Does Mother Nature Need a Little Help This Winter?

There are a couple schools of thought on the issue of helping out Mother Nature. One is that we as human beings should never intercede in the course of nature, if an injured bird is laying on the sidewalk, leave it for a fox to find.

The other side is that we as human beings have tampered with nature already and when we find an injured bird on the sidewalk, it is injured because it fell on the hard cement we built there, and thus we should intercede one more time and save the poor creature.

This is a question that I will address again as we move into spring and all the creatures, big and small, begin to come out again with the emergence of warm weather. But for now let's look at the question of what help our neighbors in nature may need over the winter?

We saw a few weeks ago when the , how hard it was to simply get around. Now think about trying to get around in all that snow and find food in it as well. I know many people who worried about the birds, squirrels, raccoons, and other creatures who depend on winter stores of food to get through this season. They could not get to their regular spots to find a nosh, and so had to rely on other sources or the last fat reserves they had on their bodies.

Some residents helped by filling bird feeders and adding some extra suet cages around the yard.

Beware that it is not only against village ordinance to leave food on the ground for wild animals, but it also attracts rodents and other undesirable animals. That is a matter of opinion, as far as what defines an undesirable animal, many people find squirrels, raccoons and mice as part of their backyard ecosystem. They are part of our natural surroundings whether we like it or not.

But since we live in homes that can be nibbled into, we should be aware of how our actions affect the wildlife around us. Animals such as raccoons can carry diseases that spread to our pets and to us. 

For those of us living near the forest preserve, feeding the local deer can be dangerous for both them and us. They may learn to come closer to houses and risk getting hit by traffic or attacked by a large dog. 

Another concern with deer is that they can carry ticks which may in turn carry Lyme disease. These can easily transfer to pets or people. I do find myself mesmerized by a herd of deer grazing on the side of the road off Beckwith, and it is tempting to throw them a handful of crackers, but I know that would not be healthy for the deer.

After thinking long and hard about where to draw the line with Mother Nature, I still find that the safest way to feed wildlife is with a bird feeder off the ground or maybe a hanging a few bricks of suet around as well.

I would like to know what other Morton Grove residents do to help out Mother Nature?