The Mouse House

It’s difficult to describe (or even recall) the sequence of events that occurs when your cat drops a live Deer mouse into your armpit while you’re sleeping. Chaos descends, your lizard brain switches on, and you’re instantly transformed into a roiling mass of flailing, kinetic energy. This is otherwise known as “going berserk”.

All for a mouse.

If you live on the East coast—especially in wooded suburbs—Deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) and White-Footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) are critters you might already be familiar with. As far as mice go, they just might be THE cutest of all the mouse species. Their gigantic eyes and enormous ears make them almost cartoonishly adorable.

White-footed Mice & Deer Mice

These two very similar (and closely-related) native mouse species inhabit our woodlands, and distinguishing the Deer mouse from the White-footed mouse can be a bit tricky. Typically the Deer mouse has a bi-color tail with a sharp definition from the darker color on the top and the lighter color on the bottom; meanwhile, the White Footed mouse also has a bi-tone tail--but but separation between the colors is much more indistinct. While both species inhabit my property, it seems White-Footed mice over-represent those which frequent my basement. White-footed mice also make an interesting noise when alarmed, which is sort of a buzzing sound which they produce by drumming their front feet on a surface—and it’s a noise I’ve become quite familiar with!

While sources online will say Deer/White-Footed mice in your house is unusual and homeowners are more likely to encounter the House mouse (Mus musculus) as an unwanted guest, I can say that in all the decades I’ve been in Bridgewater, I've never once had a House mouse---but have dealt with hundreds of Deer & White-Footed mice in my time here. If you have mice in your house that have a brownish grey or cinnamon-colored upper coat with a bright white belly and feet, you’ve got Deer/White-footed mice. House mice are also known for their musky odor which Deer/White-Footed mice lack.

White-footed mice are a native non-game species which can be quite beneficial since they have a near-insatiable appetite for Spongy-moth caterpillars (Lymantria dispar)---and if you never heard of a ‘Spongy moth’, it’s probably because you know them by their former name, “Gypsy moth”. So, while having an infestation of mice in your house is never a good thing, live trap & release of these native species is preferred since they are important parts of our forest ecosystem and can help keep our trees healthy. White-Footed mice are in fact very arboreal and often nest in trees & tree hollows and are known to make use of old bird nests which they convert into their own globe-shaped nest. Interesting side note: Deer mice are an animal model used in the field of OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) research as they’ve been proven to have repetitive, compulsive behaviors (large nest building, running in patterns, and vertical jumping) that meet the classification criteria of human OCD!

Deer/White-footed mice are also a favorite prey of foxes, owls, and other raptors (e.g. hawks and falcons), so, if you're looking to control them in your home, poisons should not be considered to control them. Also, please do not use glue traps as they are profoundly & unnecessarily cruel.

Deer mice & White-footed Mice; lower right image shows the sharp distinction of the bi-tone tail of a Deer Mouse

The good news is that I’ve found these types of mice easy to trap using humane traps like these -- and I simply release them in the rear of my property (or into my shed if caught in winter). White-footed mice have a range of about 500 feet, and considering they have a complex social structure, releasing them further away very likely causes their death---since they have neither a familial nest nor cache of food for survival (and they are known to cache substantial quantities of seeds, cherry pits, and acorns). And even though they stow away large amounts, winter starvation is the second highest cause of mortality after predation.

The best means of controlling them is exclusion—and they most often gain access via gaps around water/gas pipes—so fill those voids with expanding foam mixed with copper mesh or steel wool. If you have a house that’s more than 40 years old, you may have to just live with their occasional intrusion, as finding every space they can enter is nearly impossible.

While having indoor cats certainly can help reduce the numbers that make it inside, it’s quite typical that my cats often gift me with a live but permanently injured (i.e. non-releasable) mouse that ends up being a pet (which is legal to do with this species in NJ). We currently care for two such White-footed mice: 5yo Wheels and 3yo Stubs. One mouse we had lived to be 7yo—which is darn near the max lifespan of 8 years for a White-Footed mouse! So, if anyone ever wants tips on caring for a Deer/White-footed mouse, let me know—I’ve pretty much got it down to a science and apparently have unlocked the secrets to a long, happy mouse life.

Thankfully, many of our “gifted” mice are rehabbed and released—but we did have one which apparently liked his former arrangement so much that he returned every night to the basement to run on his old mouse wheel which was stored on a shelf (hmmm---perhaps he was one of those OCD mice?).

