The Administration Lawn is ground zero for squirrels on campus.
Prior UI arborists, such as now retired Steve Nittolo, learned just how intimidating these creatures could be on their home turf.
Nittolo, high above the ground pruning trees, came face to face with a screeching squirrel. Apparently Nittolo had wandered too close to home and was regarded as an intruder. Luckily, he was able to climb away unscathed, but not without getting scolded.
University of Idaho Campus Horticulturist David Rauk, who has worked at UI for 25 years, said his department likes to see urban wildlife on campus because it adds to the outdoor environment’s diversity.
Jake Smith | Rawr
Squirrels nest high in deciduous shade trees and may become aggravated by intruders. Feeding them is against UI admin-
istrative policy for several reasons and feeding them can cause unnatural ecological tranformations.
When it comes to squirrels, Rauk said people in many ways are actually more of a problem than squirrels. Some campus patrons like to establish relationships with the wild animals on campus, and one way to do so is by feeding them.
“We plant a wide variety of trees, shrubs and perennials on campus and the food source is abundant for our wildlife — our birds, our squirrels, things like that,” Rauk said. “There’s no need to add human food to their diet.”
Rauk said he would prefer those on campus to establish relationships with the wildlife by observing it from a distance and then reading about the animal.
He said feeding squirrels and other animals can cause several problems on campus, which is why, like many other campuses and parks across the nation, UI has precedent.
According to the UI administrative procedure manual, “Feeding of natural and feral wildlife is prohibited because of ongoing safety and health issues, vermin population increases around campus buildings, and damage to landscape plant materials from increased and non-sustainable animal populations.”
Feeding squirrels, which like to build nests in large, deciduous shade trees on campus, can upset the natural balance and cause overpopulation, Rauk said.
“We have seen a bit of increase in the squirrel population, and with that some scarcity of food during the winter,” Rauk said. “Because of that, they’ll sometimes try to use other items for food.”
He said squirrels will strip bark off trees, potentially to get to the sugars in the cambium tissue located underneath. It’s nutritious and has carbohydrates.
“One problem is the iconic Camperdown Elms we have on campus, those umbrella-shaped trees, they, two or three winters ago, were hit hard by squirrels,” Rauk said. “During the winter, their branches were gnawed on, or girdled, so large diameter limbs up top had some severe dieback.”
That may be attributed to the overpopulation of insects because humans upset the natural balance by feeding squirrels human food, he said.
Rauk said if fed by hand, squirrels could become accustomed to and unafraid of humans. The danger comes from aggressive behavior, such as biting, when the wild animal is searching for handouts.
He said oak trees on the Administration lawn, which provide nesting grounds for the largest population of squirrels on campus, provide acorns as a source of food.
Squirrels do minor damage to UI’s campus, primarily by chewing on plastic drain lines and spouts on buildings, particularly the Administration Building, Rauk said. Squirrels historically cause electrical problems on campus by finding their way into transformer boxes and climbing on power lines.
Rauk said the resulting forensic evidence does not typically yield living squirrel bodies.
Jake Smith can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @notjakesmith