuss Timbers Edge and come up with a settlement offer the community can live with.
Jim Aho
