Safely Home: Service aims to humanely remove animals

Home ownership can carry along with it many worries, from weeds growing in flower beds to leaky plumbing, but another potential worry for homeowners can come from the wild animals that probably inhabited the area long before the house was built. Raccoons in your chimney, bats in your attic, and skunks in your garden can all be frustrating for homeowners, and removing them yourself can be dangerous and ineffective. Many people turn to exterminators or other wildlife-removal services to deal with these new neighbors, but according to wildlife rehabilitator Jennifer Weifenbach, just because a service claims to be "humane," that does not mean that it is true.

Weifenbach and her husband own Statewide Wildlife Rescue, LLC, a company that uses no-kill methods to safely return nuisance wildlife back to nature.

"There is a lot of misinformation out there," she said, "many companies will advertise their service as being 'humane,' but 'humane' doesn't necessarily mean 'no-kill.'"

Wiefenbach said that Connecticut's Department of Environmental Protection asked her and her husband, both licensed wildlife rehabilitators, to train in wildlife removal, because they wanted to be able to refer consumers to a company that would be reliable in not killing wild animals.

"Some companies will tell the customer that they have to kill the animals- but that just isn't true," she said, "If you do the proper exclusion work, the animal doesn't have to die."

The methods that Wiefenbach uses are intended to keep family units intact. "You can't solve the problem by killing an animal," she said pointing to a picture of a baby raccoon, "This is what you also kill when you kill a mother raccoon."

In addition to removing unwanted wild animals from homes, businesses, and boats, Wiefenbach's company also rehabilitates sick and injured animals, and educates other people about how to humanely deal with wildife.

According to Wiefenbach, there are plenty of humane common-sense solutions for keeping wild animals away from your home. Sprinkling cayenne pepper around your garden, for instance, can keep skunks away from your yard and pets. A properly-anchored chimney cap can keep raccoons and bats out of your chimney. Such precautions are effective alternatives to using traps that can kill or maim animals, or pesticides that can have a devastating impact on the entire ecosystem. For example, Rat poison, Wiefenbach said, kills rats, but it can also kill natural predators such as owls after they eat the rats.

"Everything you do has a ripple effect," she said, "If you want to 'go green' you really have to stop with the poisons and the stick traps."

For more information on humane wildlife removal, you can visit State Wildlife Rescue's website at: http://www.statewidewildliferescue.com/ or call 877-5RA-COON.

Raccoon & bat photos courtesy of statewidewildliferescue.com

Trapped! Connecticut Lobstermen Facing Uncertain Future

In his novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald referred to Long Island Sound as: "The most domesticated body of salt water in the Western Hemisphere." Domesticated or not, it has become more and more difficult in the past few years for many lobster fishermen to make a living out of this "great wet barnyard" that provides Connecticut with its shoreline. The body of water that once sustained hundreds of Connecticut lobstermen now boasts only a handful, and those remaining few may also soon be gone, as a program designed to save the industry could become a casualty of tough fiscal times.

Once full of the large crustaceans, Long Island Sound's lobster industry has been reeling since a "die-off" in the late 1990's claimed much of the species' population.

While there are different theories about just why the lobsters are disappearing, including concerns over pollution and pesticides used to combat West Nile Virus, fisheries biologist Colleen Giannini said climate change could be the most likely culprit. "There isn't one smoking gun, but the component that comes up again and again is warmer waters," she said, "Long Island Sound is at the very southern end of a cold-water species."

Fewer lobsters have left the state's lobster fishing industry reeling.

"At one time we had 360 licensed fishermen in Connecticut," said Branford lobsterman Nick Crismale, "Now, I'm not sure we have 15 active."

Crismale has hundreds of traps piled-up at the Branford River Lobster Company, which sells Connecticut-caught lobsters to the public.

He says that those who have chosen to remain in the business have done so largely because of the V-Notch program; a conservation measure designed to replenish the stock of lobsters on Long Island Sound, while helping lobstermen stay profitable.

Under the program, when an egg-bearing female lobster is caught, she is "notched" in the tail so as to indicate her importance to conservation (and thereby inability to be legally caught), and then released back to the sea. Lobstermen are compensated at market price for every lobster notched. The program is also designed to educate students about marine conservation, by allowing for student participation on fishing boats notching the lobsters.

"It was to help a beleaguered industry," said Giannini, "The stock in Long Island Sound, and all of Southern New England, has been depleted. We are at record low levels."

Connecticut's lobstermen have been enthusiastic about the program. "The first year was a huge success, they notched over 103% of the target," said Giannini.

