I did a survey of University of Georgia Extension Service
agents recently to see what
kinds of wildlife management are in demand.

Surveys help spot trends to see what people want to know.
They help us learn what kinds
of animals are causing problems or creating opportunities.

Here are some examples of the trends:

Armadillo populations are exploding in south Georgia and
expanding to the north. They
cause headaches for homeowners by digging up their lawns and
gardens.

Woodchucks are digging burrows and eating vegetables in
backyards in the mountains.
They’re expanding to the south.

Deer are a new source of interest and conflict in suburbs
statewide.

One of the most stunning comparisons of information requested
is between urban and
rural areas. Extension agents in urban areas on average get far
more calls about wildlife
of all kinds than their rural counterparts.

Some people may think wildlife live on the farm or in the
forest and that’s where the
action is. That’s true. But the biggest demand for wildlife
management information comes
from population centers.

The people, not the animals, ask the questions. And most of
these questions come from
the fastest-growing wildlife habitat: backyards. There, some
wildlife may be pests in
backyard agriculture. But backyard wildlife managers may
encourage other species.

Hummingbirds are a good example of an animal people want to
help. Extension agents
receive thousands of calls per year on hummingbirds, especially
in urban areas. So do
wildlife biologists.

Terry Johnson of the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division told
me the large majority of
new sightings for the Rufous hummingbird come from populated
areas.

That’s because cities are where so many backyard managers
tend their hummingbird
feeders all winter in hopes of attracting this rare winter
bird.

“Backyard wildlife management is ‘the growth area.’ It’s
just phenomenal,”
Terry says. “Interest exceeds our ability to
respond.”

What do these trends mean to professional wildlife managers?

Some of us are clearly out of our comfort zone. We want to
stay with our hunting and
fishing constituents. That’s where some of our top-down planning
has had major impact. For
example, deer, turkey and beaver have thrived as a result of
reintroduction to habitats
where those animals had been driven out. Now these species need
more management than ever.

But the urban backyard is a confusing new frontier for us to
respond to.

This frontier is most frustrating when constituents have
clashing values. Few people
object to rat and mouse control. And no one objects to having
more hummingbirds.

But it’s what
Bob Warren, one of my research colleagues, calls
“charismatic megafauna” (i.e.,
big animals people like) that cause the biggest problems.

Urban deer and alligators are both megafauna, but deer cause
more headaches. That’s
because people are more divided over what to do with charismatic
“Bambi” in the
city.

Removing an urban alligator, on the other hand, generates few
complaints. “Finding
out what wildlife managers can do that’s acceptable to people
with conflicting values is the challenge,”
Bob says.