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THE SQUIRREL CONNECTION
 In
1986-1987 a writer for the San Bernardino Sun requested a proposal for a
legal squirrel hunting season in the San Bernardino Mountains.
Luther Schwartzkopf (Chair) and George Heseman (Conservation Chairman) of
the relatively new Mountains Group traveled with a delegation to San
Francisco to persuade the Commission to stop the hunt. Based on their
testimony and 20,000 protest signatures, the Fish and Game Commission
rejected the proposal, a decision that was supported by the Board of
Supervisors.
An article
in the June 25th, 1987, Mountain News and Mountaineer, states that
"because mountain residents and Sierra Club members were successful in
preventing the hunting of the squirrel in Southern California, Sierra Club
Mountains' Group members chose the squirrel as their logo." Later, the
Group named its newsletter Squirrel Tracks to commemorate the victory.
Squirrel Facts
The little critter we see scurrying in and around our
trees here is the Western Gray Squirrel (Sciurus griseus). His
habitat ranges from Washington through Southern California.
While other squirrel species produce more offspring
in good times to make up for losses in lean times, the Western Gray
appears to have limited ability to do so, partly because they breed only
once a year. (Eastern squirrels breed twice a year.)
The Western Grays live in older mixed forests of oak,
pine and/or firs with interconnected tree canopies, nesting in the top
third of large trees. They build their nests with leaves and twigs, and
line them with lichen, moss and bark shavings. Their cuisine
consists of pine nuts, acorns, nuts, berries, fungi, green vegetation and
insects.
There is a difference in how the Gray Squirrel and
the Red Squirrel gather and store their food. This difference is important
in the regeneration of forest. The Gray Squirrel buries their hoarded
acorns, nuts and seeds, and some of this buried treasure sprouts. The Red
Squirrel, on the other hand, hoards it food supply in large piles, which
of course is less conducive to forest growth.
Other squirrels in the San Bernardino National forest
are the San Bernardino Flying Squirrel, a species of special
concern, and the California Ground Squirrel.
The original meaning of the word squirrel is
shadow tail. The word comes from the Greek skiouros, a
combination of skia (shadow, shade) and oura (tail).
Squirrel Links
A Brief History of the Squirrel
Squirrels Date Back Millions of Years
Squirrel Facts from the Squirrel Lover's Club
Western Gray Squirrels
The Squirrel as Tree Planter
Will the Fox Squirrel spread to our mountains? |