The program could be in danger of losing its funding, however. A memo released by Governor Jodi Rell's office on April 20th says the state is facing a budget shortfall of $7.95 billion for the next two fiscal years. Tough budgetary times have meant cuts to many state programs, and the V-Notch program has not been spared.

"All we have right now is the original $1 Million appropriation, and funds on that are getting low," said Giannini.

The lack of funding has coincided with a decline in actual V-Notching. Giannani said that since beginning the second year of the program in November, only 15% of the target has been notched. "It's not likely that without additional funding they will reach the year two target," she said.

The alternative to V-Notching is changing the "gage" size, which limits the number of lobsters that can be caught by setting a larger minimum size. This has been done in the past, and is intended to allow more lobsters to reach maturity. "We have to increase their size limit," said Toni Kerns of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, "They will lose harvest due to that size increase, but that may be just around what they lost if they were v-notching." Kerns said that lobstermen in Maine have been successfully v-notching for years on a voluntary basis.

Crismale, however, is less optimistic. "Their answer to everything is more regulation," he said, "without this program, the industry will probably go out."

If Connecticut's lobster industry disappears, Giannini said it would not be the first. "New Jersey once had a viable fishery, but that's gone now," she said.

Giannini said the issue of v-notch funding is currently under consideration by the appropriations committee, where an additional $300,000 is proposed to be added before or after the start of the next fiscal year in July. "There will be some very hard conversations this summer and fall," she said.

"The program has been a total success," said Crismale, "it makes no sense to get rid of something that is so valuable not only to this industry, but also resource conservation and education."

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Notched Lobster Image: AP Photo/Bob Child

On How to Bring St. Patrick's Day to School

With its oftentimes dismal weather, the month of March doesn't seem to offer too many reasons to celebrate. Perhaps this is why St. Patrick's Day has become so popular. Of course, for many college students (and plenty of grown adults) the holiday is primarily celebrated by consuming large amounts of alcoholic beverages, another tradition that is not nearly as often celebrated by college students is the traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage that has become characteristic of the holiday. As March 17th falls on a Tuesday this year, and (save for students celebrating their spring break at home,) most students will be at school, and won't have their mother or father to prepare the boiled dinner for them. But fear not, because in ten easy steps, you too can enjoy the tasty March meal in your own apartment or dorm room, without infringing on your busy schedule.


Before you start, be sure that you have all the necessary ingredients. In order to make this dinner, you will need: a packaged corned beef brisket with peppercorns, and as much cabbage, parsnips, carrots, and potatoes as you would like.




Step 1: Cut the brisket package open, and put it into a large pot. Be sure to squeeze the bag to get all the remaining juice into the pot. (Note DON'T wash the corned beef before putting it into the pot, this will remove some of the juices).




Step 2: Cut open the included packet of peppercorns, and sprinkle them evenly over the corned beef in the pot.






Step 3: Completely cover the corned beef with cold water, this will create a layer of foam on top of the brisket.






Step 4: Remove all of the foam from the top of the pot by using a skimmer or strainer.







Step 5: Put stove on high heat.







Step 6: Cover the pot, and bring it to a boil.







Step 7: Turn the stove off high heat, and put it on medium heat to simmer for about 3 1/2 hours.







Step 8: Every half hour the brisket is simmering, make sure to turn it over using a large fork.





Step 9: After the brisket boils for 3 1/2 hours, add the vegetables, continue to simmer corned beef with vegetables for an additional 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.





Step 10: Remove ingredients from pot, and serve with rye bread and butter.





This will probably leave you with plenty of leftovers, and rather than just re-heating your St. Patrick's Day feast, here is a tasty recipe that has been a favorite in my family for years, especially after the holiday. http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,168,132189-251196,00.html

On Having the Oldest Computer Around

I have gotten to the point where I have almost become embarrassed to show my computer in public. Perhaps it comes from the fact that I may just be too good a person to have had enough "problems" to send it back to the Dell company (you all know who you are,) but I have kept my old D610 that I received back in August of '05 when we were instructed that everyone needed to purchase a computer- and a Dell D610 at that. In the company's effort to constantly update, it turned out that by the following year, new students had a new Dell computer, which was different, and cooler-looking than the ones that we all got. Then the next year, yet another new Dell came out, this time with (for better or for worse) Windows Vista. On top of that, there are seemingly hundreds of QU students with Macs who, whenever asked about them will hardly cease to explain all the virtues of having one, and more importantly, the inferiority of personal computers.
The bottom line is that when I come to class, I find myself rather embarrassed every time I have to pull out my 2005 PC that is covered in stickers, missing an "H" key, cannot run without AC power, and is in need of a good dusting. Of course, when we bought the D610's, they only came with a three-year warranty, and the aforementioned problems occurred conveniently just after the expiration date. I can count on one hand the number of people I know that still have their original Dell laptop, and most of them are not in class with me.
Of course my computer is a far cry from the early days of home computers that plugged into your television set and had less memory than many i-Tunes songs, but I know that I among my first purchases when I get a real job will be a new laptop computer. In this technological climate, it seems that four years is much too long to have any computer.