So the next time you have to give an eviction notice to a Deer/White-footed mouse, please consider opting for a humane trap & release…Bridgewater’s trees will thank you for it. Just keep your fingers crossed that one of them doesn't end up in your shirt!

I'd Like To Report a Hedge Murder

My interest in hedges was ignited about 15 years or so ago, when my neighbor (who’d owned her property since the 50s), did the most extreme and inexplicable thing.

Imagine arriving home one afternoon and being faced with an empty, yawning void---80’L x 9’w---along the side of your property where once stood a venerable hedge of forsythia mixed with American Cranberry Viburnums. The remains of the hedgerow lay strewn about like the victims of an attack. My (quite wonderful!) neighbor was a long-time gardener and I could not fathom why she would do such a thing. After first feeling like my soul had left my body, I gathered my composure enough to talk with her without shrieking like a banshee, and asked what prompted this curious decision.

Her answer: “because I wanted to look at your lovely garden!” ...omigod omigod omigod---WHAAAAT!

While I appreciate she wanted a prime view into our side garden, what was astounding is that she apparently forgot to think of the inverse of this scenario—that now we would be forced to peer directly into HER yard…and enclosed patio with the television on…and car…and garage—and clear into her neighbor’s yard as well. I can remember feeling nauseous as the enormity of the matter sunk in.

While not THE forythia hedge that used to frame my property, these forsythia hedges are nearly identical in size & habit to what was removed

I’ve noticed over the past 40+ years how the concept of the hedge has been lost or, more accurately—abandoned. Decades ago, suburbia’s properties were typically defined by a hedge, and these were often the pride of the homeowners who tended to them (back when people were actually out in their yards instead of hermetically sealing themselves into their houses as they do today). I don’t think people realize the profound negative effect this has had on our environment, and I think it’s fair to say their loss has had a pretty erosive impact on the quality of relationships between neighbors as well.

Today, the hedgerow has been replaced by the likes of vinyl fencing, chain link, or in many cases—nothing at all. I do understand that deer pressure probably has also factored into some decisions to abandon it, but I’m ready to take up the mission to get as many locals in my region to take up hedge-building again.

Hedges have a long history—back to the 1400s at least. Most of our hedgerow knowledge came from Europe, with the UK and Ireland being known for their mastery of hedge-crafting and hedge-laying and utilize at least a dozen styles/methods of construction for them. The typical highly-trimmed hedge sculpted into tight geometric shapes originated there, and while it’s absolutely NOT my preferred style of hedge, I’d certainly prefer it to no hedgerow at all.

Hedges also do a lot of work, and much of it is nothing a fence can do.

Let me talk about the one my neighbor butchered. This wide, wild, and ANCIENT forsythia hedge buffered the screaming Northwest winds of winter. It blocked the deer from cutting through my side yard. It expertly muffled the noise from neighbors and cars. It screened the rather unappealing view described earlier. It provided ample food for pollinators.

But what it did best was host hordes of birds who readily consumed the berries from the intermixed viburnums, and who used it for shelter in all seasons. It was also the long-time nesting site of both Northern Cardinals and Gray Catbirds, because of the safety its thin stems provided from portly, nest-raiding raccoons.

But it did even more. That hedge was the purest, clearest beacon of spring, blooming in a lazy, wandering river of yellow all along my side yard…in some years it was absolutely glorious. It was something I always looked forward to as we emerged from the dregs of winter.

And then it was gone—and now what? I didn’t know what to do. That helpless feeling lasted all of 5 minutes before I knew exactly what I needed to do…I was going to establish an 80’ long hedgerow just inside the property line as soon as was humanly possible.

So that’s how I came to hedge-building.

And you know what? I’m still angry about the hedge murder—and suspect I always will be. I remember on the day it was removed, seeing the Northern Cardinals looking shell-shocked, and appearing as confused & crestfallen as I was at the unfortunate new development.

This similar scenario has been repeated everywhere—with hedgerows & landscape buffers getting torn out and soulless fences put in their place (and which frankly seem to serve no purpose other than be expensive property markers). It’s no wonder that there’s such a profound decline in songbirds…when you remove the very things where they shelter, feed & reproduce---and replace it with something which does none of those things---what would anyone expect? I wonder how many thousands of miles of hedgerow have been lost over the past 50 years in the US—the number is likely staggering (as is the number of songbird losses over the same period).

Northeastern Songbirds that will readily nest in hedges, vines and brambles. Seven out of the 10 species here have suffered significant population declines.