On the Importance of Coffee

As I am writing this, I am drinking my first (of what will probably be around six) cup of coffee for the day. As I have progressed through college, I have discovered that I have become more and more dependent on the highly-caffinated beverage to stay awake through the day. And it isn't just me. Back in high school, I remember my best friend used to bring a mug of coffee to school every day, and I thought that to be weird and pretentious (although usually I would have one cup at home before going to school.) Now do I not only bring coffee to class from home in a travel mug, but I drink several cups that I brew myself before I get there (it is so nice to have my own coffee maker now), in addition to making daily trips to Dunkin' Donuts.
For all the professed negative effects of caffeine (although according to this interesting article from WebMD, most of these are either overblown or downright untrue: http://www.webmd.com/balance/caffeine-myths-and-facts), I have found that it does keep me awake and alert, and doesn't cause the same kind of nasty "crash" that one gets from consuming energy drinks. Plus, I think it tastes better. It is going to be a busy day today; I am already on my second cup.

Teacher runs off with student

I don't really know what it is that makes some teachers think that it is "ok" to have affairs with their students, but sadly that doesn't stop some of them. The latest example comes from my little corner of the world, as a 24 year old Holyoke, MA elementary schoolteacher named Lisa Lavoie is accused of running-off with one of her students. That's right, an elementary school teacher running-off with a student. Now since the child is 15, maybe he is a former student of hers, or she tutors him, perhaps (15 year olds are generally in high school).
Apparently, the child's mother had called the school Feb. 13 out of concern that her son was having an affair with the teacher. Now the FBI is involved, as it is believed she carried the boy over state lines- a federal offense. For more information, and a complete report, go to: http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/wwlp_local_teacher_allegedly_runs_off_with_student_200902231249

Back to School: An interview with Chris Hurley

According to many reports, the economic recession has motivated a growing number of people to going back to school and re-train in new career fields. Chris Hurley is one of these people. Hurley is in his late 20's, and works as a director at a local TV station. After several years working in television, however, he has returned to his alma mater, Westfield State College, to pursue a masters degree in education. I spoke with Chris about his decision to go back to school, and about what it is like to balance his education with a full-time job.

Q: Why did you decide to go back to school?
A: “Obviously, I wanted to go back to school, because more than anything I wanted to go into teaching. I decided that I wanted to go into that because I enjoyed teaching other people in my job at the station, and I decided that that was what I wanted to do with my life.”

Q: How long do you plan on going to classes before you get your degree?
A: “I am hoping to be doing this for three years to get my masters degree. I hope to be teaching before then.”

Q: What kind of teaching do you want to do?
A: “I want to go into elementary education; I want to be teaching 5th or 6th grade general education.”

Q: How are you balancing a full-time job with taking classes?
A: “For this semester, I only took one class, so I can focus on taking the test I need to take to be licensed, before I progress with the rest of the program, but I am trying to get these preliminary things done first so I can get into teaching.”

Q: Did you foresee yourself becoming a teacher years ago?
A: “I actually did. Teaching was one of the things I was debating about when I went to school in the first place, along with communications and legal studies. Communications eventually won out, but teaching never left my scopes, and as I said, I was always teaching people as a trainer though at work.”

Q: What do you think that changes in the economy will have to do with your ability to take these classes?
A: “It depends on what they are going to be doing for financial aid, because financial aid is helping me take these classes. If the school system I work for can assist me, I won’t need to worry as much about getting a Stafford Loan. It depends on how much people are willing to give out for financial aid.”

Q: Have you had to make any sacrifices to further your education?
A: “I did, because I had to give up a part-time job, which helped me get enough money to go to school in the first place. So I am losing money either way. But hopefully, I am moving into something that is universally needed, and that is not disposable. Teachers are always needed, regardless of changes in technology or in the economy.”

Q: Are you concerned about possible tuition and fee hikes?
A: “So far I haven’t been, because Westfield State is one of the most reasonably-priced around here. UMass can be expensive, and their tuition has gone up, but then Westfield is known as a teaching school, and it’s inexpensive, so I win both ways.”

To read more about people going back to school in this tough economy, read the following article from CNN: http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/27/news/economy/job_retraining