And fences…ugggh…aside from the fact the vinyl ones are most certainly shedding microplastics into the soil, they are very, very, very bad for wildlife. When researching how to design and build our deer fence, I read dozens of wildlife journal articles & research papers about the myriad ways fences harm and kill wildlife. I saw photos in those papers that will be forever in my mind…the suffering that they can cause is highly disturbing. Fences get a hard pass from me unless they’re thoughtfully and purposely engineered to prevent wildlife injury & death. Until I began that research, I had NO IDEA how disruptive and dangerous they truly were (and it’s why our deer fence took two years of planning & design before I felt it met those qualifications). But that’s a topic for another day.

There are so many hedge styles to choose from, and even the simplest ones can provide a variety of benefits to both homeowners and wildlife.

One of my goals is to get more people to understand the real measurable value & work that hedgerows do. No fence prevents erosion or storm runoff, or feeds & fosters wildlife, or muffles sound as well—or, to be frank—LOOKS as effing GORGEOUS! I am quite sure no one ever stood in front of a vinyl fence and marveled at its beauty. Literally NO ONE.

I think they also could make us kinder. Often neighbors would commiserate and bond when meeting up during their hedge-trimming duties—which is a type of community-building that’s clearly been lost to the ages. They also helped define and quiet our personal spaces…they're softer than a wall or fence, but enough of a shield to let us have the type of privacy & solitude that can keep you sane. And neighbors don't bond over a vinyl fence.

But I’ll admit, establishing a hedge is hard—especially with a changing & unpredictable climate and extreme deer pressure, which is why it’s so distressing when existing ones are lost; it’s always so much easier to destroy than it is to maintain or build. And building takes time. But it can be done—and I would argue it must be.

I fervently believe we need to restore these important pieces of our environment, and I hope to find some environmentally-savvy folks who could be inspired to resurrect the art of the hedge—and I’d be more than happy to help if it means we can see hedgerows rise again in Bridgewater. It would go a long way to help spread the word on what amazing services these ecological powerhouses provide.

We could be a little quieter and calmer, less windblown, and with spaces that are more private, restorative, and personal. We could enjoy the sounds of birds returning and the peep-peep-peeping of little ones in their nests—doesn’t that sound like something we all could use a little more of?

Any takers?

Oh—and that neighbor who cut down her hedge? She began getting rainwater flooding her basement, starting the year she cut it down.  Actions have consequences—always. When will we ever learn?

HOW I LOST MY SANITY ONE TREE AT A TIME

aerial views of Washington Valley Road and Martinsville from 2019 and 1956. Farmland and forest lost to development.

As I walked past my upstairs window on the way to bed one recent evening, I was taken aback by the glaring light coming from the volunteer firehouse. It used to be there was only one unshielded light I could see…one which casts a monstrous amount of light pollution. Now there were four. And they didn’t add lights—they removed trees—again. Now, when I look out this window, I can see straight into the firehouse and parking lot, all the traffic on North Bridge, and have a prime view of the houses on the other side of the street. And my house is at least 500 feet away from North Bridge!

Ten years ago I couldn’t see a light, nor the firehouse, nor anything beyond…just trees. Big, green, beautiful trees. But, we are told—Bridgewater cares about trees! Bridgewater has a strict tree removal ordinance! Bridgewater is a proud member of the Arbor Day “Tree City” Program! We’ve got a Shade Tree Board! And a Tree 4 All Program! We’ve got a Tree JAMBOREEEEEE!

This, my friends, is all pure, unadulterated B.U.L.L.S.H.I T.

I have yet to hear any explanation as to how or why the firehouse was permitted to remove the entire landscape buffer and trees on the east of their property (and which violates our town’s landscape easement ordinance in the most egregious way). Over the last two years, I watched in absolute despair as those trees were cut up and burnt as bonfires in their parking lot. I guess when there aren’t many fires to put out, you end up getting bored and starting your own.

Last summer, two healthy and immense sycamore trees at the edge of their parking lot were inexplicably dropped and chopped. The American Goldfinches that depended on their seeds will just have to go find food somewhere else, I guess.

The trees that backed the firehouse were everything that blocked the utterly obscene amount of light pollution the firehouse emits. They also acted as a windbreak, effectively blocking and protecting the copse of trees to their east (which will inevitably suffer blow-over/wind-throw & damage come the first strong wind events—mark my words), and muffled the ever-increasing traffic noise from North Bridge Street. And now they’re all gone.

So, when a tree falls in a landscape easement on North Bridge St., does it make a sound?

It sure does, because I’ve heard it—it’s just that no-one who runs our town gives two shits about it.

I’m sure if I went to investigate if permits were ever pulled or approved for those trees, I wouldn’t find a single one. Nor would I find ones for the trees that disappeared at the property across the street…or 10 at the neighbor's down the street, or the windbreak of 13 Blue Spruce trees next door that was mowed down in a single day. Last summer I stood in my backyard, looking deep into a horizon that was previously blocked by a dense stand of old, majestic trees in the distance…those, too, are gone. At one point, I even counted to see how many days in a row I could hear a chainsaw running….34 days. If, by my estimation, I’ve personally seen 50-75 trees removed within 500’ of my residence in the last 5 years (and heard countless more being murdered in the distance), how many do you think are being removed not just here, but EVERYWHERE? I’m sure the answer would break my heart.

a view to the corner of Foothill (blue line)/North Bridge St (green line) from 1971, 1995 and 2006; note the how the area marked in green has changed drastically from 1995-2006.

Our town leaderships’ apathy and lack of enforcement---combined with addiction to endless, unsustainable growth---is how we’ve gone from being surrounded by swathes of profoundly beautiful and beneficial forest with thriving biodiversity to suddenly wondering where all the trees, birds, and animals went. And we’re left to deal with (and often literally pay for) the inevitable adverse consequences: erosion, flooding, wind damage, and increased noise & light pollution.

And as is usual, wildlife is what will suffer the most as it’s left with nowhere to go. Birds returning from their long journeys from Central & South America will arrive to find their previously successful nesting areas have vanished. Sorry birds! Native mammals will be frantically looking for that tree hollow they lived in, as well as for the thousands of pounds of acorns and nuts they relied on to survive. Too bad, squirrels, foxes, and raccoons! You’ll just need to wait 50-75 years for another oak or hickory to start producing nuts!

So how does this happen? Why are people now so intent on destroying trees?

Aside from the obvious and endless developer land-grabs at play, there are two issues I believe contribute to this. One is that over the past 10-20 years, we seen a hefty influx of people  purchasing in Bridgewater to do house-flips—people who weren’t a part of our community and never would be—they didn’t care about our town, our environment, or really anything other than making money. They came in, remodeled a house, tore out mature trees and ripped the existing landscaping, buffers, and hedges to shreds, and then skipped out as soon as they got their cash. Greed has lain waste to so much of our town.

the view of Garretson Road from Rt 287/202/206 to North Bridge St from 1971 to 2002

Then we have the second problem—a more insidious one. As older folks who lived here for much of their lives passed away or left, we’ve seen younger people moving in from more urbanized areas/suburbs. As newcomers, they’ve built no commitments to our town, nor do they have any sense of the history or baseline of what we had here; they only see what IS, not what WAS.

To many of them, they think “this is more trees than I had previously, so this is good”--so whatever amount is here now is fine. But it’s NOT fine. They don’t know what we’ve already lost…and you don’t care about what you don’t know about.

People don’t stay at their properties as long as they used to…they develop no emotion, connection, or pride in where they live. They treat their property less like homeowners do and more like long-term renters. They view houses as investments and not as, you know... homes. Bridgewater was once what's known as a “bedroom” community…I’d dare say now it’s pretty much a “hotel-room” community. They don’t put down roots.

This means that over time we keep moving the goalposts of what is acceptable to lose, where each new person moving in believes that losing just a little bit more is ok.

No. Absolutely NO!---just a little bit more is NOT ok! Those of us who’ve been here a long time can tell you---this how you lose forests, and wildlife, and the quality of life. Little by little. Tree by tree.

Many of my previous neighbors lived in their homes for 50-65 years, and I can’t recall any of them cutting down a tree in the last 30 years. Yet, when a new homeowner moves in, trees immediately come down. Every. Single. Time.

Area around Chimney Rock Resevoir (in blue) from 1940, 1956, 1987 and 2019. Quarry expansion marked in red. Nearly all farmland lost and developed.

Even if you only cut down one tree at a time, eventually you will come to a day when there are none left. Meanwhile, our town leadership talks about utter nonsense like electronic billboards and whether to entertain mega-warehouses—two things I’m certain no resident has ever once considered to be things that will improve our quality of life. Know what does improve it? Trees. And thriving wildlife and biodiversity. And reducing noise. And light pollution. And flooding.

We need to preserve every tree we have and should be planting thousands more!

And yet, they just let the chainsaws keep on screaming; they’ll leave the money for permits & violations on the table and then have the nerve to tell us they need to raise our taxes. We’ll pay more and yet still lose more… and we all get to look out our windows and watch what made Bridgewater truly special get stuffed into a wood chipper.